Skypecastin' Kansas March 18th 2012

Disregard that I never went out and chased. I rode along side Ryan Shepard through via skype watching his LIVE feed. Technology is amazing and fascinating. Viewing the cu field across the dryline paralleling with hwy 83, it was than Shep would stop in between Garden City and Liberal, KS. Sublette, KS, a town known for the 4 way stop and 4 directions to allow better access to get to storms in case they fired in any direction. While watching and getting all gitty inside over towering turkeys developing, none were simply breaking cap. The only cell from Scott City, KS all the way to the panhandle near Red River curve in TX exploding with supercells of the day was one exploding cell breaking through a touch of blue sky as sun began to slowly go down. All the ingredients for a garden variety thunderstorm blew into the sky. Shep got out and watched it at it's peak before it began to migrate its way north northeast towards Garden City. The moments captured from the LIVE feed aren't measurable as to being there experiencing those moments, even if it is a GVTH(garden variety thunderstorm).

My forecast from yesterday was a little off as far as expectations was concerned. With the divergence of eastern TX panhandle and OK panhandle, I was hoping for a cell to develop and move north northeastward towards east of Liberal. The parameters were subtle for quick tornadic development. The missing ingredient seemed to be a short wave enhancement to help with stronger forcing as the dryline wasn't enough to break the cap. As evening progressed and the cell Shep chased moved off to the north near Dighton, KS, convection from cooling helped some cells to fire up just east of Liberal, KS. I grew excited because my target still looked hopeful especially when the cell turned severe just southwest of Dodge City, KS. My tornado target was a dismal failure. As the timing of the cell to come through this targeted area, in order for a better possible chance for a tornado to develop. Question I will be asking myself is, if Kansas into the northern TX panhandle into OK panhandle were able to break cap earlier than it did, would the conditions be enough for tornadoes to develop in my target area.

Hail was reported just east northeast of Liberal.

0155

100

11 SW MEADE STATE PARK

MEADE

KS

I'm blown away as to Nebraska and South Dakota sharing in the line of discrete North Northwest and North Northeastward supercells. I was glad to hear that a friend of mine was ok from the reports of North Platte, NE being ambushed with tornadoes at night. Nebraska is seeing their fair share of interesting tornado reports including February. As we continue north on 83, irony, Valentine, NE into SD saw it's own tornadic supercell producing tornadoes as well. 

Watching Elk City surrounded by an amazing explosive nuclear bomb to the south was difficult, not gonna lie. Congrats to all that scored some amazing structure and tornadoes to top it off.

Tomorrow is just a Nowcast Review Day.....booo

Tomorrow's setup through my eyes are starving. It isn't the greatest setup, but it is a marginal first severe weather setup for the plains. I have been skimming through forecast models intensively, through excitement, but unfortunately it is the only thing I can do with this system. It would have been great to head down to Elk City and play the northwestern OK territory into southwestern KS. Course NW OK has horrible internet service as many know. I am eyeing a section of SW KS to have a tornado. Yet Eastern TX panhandle into the OK panhandle has just as fair a chance for their 2% risk of tornadoes in a large vast area. Charlie's Tail. These are just my thoughts for future reference and learning tomorrow. Will post resulted outcome.

Tornado 6-8PM

good luck to all chasing tomorrow.....

Collage 2012 is up finally! Enjoy.....

Learned some photoshop this time for Collage 2012 and looks fun! Well enjoy as always....

see ya out in the plains soon.....

Skinner

It Has Been A LONG TIME.....

My absence from the blogging world is due to my prolonged challenge with CF daily. Always in and out of the hospital. I'm a patient along with the understanding of patience. My eyes are always plugged into the skies. Denver and Greeley, Colorado have been two places where I have been living life. This weekend of February is the Storm Chasers Convention which again I have failed to be a part of considering I am again in the joint(hospital). This is a part of life. In other reality, I really don't have finances to cover the weekend. Though I envy where everyone can get together for a weekend of chasextravaganza and being with friends. Many think I miss storms on purpose and if I did that I would go skydiving with no parachute. Having said that I do get my forecast wrong if I did go out, and intentionally chased my forecast. But in other circumstances, I have fallen short by watching on my radar screen and spotter network knowing full aware that I had another chance of seeing incredible weather based on some of my excellent forecasting from the hospital. I enjoy nowcasting for my friends when they are out and about on the plains, but it is definitely a mix of the blue and red pill (referencing Matrix), it sucks majorly!
I am fighting everyday and 2012 Chase Season still looks good for me to go out and do the Skinner perspective of weather chasing. I look forward to chase with more friends because I love having a chance to meet new people and getting different personalities and perspectives. Now I am guilty of giving the dirty look of discomfort or unfamiliarity while out and about on the storm chasin plains. I appologize for that right away.
My chase partner in crime Ryan Shepard and I will most likely be chasing a lot together. So look for us and say hi.

I am going to be working on the 2012 Collage and putting that up ASAP.

