 | About This Shoot | Date: 1 June 2011 | Location: Southeast Colorado into adjacent Southwest Kansas from Lamar, CO to Syracuse, KS | Shoot Type: Storm Chase | Rating: | Synopsis:
Followed marginal storms that failed to organized into chaseable, photogenic storms around the Lamar, CO area. This was largely a bust until I came across a brilliantly colored sky at sunset complete with a full rainbow outside of Syracuse, KS |
|
Other Shoots Around This Date 22 May | 23 May | 
24 May | 25 May | 26 May | 27 May | 28 May | 
29 May | 30 May | 31 May |
1 Jun | 
2 Jun | 
3 Jun | 4 Jun | 5 Jun | 6 Jun | 
7 Jun | 
8 Jun | 
9 Jun | 
10 Jun | 
11 Jun | |
|
Navigate Other Shoots (by year) Navigate Other Shoots (by month)
|
Preliminary Storm Reports from 1 June 2011
 |
1630 UTC SPC Products from 1 June 2011
Categorical Convective Outlook
|
Probabilistic Tornado Outlook
|
Probabilistic Hail Outlook
|
Probabilistic Wind Outlook
|
|
Evening Meteorological Charts from 1 June 2011
250mb Chart
|
500mb Chart
|
700mb Chart
|
850mb Chart
|
Surface Chart
|
|
|
Mon, 6 Jun 2011 22:42:55 -0500
Chase account 1 June 2011 (Part 1) -- early frustration
Summary & Images (part 1) | My storm chasing target on June 1st was near the Colorado-Kansas
border. I set off for the Elkhart area initially, but when I arrived
at Rolla, I decided to head due west via county roads as storms
developing over the Raton Mesa were beginning to move northeast toward
southeastern Las Animas County and into western Baca County. I
figured that these storms would continue to roll off the mesas and
mature as they neared the Pritchett and eventually Springfield areas.
I finally arrived to Hwy 287 near Campo. The initial storms that
moved out of the mesas weakened, but there was new storm development
back farther southwest into the mesas again -- really too far for me
to try to intercept. To make matters worse, the storms were
organizing rapidly and not moving. They were still a good hour to
hour and a half intercept through the mesas to reach them. It was
either that or just try to be patient and let them come to me. Well,
as this was happening, severe storms were developing rapidly off to my
northwest. These storms were an easier intercept for me, so I decided
to head north for an intercept. As I approached Lamar, there was a
downtrend in strength occurring with these storms. I went west on a
county road about a mile or so and monitored one of the dying storms
to my northwest (image shown below). It didn't take long to realize
that this area of storms were toast. Frustrated, I went into Lamar
and stopped at the Wal-Mart to pick up a 8GB compact flash card since
I left two of my high storage cards at home (whoops!).
When I came out of the Wal-Mart, the storms to my south were
organizing into a decent cluster of severe storms as they were exiting
the mesas and heading into Baca County. Well, instead of going after
those, a new storm was rapidly forming back to the west of Lamar again
near La Junta. Obviously, this was a much easier intercept, and I
liked the fact it was more discrete than the storms farther south --
offering perhaps a better photography opportunity. Well, I went
west...and once again...upon my arrival the storm absolutely died a
horrible death. So now, I was really out of position to get back to
the south to intercept the now ongoing severe cluster in Baca County.
This was extremely frustrating. Every decision I was making seemed to
be the wrong one. I pretty much gave up at this point and started my
drive back to Dodge City empty-handed. (continued in Part 2...)
| 
(click on thumbnail for pop-up of larger image) |
Wed, 1 Jun 2011 17:44:10 -0500
538pm cdt chase update: south of Lamar, CO watching a piece of crap storm to my west-northwest... hope it develops further.. | It is frustrating that slow moving storms are thriving in scenic
terrain northwest of Clayton right over the mesas. I knew that was
going to be an area of nice storms, yet it wasn't my primary target,
and as such, I departed later from home. Another nice storm east of
Las Vegas, NM right where I thought as well. Yet I am here south of
Lamar a little west of my original target. There is 55 dewpoint
inflow air into the storm per springfield and lamar obs... Keep being
patient I guess.
|
Wed, 1 Jun 2011 11:13:50 -0500
Chase target for June 1 (as of 11:15am) -- Springfield, CO to Johnson, KS | Difficult forecast today. I don't think the moisture farther south is
all that terribly deep, considering the mix out of moisture to varying
degrees depending on your model flavor. That being said, even the
most mixed-out moisture solution would still favor a photogenic
high-based supercell on the high plains of eastern CO/northeastern
NM/western KS. There are two areas I am watching right now. One is a
north-south convergence line that seems to be holding on (so far)
right along the KS-CO border (SW winds at springfield co, kenton ok,
clayton nm vs. SSE winds at elkhart-johnson-syracuse, ks). If this
convergence line holds through mid afternoon, this will be a focus for
initiation. Otherwise, will have my eye farther west for terrain help
along the CO/NM border along the Raton ridge southern Las Animas
County. I will likely head to Johnson, KS in the next hour or two.
|
|
