{"id":16022,"date":"2016-05-26T00:00:22","date_gmt":"2016-05-26T08:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stormbruiser.com\/chase\/?p=16022"},"modified":"2017-01-02T21:27:09","modified_gmt":"2017-01-03T05:27:09","slug":"may-26-2016-lookout-storm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/stormbruiser.com\/chase\/2016\/05\/26\/may-26-2016-lookout-storm\/","title":{"rendered":"May 26, 2016 Lookout Storm!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"160526_2346_lookout\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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Start, Wichita; end, Woodward; 393 miles; lunch in Hutchinson, KS (convenience store)<\/p>\n

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SPC Day One 13Z<\/a><\/p>\n

SPC Day One 1630Z<\/a><\/p>\n

SPC Day One 20Z<\/a><\/p>\n

spc-mesoscale-discussion-740<\/a>\u00a0 c and e KS\/1:08 p.m.<\/p>\n

spc-mesoscale-discussion-741<\/a>\u00a0 w KS and w OK\/1:13 p.m.<\/p>\n

spc-mesoscale-discussion-745<\/a>\u00a0 e CO and w KS\/3:23 p.m.<\/p>\n

spc-mesoscale-discussion-749<\/a>\u00a0KS\/5:55 p.m.<\/p>\n

spc-mesoscale-discussion-751<\/a>\u00a0 e CO and w KS\/6:46 p.m.<\/p>\n

spc-mesoscale-discussion-753<\/a>\u00a0 w OK\/7:46 p.m.<\/p>\n

spc-mesoscale-discussion-754<\/a>\u00a0 KS\/OK 8:52 p.m.<\/p>\n

SPC storm reports<\/a><\/p>\n

may-26-route<\/a>\u00a0 (large file, courtesy of Chris Gullikson)<\/p>\n

GoPro video of Lookout storm<\/a>\u00a0(courtesy of Chris Gullikson)<\/p>\n

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Our group began the day in Wichita, with visions of big, bad tornadoes dancing in our heads for the final day of the 11-day tour. \u00a0We were on a 4-day winning streak with regard to tornado intercepts, and it looked like the atmosphere had a grand finale lined up for us on May 26th. \u00a0Abundant instability and wind shear spelled “DOOM” for the poor, tiny Kansas and Oklahoma towns from about Belleville to Buffalo. \u00a0A surface low in western KS, a warm front across the state, a dry line in the extreme eastern TX Panhandle…just how much mayhem would be in store for us today? \u00a0We got out of Wichita and headed west. \u00a0I wanted to be closer to that surface low, probably near or along that warm front that was cutting across the middle of Kansas. \u00a0But, the target area was somewhat nebulous. \u00a0Or really nebulous. \u00a0There were issues. \u00a0SPC was throwing out some strong language in their convective outlooks, words and phrases including:<\/p>\n

significant tornado<\/strong><\/p>\n

very moist and extremely unstable<\/strong><\/p>\n

unusually favorable thermodynamic environment<\/strong><\/p>\n

increasing large scale forcing<\/strong><\/p>\n

strong tornadoes<\/strong><\/p>\n

very large hail<\/strong><\/p>\n

Whoohoo!<\/p>\n

But then there were these other words and phrases lurking in their convective outlooks:<\/p>\n

possible<\/strong><\/p>\n

complicating factors<\/strong><\/p>\n

possible<\/strong><\/p>\n

downdraft production<\/strong><\/p>\n

some uncertainty regarding timing<\/strong><\/p>\n

scenario will get more complex<\/strong><\/p>\n

stabilizing influences<\/strong><\/p>\n

convective overturning<\/strong><\/p>\n

convective contamination<\/strong><\/p>\n

cast doubt on the magnitude<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Dang, there seems to be a little negativity raining on our potential parade of happiness. \u00a0By the 20Z outlook, SPC had a moderate risk smothering much of central KS and a 15-percent hatched tornado risk. \u00a0That is about as high as we saw for all of May on the Plains. \u00a0So, after a quick and dirty lunch stop in Hutchinson, we continued west. \u00a0My plan was to figure it out as we went along. \u00a0Soon after lunch, we were already getting storms nearby. \u00a0It was barely after noon! \u00a0That usually spells doom for a chase day, as it means the cap is far too weak and\/or the upper-level “support” is ill-timed. \u00a0 \u00a0We continued to the west, and somewhere near Macksville, Kansas, we stopped and waited around as some storms with decent potential approached from the SSW. \u00a0The problem was that it was still early, skies were still quite cloudy everywhere, and midday sunshine was sparse. \u00a0To me, it didn’t seem like the day would wind up being a good chase day. \u00a0And it was not, at least from a tornado perspective. \u00a0The big tornado day was a big dud. \u00a0Too many storms went up far too early, and the central Kansas atmosphere quickly turned into a cold, flabby wet sponge. \u00a0A storm to our west, near Fellsburg, was severe-warned, maybe even tornado-warned. \u00a0It was ugly and outflowish.<\/p>\n

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\"160526_2300_cunningham\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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We played around in the area near and northwest of Pratt for a bit, and then it was time to abandon central Kansas. \u00a0This area was a mess, with too many junky storms. \u00a0 It was still mid-afternoon, so we headed west towards the surface low in southwestern Kansas, where there was some sunshine and decent chances for some new activity in an unspoiled airmass.<\/p>\n

We came up on a nice and fairly isolated storm near Ashland, KS, and it developed into a decent supercell. \u00a0There might have been a brief, dusty or rain-wrapped tornado with it, but we weren’t certain. \u00a0This storm looked okay for a bit and then sputtered.<\/p>\n

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