{"id":20885,"date":"2018-06-19T00:00:50","date_gmt":"2018-06-19T08:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stormbruiser.com\/chase\/?p=20885"},"modified":"2018-07-26T12:47:53","modified_gmt":"2018-07-26T20:47:53","slug":"june-19-2018-prospect-valley-colorado-tornado","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stormbruiser.com\/chase\/2018\/06\/19\/june-19-2018-prospect-valley-colorado-tornado\/","title":{"rendered":"June 19, 2018 (Part 1 of 2) Prospect Valley, Colorado tornado"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Link to Part 2 of the June 19 chase<\/a><\/p>\n

Begin: \u00a0Fort Morgan, CO<\/p>\n

Lunch: \u00a0Limon, CO\/Arbys and Subway and Taco Bell<\/p>\n

End: \u00a0Lamar, CO<\/p>\n

SPC Day One 16Z Outlook<\/a><\/p>\n

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

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SPC Mesoscale Discussion 791<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0SPC Mesoscale Discussion 792<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0SPC Mesoscale Discussion 793<\/a><\/p>\n

SPC Mesoscale Discussion 794<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0SPC Mesoscale Discussion 795<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0SPC Mesoscale Discussion 796<\/a><\/p>\n

SPC Mesoscale Discussion 797<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0SPC Mesoscale Discussion 799<\/a><\/p>\n

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This morning’s weather forecast briefing to the tour group in Fort Morgan was a little later than normal, as we were not too far from the areas with the best severe weather potential. \u00a0I was drawn towards the Palmer Divide area down towards Limon on I-70. It appeared that instability and moisture would be a tad better along I-70 versus up here along I-76, at least during the mid-late afternoon. \u00a0(Tornado prospects looked decent, and SPC upgraded from 5 percent to 10 percent around Last Chance in the 20Z outlook. ) \u00a0We had a difficult time dropping south on 71 out of Brush due to a train which was relentlessly going back and forth across the road. \u00a0 Maybe that was fate or a sign or a signal from God — don’t go south, Bill! \u00a0Well, after about 5 minutes, we turned around and found another street across the tracks in Brush. \u00a0 We went south.<\/p>\n

I led the tour group past Last Chance and to Limon, where several fast food eateries awaited our arrival. \u00a0If fast food had been available in Last Chance, then we would have stopped there! \u00a0But the Dairy King closed long ago, and Last Chance is just a place to pass through quickly now. \u00a0 When we got to Limon, a storm or two started to develop near Denver and the Front Range. \u00a0Why do storms have to go up so early over there?! \u00a0Our guests split up among a few eateries, with most going to the Arbys. \u00a0I asked them to try to make it a fairly quick lunch stop: \u00a0hopefully no more than 30 minutes. \u00a0Some guests might have to eat in the van. \u00a0We might have to head west on I-70 to that new stuff right after everyone has their food.<\/p>\n

I went to Subway, where the line was horrendously long. \u00a0I grabbed a pre-made sandwich at the gas station instead. \u00a0Those at Arbys found themselves waiting for a very slow order-taker\/slash\/cash-register operator. \u00a0It figures, right?! \u00a0Well, I waited patiently, and eventually everyone had their meals. \u00a0Storms to our northwest near DIA were looking good on radar, and we needed to get up there. \u00a0 It was barely past 1 p.m.<\/p>\n

Dang. \u00a0As we headed northwest to Byers on I-70, the storm north of I-70, not too far north of DIA, was already very well-organized. \u00a0We were maybe 50 minutes away from being in decent position. \u00a0Another supercell was a little south of DIA, just south of I-70. \u00a0It was not quite as strong. \u00a0If I had motored southwestward out of Fort Morgan and Brush this morning, we would be a lot closer. \u00a0And why didn’t I head west to Byers from Last Chance?! \u00a0This storm had better not drop a tornado while we are so far away still! \u00a0I told my driver Chris P. not to dilly-dally. \u00a0We gotta move! \u00a0How did that train engineer at Brush know to block my way south earlier? \u00a0And why did I not take heed? \u00a0And why can’t Arbys find a better counter dude?<\/p>\n

Thankfully, the storm continued to be tornado-free as we approached Byers and Strasburg. \u00a0We could see a nice updraft and a fairly low storm base and wall cloud by now, to our northwest. \u00a0The supercell was moving rather methodically to the east along Highway 52, from about Hudson to Prospect Valley. \u00a0 (Prospect Valley is a small community in Weld County, southeast of Keenesburg, near the intersection of Highways 52 and 79, and north of Bennett by 22 miles.) \u00a0 I had a strong notion that this supercell was going to produce a tornado, and sooner rather than later. \u00a0It had that look, and the surface winds and dew points on its east side were great.<\/p>\n

I considered heading to Bennett to go north to get close. \u00a0The road north out of Bennett is good. \u00a0But we needed to get north NOW a lot more than we needed to go farther west now. \u00a0I had been on that Strasburg road recently, and it was a little funky and dilapidated in parts, I think, but it would work. \u00a0We exited at Strasburg and I exhorted Chris to make it snappy as we made our way north out of town. \u00a0We saved about 5-6 minutes by heading north out of Strasburg, and that decision saved the chase day. \u00a0Here are some images prior to the tornado. \u00a0The first two are from I-70 on the approach to Strasburg. \u00a0The others are along Strasburg Road\/CR 39, northbound from Strasburg.<\/p>\n

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