TORNADOES
- The day started off in Omaha but as soon as we woke up and
saw the forecast, we immediately dashed back to Kansas and targeted
the area south of Hays. We ended up intercepting the supercell
near Lacrosse. I formed a funnel that made it about halfway to
the ground but we were able to confirm debris on the ground below
it so it was certainly on the ground and heading straight for
us. That touchdown was brief but the rotation in the cell was
insane. It wrapped up like a cinnamon bun and was pin wheeling
overhead just south of town. We were totally expecting it to
put down a big white tube right beside. I jumped in the van and
moved a few hundred feet down the road just in case it did put
down a big tornado on top of us. It crossed the road and formed
another funnel, this time a slender needle that may have touched
down as well but we couldn't tell from our vantage point.
Yet again, we got up close and personal
with the business end of these supercell storms. That was the
third close encounter for us this week. Cloud 9 has a reputation
for getting nice and close to the action and this day was no
exception.
Continuing east to the town of Bison,
we witnessed what appeared to be a brief landspout tornado. Some
other chasers claim it was a gustnado but it was difficult to
tell. The sirens were going off in town due to the tornado warning
and the storm was still looking good. It eventually merged with
other nearby cells and became a big, disorganized cluster. It
did however, have an awesome green colour in the core. we dashed
out of there before we got pounded by what was likely some big
hail. Another great chase day. |