May 20, 2008 Keota, CO High Plains Gets Shafted

Or, High Plains gets a fun hail shaft.  The previous four days were down days.  Our group poked around Big Bend on the 16th and 17th, and drove north to Santa Rosa, NM, on the 19th, without incident.  On Monday, the 19th, we were privy to some virga bombs in the vicinity of Limon, CO.  Low-level moisture and upper flow improved the next day, and we targeted northeast Colorado.  Some time was spent at the Genoa WonderTower, where Chris found a slithery friend.

We were drawn north towards the Pawnee National Grassland in Weld County, and observed an isolated storm at sunset.  It was drifting ESE, north of Briggsdale, and seemed to assume supercellular characteristics at least briefly.  The updraft base even sported a funnel cloud for a minute of two.  The last rays of direst sunlight on the hail-filled precip shaft was nice.  These views are generally northwest to north, a couple of miles southeast of Keota.

digital images above, slides below…click at your own risk