{"id":15002,"date":"2016-05-07T00:00:57","date_gmt":"2016-05-07T08:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stormbruiser.com\/chase\/?p=15002"},"modified":"2017-01-02T13:06:28","modified_gmt":"2017-01-02T21:06:28","slug":"may-7-2016-wray-co-tornadoes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stormbruiser.com\/chase\/2016\/05\/07\/may-7-2016-wray-co-tornadoes\/","title":{"rendered":"May 7, 2016 Wray, CO tornadoes"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"160507_2017_Wray\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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Start, Kimball, NE; end, Oakley, KS; 415 miles; late breakfast in Kimball (at The Diner)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bob Smith and the Tempest guests and I began the day in a chilly, drizzly and windy Kimball, NE. \u00a0In the morning briefing I said that our target area was not too far to our south: \u00a0generally the Yuma and Washington counties area of northeastern Colorado. \u00a0All we needed to do was to find storms that were moving northward into backed\/easterly winds in that area. \u00a0There would be plenty of early afternoon sunshine and enough moisture (dews in the low 50s) to allow strong storms. \u00a0The forecast easterly upslope winds looked really good to me, and I told the group that they had about a 50-50 chance of seeing a tornado this day.<\/p>\n

SPC 1630Z outlook<\/a><\/p>\n

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spc-mesoscale-discussion-545<\/a>\u00a0 NE CO\/11:30 MDT<\/p>\n

spc-mesoscale-discussion-547<\/a>\u00a0NE CO\/4:20 p.m. MDT<\/p>\n

spc-mesoscale-discussion-550<\/a>\u00a0W KS\/5:30 p.m. MDT<\/p>\n

spc-mesoscale-discussion-551<\/a>\u00a0 NE CO\/6:30 p.m. MDT<\/p>\n

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Check out the SPC graphics and discussions provided above for today’s meteorology. \u00a0The SPC surface chart in the early graphic shows the east-west front through northeastern Colorado, roughly along U.S. 34 from Akron to Wray. \u00a0 Tornadoes like those boundaries, so it would be prudent to be in position on storms that were near or on this east-west boundary. \u00a0The 500mb flow was quite healthy and primarily from the south, at 45 to 50 knots.<\/p>\n

We spent much of the early-to-mid afternoon along U.S. 36 (about 30 miles south of U.S. 34) from Last Chance to Anton to Cope and Joes. \u00a0Winds were easterly along this east-west route and we just had to be patient. \u00a0Storms initiated near I-70, which straddles the Palmer Divide. \u00a0I blew off the first cell over towards Stratton and focused on new stuff farther east, around Flagler. \u00a0We watched a couple of cells approach while near U.S. 36, and there was some decent structure, but the storms were rather high-based still and not particularly close to being tornadic. \u00a0Storm bases were high, and precipitation shafts were heavy.<\/p>\n

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