Northeastern Colorado LP Supercell April 26th 2012

 

 

 

 

 

A day that looked to have dismal hope turned out to be a winner in the chase beginning. Chase 1 was an epic beginning as Northeastern Colorado gave us conditions favorable for a possible organized supercell. Shep and I left approximately around 11:30am and drove to Wiggins, Colorado. My forecast was to aim for Eads, Colorado, but nowcasting I liked the Northeastern Colorado parameters. Even when I was tempted to see what would happen as the beginning of cyclogenesis.  This although would only happen later in the evening in southcentral CO, so I made the decision to hang around the backyard for a possible chance of convection of the front range to hold itself together in the afternoon hours. Shep and I sat around the Ft Morgan/Wiggins area for most the afternoon till 4-5PM when the isolated cell finally made its way into the slight risk line. When I say line, I mean the actual drawn line on the SPC. First it was a long afternoon of waiting and slow progression of weakening and surviving, our stomachs craved substanance (CONEYS FROM SONIC).  We watched the cell begin to beef up as we crammed our food down and headed back up to the now severe warned cell. We were able to find energy again. Both with our hunger for food and a storm, it was now a chase worth mentioning as the severe warned cell started to level out a nice high base. We were able to leisure as this storm all day wasn’t moving fast at all. We could at points of the chase stop to enjoy the mesocyclonic layering structure. Meanwhile it was well relaxed chase and the photos can do all the talking.

Shep was able to do some incredible timelapse and stills of lightning photography while I just watched in amazement. Sitting just west of Sterling we were able to enjoy some nice CG’s out of another impressive meso based storm.

On the way home, an explosive amount of convection began to erupt off the foothills around 9PM. The result of the low pressure enhancing out from the south and a substantial amount of moisture left from earlier convection allowed for a crazy lightning show all around the Front Range. We were driving west towards Greeley on Hwy 14 when Shep and I noticed all the strobe lightning going on just to our south moving quickly due north. We finally got to Hwy 392 which goes southwest towards Greeley and stopped just northeast of Greeley to time-lapse the lightning show moving towards us. The convection was impressive with a defined mesocyclone and low lingering wall cloud. From further investigation of footage, the non-severe cell moving quite rapidly northwards may have produced a funnel, but with night time exposure and flashes of lightning illumination, it is very hard to be convicted of it rotating. With that in mind it is labeled as rotating edge scud for developing wall. The radar and velocity captures both the mesocyclonic feature and outflow very easily.

 

 

Make sure to check out the video, FREAKIN SWEET TIMELAPSES!!!

ase 1

Reports: None

 AMAZING VIDEOS FROM CHASE 1:

Day Timelapse Night Timelapse