Goals:
1. Blogging again.
2. Wearing a Backpack supplied with Mountain Dew
3. More Spontaneous while waiting for Storm Initiation
4. Posting at least one pic from the Storm of the Day on chase days
5. Meeting a new chaser every time I go out chasing.
6. Getting myself on Spotter Network
7. Chase with other friends

Chase 13 June 24th 2011 Wyoming to Nebraska, Shelf to Shelf

Waking up to Lucky Charms in the morning, mmmm mmm. Becca and I blasted oldies satellite radio style as we trecked north I-25 to Douglas area. Our forecasted area around Lusk was our target for structure and possibly a quickie tornado :) Reaching just south of Douglas hwy 20 intersection, we pulled off watching a severe warned cell pushing off the mountains. The base was lowering way in the distance but these were scuds giving us teasers. Looking north though did not look good as it was beginning to show signs of shelfing. This was not helping support the main show. Otherwise we watched the impressive shelf beginning to dominate and drop strong cg's. We began to start driving east as towers from convergence showed its face in the distance towards Lusk area. As the shelf chased us down, Becca noticed it was beginning to break down a little bit and weaken. We were nearing Lusk, Wyoming and Becca looked back and saw an impressive green colored meso nearing this bluff. Quite beautiful. Will post timelapse later. We watched it slam into us bringing a gust front, than I gave the camera to Becca and as she was recording out the window, I was beginning to the windows up...thankfully I stopped when she was yelping and screamin. Poor girl. She was all good though, she just laughed. Continuing east this storm continued on into Lusk. Becca and I grabbed some quick Subway waiting for some new cells to blowup in our target area, but the shelf was reformulating. Funny moment, Becca was like hey wanna eat outside on this picnic table. I was like ok. The minute I said ok, a bolt a mile away made us look at each other and talk in our heads and agree with nodding to get in the car instead, lol.
Becca made a great nowcast decision to continue taking hwy 20 to Chadron, NE. Along the drive which is quite beautiful, we were able to enjoy more attempts at mesos with bluffs to make the view memorable. Just short of Chadron, we drove south to punch the core as it would plow right over us from west to east. We headed into only pea sized hail and lots of rain. My favorite was the greenbluish color sky. We arrived in Scottsbluff. At this point we started talkin like rednecks and had funny accents from bein in the south. Becca kept sayin we needed to get to the river. Very hilarious. So we stopped at the river. Becca knows her Hydrology :) The North Platte River if I'm correct was definitely overflowin, flooding was prominent in the Scottsbluff area. Lastly, we reached Kimball, a cop pulled over to my vehicle as we were watchin the storms developing. They searched the vehicle for drugs and weapons, was a big scene. I was clean of all of it. The reason for the whole thing was the Kimball police department had a huge drug bust right in the area that I was in. My car is pretty ghetto and so I could see their reasoning. But all was clear and good. I was angry cause I got into the situation, but now that I look back on it. I was thankful for their politeness and respect even if it doesn't make sense. All in all Becca and I drove back with a beautiful glowing pink sunset. But I kind of wished we hadn't left cause when we got back home their was a tornado warned storm headed for Kimball, NE. I guess I did know something, but that's what happens when you get distracted. Oh well. Next.....

Chase 12 June 23rd 2011 Drivin' To Cheyenne.

A warm solo afternoon, I took off to get ready to go out chasing for the next day starting in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Leaving Greeley, I was watching convection trying so desperately to structure and survive as convective towers rose from the foothills. One caught my attention to the west in the way it was able to cycle through mesocyclonic bases. The anvil on this thing was linearly sheared killing any chance of strengthening as it came off the mountains. From observance, it was very Colorado given this time of year. Continuing on up to the great Cheyenne Ridge on hwy 85 severe weather was popping near Larimer southwards near the Colorado/Wyoming border moving slowly eastward towards Cheyenne. As they neared Cheyenne though, very light rain along with lots of lightning set the atmosphere to go out and shoot some lightning. I went by Shep & Becca's place and we all went out to a tall hill to watch some lightning. Weather is weather in any way, shape, or form.

Chase 11 June 19th 2011

Today was forecasted for McCook area. 4 brains, 4 options, 4 ideas, 4 styles, 4 experienced chasers, I learned is not easy. With that said, everything went wrong in my opinion. I have very faded memory of bust, but this one was a full circle twice. I'm embarrassed that I didn't contribute well enough to the collaborated nowcasts. Sitting in Akron, CO, I honestly had given up and didn't care. Thankfully Shep and Chris Yates were still holding on passionately, we went north and northeast toward the tornado warned supercell moving out from Nebraska. When we intercepted it was full of shear but had fallen apart beginning the rainout stages. There were other cells forming from Yuma, Colorado moving towards Holyoke turning severe tornado warned. Collectively, we budge away from chasing after something that we would never catch in time for structuring and enjoyment. We postioned ourselves in front of this storm about to hit just a little east of Holyoke. It was nice to watch for moments some structure before it started golfball quickly turning pea sized hail. After this we intercepted one more cell at night time getting some quarter sized hail, I went outside and enjoyed a little pounding just to be thankful for these moments. Soon after we watched a colorful cc and ic lightning core. Than we stopped again on the way home to Cheyenne, WY for another severe cell that dropped some cg bolts. We stopped in Sterling at a hotel for dinner all alone, all quiet, all fixed in our worlds of how this day was not exactly the way it could have turned out.