Day 10: SUCCESS!!!!

Well!...We did it! We found our first SUPERCELL! Woohoo! But, before we get to that, let me first say a BIG thanks to my mom and dad for helping me go on this trip. Seeing so much today and learning so many things reminded me of how blessed I am to have this opportunity, and it would not have been possible if it weren't for my parents. I just wanted to take a minute to thank them for allowing me this opportunity, as well as everything else that have done for me and have blessed me with over past 21 years. You, two, are truly the most amazing, selfless, caring people I know, and I am incredibly blessed and proud to have you as my parents.

Now, with that being said, our day started off in McPherson, KS, where stayed the night last night. We departed around 10:45 a.m. and made a pit stop at Wally World (for the millionth time haha). Then, we made our way south and west toward Hutchinson, KS, to eat lunch. After, we were off to Belpre, KS, to track a storm. This was a pretty neat storm because you could see its multicellular features, including multiple updrafts. Check out the great pictures we got...

















At about 2p.m., this storm was moving northeast along the cold front. While we were out there, a Mesoscale Discussion was issued stating that there was a 60% chance a severe thunderstorm warning would be issued for that area throughout the day. The main threat with these storms would be hail due to steep lapse rates. It was really neat to see multiple cumulus clouds towering up at such fast rates. After sometime, I noticed the storm began to split... You can even see it on radar. Check it out...



That is when frustration began to set in...



Let me just preface, this is not my death wish...I just had to find some way to describe our frustration...Don't worry, no cars were in sight. Plus, I thought this would look pretty cool haha!

However, despite the split, we realized that we could see the two different storms split apart: the one in the far back (rotating anticyclonically) and the one closer to us (rotating cyclonically)...



This means the further storm would track northward and usually become weaker, while the other storm tracked westward and typically grew stronger. However, today, the further storm  proved to grow stronger, which is unusal but possible. It was really interesting to see the storm split in a real life situation. There is no better way to learn a concept than to visualize it in real life examples, enhance this is a field methods course in meteorology. Once we noticed the storm split, we began to head north to chase another storm, but we quickly changed course when we realized a more defined storm began forming just to our south...Good idea!

At approximately 3:10p.m., a severe thunderstorm watch was issued from central/southern Nebraska all the way to western Oklahoma. With this watch, there was a 20% chance of two or more tornadoes, as well as a threat for hail and damaging winds. We tracked a storm just southwest of Greensburg, KS (where the EF-5 in May 2007 leveled the city and destroyed so many lives and homes). The storm had a really cool wall cloud that seemed to have rotation. We had found our first supercell storm! Check out the pictures below...







We decided that we needed a different view of the cell...But, before getting into the van, Jessica and Matt began to hear a clickling noise...Renny said he would explain what was going on later, but he urged us to get back in the van as soon as possible. The clicking noise has something to do with lightning, but I will give you more details tomorrow. Until then, here's the supercell from a different angle...





And another view...







Towering Cumulus...













We also saw a Doppler on wheels in between different angle shots...



The storm quickly split, and we began to head south and then easy to catch the cyclonically rotating storm. We moved east toward Pratt, KS (yes, again...) to intercept the storm. This storm had a HUGE shelf cloud. We also felt the outflow, which is basically really cold air being push out of the storm. It was REALLY cold yet REALLY cool!!













At 5:26p.m., a severe thunderstorm warning was issued for Pratt, KS. Storm spotters reported penny to half dollar size hail. this storm was moving northeast at about 15mph. Check out the pictures below...















And, in honor of Maroon Friday...



As we started to head northeast on an old dirt road towar Preston, KS...



...We quickly realized our chase day was coming to an end. We decided to call it a day and head south toward Enid, OK. On our way south, we pulled over abotu 50 miles south of Pratt, KS, to take a picture of the same cell with towering cumulus clouds and lenticular clouds above it...It was REALLY cool! Check it out!...



Beautiful!!...



Lenticular clouds are caused by mountain ranges or winds forcing air above the cumulus clouds but are leveled at the top of the boundary layer, causing it to have a rounded top like a "flying saucer" or a frisbee. Pretty neat, huh?!?

For tonight, we decided we will stay in Enid, OK, to keep us close to our storm chase area for tomorrow. Because Enid is such a hot spot, we decided to wait out the two and half hour drive to end our good day with a rewarding all-you-can-eat ribs at the Rib Crib! After, we were all STUFFED beyond belief!

As for tomorrow, we will brief at 9:30a.m. about our plan for tomorrow's chase, as well as the plan for the next few days of chasing. Although tomorrow and Sunday look promising for some good storms, Monday and Tuesday look the best! So, get excited! Stay tuned!