Tour 3 - Day 5 (3rd June 2023) - Western TX Panhandle / Eastern NM - MRGL Risk

[MikeUpjohn]

Day 5 of the tour began in Odessa, TX after the bust from the previous day, and a MARGINAL Risk, less than 2% tornado risk, and 5% wind and hail risks, along the Eastern New Mexico and Western TX Panhandle border. After a late and relaxed start in Odessa, the plan was to drift North towards Seminole, TX for lunch and then into New Mexico to see what came of it. This area had been good for over-producing on low-end risk days this year. Lunch at Dickey's BBQ Pit in Seminole, TX before drifting onwards for a visit at the New Mexico sign and on towards Carlsbad, NM.

 

Several storms has fired in front and to our North, so we drifted towards Artesia, NM for a gas station loo break. Conveniently, a marginally-severe storm was beginning to roll into town, making the gas station canopy shake, and causing a LOT of blowing dust, and some good thunder and lightning. The storm looks promising, and was heading towards better air, so back East towards Lovington, NM.

Chased for another few as hours as the storms lined out with one brief very distant landspout to the South, before the storms started to decay. Headed into Andrews, TX for dinner and then to the hotel. While we were eating an outflow boundary of the line of storms we had been on, heading South and East, interacted with an outflow boundary of the storms heading North, near Odessa, TX and gave us a stunning backside view of the lightning in the updraft towers until gone midnight. Another brillian day, and all for a Marginal Risk event.

Artesia Storm is here on YouTube

 

Mike.