May 27, 2024 Position Day Southward
Begin: DEN/Lunch: missing/End: Clayton, NM/327 miles
We took the slow and scenic route to Clayton across the Raton Mesa.
May 28, 2024 Western TX Panhandle Supercell
Begin: Clayton/Lunch: Front Porch in Texline, TX/End: Lubbock/366 miles
This was a fine Panhandle supercell day, with a couple of photogenic rotating storms. The winner was one near Morton which moved towards Levelland. It was warned for “DVD-sized” hail, and it did indeed produce giant hail. I tried to find a good spot around Levelland to experience the hail while protecting the vans, but had to settle for a spot that wound up too far south. SPC showed a 5 percent tornado risk area but I do not recall much of an attempt to make a tornado. Temp-dew point spreads were probably a bit too high.
iPhone shots and radar screenshots below.
May 29, 2024 Lamar, CO, Supercell
Begin: Lubbock/Lunch: CiCi’s Pizza in AMA/End: Guymon, OK/537 miles
Another fun High Plains supercell chase was had for the group this day in the Lamar area, but again the low-level moisture was a little too sparse for a decent tornado chance (not that the storms didn’t try).
May 30, 2024 Denver City, TX, Supercell
Begin: Guymon/Lunch: Grab and Go in Texhoma/End: Seminole, TX/492 miles
This week was comprised of mad dashes south and north and south and north on the High Plains. Today we had to get ourselves south from the OK Panhandle to a boundary that was south of Lubbock. Tornado chances would be maximized on this boundary. We made it in fairly good fashion to Andrews, with a big and bad cumulonimbus developing to our SSE. Unfortunately, the boundary had progressed a bit farther south than anticipated, and the developing storm down near Odessa was moving away from us. With another supercell getting going not far to our northwest, I elected to turn around south of Andrews and go for the easy catch. Yes, the Odessa/Midland storm produced a pretty tornado south of I-20, and it is possible that we could have seen it had we continued to the south.
We did wind up with a pretty supercell and a very pretty sunset, and some swirly stuff happening beneath the storm base! This was from about Denver City to Seminole. At the hotel in Seminole the Gatlin Brothers gave me two Taco Bell tacos.
iPhone pics below
First two are looking SSE at the Odessa supercell. Thereafter are pics of the Denver City/Seminole severe storm.
May 31, 2024 Hugo, Colorado, Supercell
Begin: Seminole, TX/Lunch: Ranch House in Amarillo/End: Lamar, CO/588 miles
Our very long drive north resulted in an intercept of a rather ho-hum supercell in the Hugo area.
June 1, 2024 Sterling, CO, Supercell
Begin: Lamar/Lunch: Mom’s Kitchen in Otis, CO/End: Fort Morgan/403 miles
(June 2, short drive back to Denver, end of tour)
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