Now With An Outflow Horseshoe Base

As the HP supercell matured in the Texas Panhandle on the evening of Monday, May 16, 2016, it began to form an outflow horseshoe base. The four images in today's posting were all stationary and located along Highway 520 at Highway 2, about 8 miles northwest of the town of Morse. The panorama image above was captured at 7:02 pm CDT and looks north.

A similar image one minute later.

7:03 pm and looking west along Highway 520. Ryan Alliss stands warily next to our vehicle as the storm draws nearer.

A slightly zoomed-in view of the rain and hail core looking north at the same time. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

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Keeping Pace On The Backroads Of The Texas Panhandle

Now it was time to stay with, or try to get ahead of the advancing HP supercell in the Texas panhandle on the evening of Monday, May 16, 2016. Photo ops such as the image shown above made that difficult. It is 6:14 pm CDT and we are eastbound (right) on Highway 3212, pulled up at the intersection of Highway 807, about 16 miles east of Dalhart. The heavy rain and hail core (left, horizon) was to be stayed clear of!

A similar view, but later at 6:42 pm. We are on the move eastbound (right) on Highway CC at the intersection of Highway 17, about 5.8 miles northwest of the town of Sunray.

Three minutes later and still eastbound on Highway CC. We were just a short distance from a left turn (north) onto Highway 119, bringing us briefly but dangerously closer to the supercell, which sports an unusual inflow cloud in the image above. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

Radar screen capture corresponding closely to the times for images two and three. The target icon shows our position to the storm and hail core (lavender). The white arrows indicate storm movement.

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Pokin' The Bear

In the Dalhart, Texas area on Monday evening, May 16, 2016, this massive HP supercell was fast approaching. Our only major east option was US Highway 54, which in its northeasterly route would lead us right into the path of the storm. Above, the camera looks east as we are ready to turn left onto US Highway 54 (seen at far right in distance) at 6:01 pm CDT.

Now on US Highway 54 moments later and about 2 miles northeast of Dalhart. The supercell is about to cross our path at this point.

Closer yet at 6:05 pm. The decision had to be made quickly to get out of harm's way, so a short distance after this image was captured we turned east (right) on Highway 3212, then south on Highway 807. Note the opaque rain and hail core at far left of the image. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

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Makings Of An HP Supercell--Texas Style

This was the scene at 5:58 pm CDT, Monday, May 16, 2016, one mile north of Dalhart, Texas. We are pulled off to the side of a newer road connecting US Highway 385 (seen in the background of the above image) and US Highway 54. The above image looks west toward one end of a High Precipitation (HP) supercell. The supercell features a roll cloud on its leading edge, seen at the lower right of the image.

Panning a little further right and now looking northwest, the roll cloud is seen more clearly.

Still further to the right and now looking northeast at the right edge of the massive supercell, which is taking on the classic "mothership" appearance.

Nearly the same view, but including Ryan Alliss capturing the spectacle with his cell phone camera. Our storm chase would quickly resume, heading down the highway toward the background. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

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In Hot Pursuit

Nervously glancing over my left shoulder, this is what was quickly following us after we got started southbound again on US Highway 385, just north of Dallam, Texas on Monday, May 16, 2016. Time was 5:43 pm CDT. The HP supercell was looking like something from War of the Worlds, blasting the ground as it went. In reality, the "blast" was RFD winds, heavy rain and hail. Note the inflow cloud feeding into it at right. Our next stop was the town of Dalhart. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

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Over The Rainbow

A very vivid, but low-to-the-ground rainbow is shown in the east sky from this camera position on Drexler Road at Sawyer Road (E16), about 2 miles east of Central City, Iowa on the evening of Tuesday, June 14, 2016. The top two images were captured at 5:12 pm, the bottom at 5:15 pm. In the bottom image, the storm cell is about to cover the rainbow as it is moving right-to-left (northeast). The evening featured a large number of isolated thunderstorm cells roaming throughout the state of Iowa--some being severe. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

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Watch Your Back!

Like a sinister stalker, the leading edge of this supercell was quickly following us as we made our way south on US Highway 385 in the Texas panhandle on the evening of Monday, May 16, 2016. This image and the three posted below look north alongside the road just north of the town of Dallam. The leading edge of the storm, which stretched from the west to the north sky, was chocked full of heavy rain and hail... and our intent was to get going before it caught us. Top image captured at 5:39 pm CDT.

Same time, but looking a little more toward the northeast. A former clearer sky is being eclipsed at right.

5:40 pm. Ryan Alliss stands close to the car as we were very near resuming our quick escape south toward the town of Dalhart. There was already a steady rain falling.

5:41 pm and ready to go! Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

Radar screen capture of the moment (same as previous day's posting). Note our position with the short black arrow looking north, and the lavender hail core at the 1:00 position. White arrows indicate storm direction.

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