May 20, 2023 Lightning Show at Capulin

Start: Oklahoma City, OK

Lunch: Woodward fast food

End: Clayton, NM/485 miles

The first day of Tour 4 out of OKC started out on the bleak side with regard to severe weather prospects. A cold front had cleared most of the Plains. A marginal risk of severe weather was possible near El Paso and Brownsville, but these areas were too far away. We would have to wait until the 22nd for a good severe weather chance in Texas.

The plan on the 20th was to head to the high terrain near the Raton Mesa. If nothing else, the scenery and lack of humans would be welcome. Even better, we would likely have some high-based storms to watch by sunset.

This worked out quite well. Around sunset we were heading west towards Des Moines on 8018 from 370. We parked south of Capulin Volcano as a decent electrical storm approached from the NNW. I managed to photograph some beautiful CGs behind and then right onto the landform! Rain chased us to the east and the lightning show diminished, so it was happy motel time in Clayton.

Tacked on at the bottom here are a few images from May 21, near Channing, TX. Flow and moisture were almost good enough for severe weather. One cell looked decent for a few minutes!