The atmosphere rewarded us for a long trip to the southeast edge of the Great Plains, near Big Spring, and all the hassles and expense that came along the way. [A nearby, unincorporated place called “Fairview” is appropriately named, but not the same as the Fairview 300 miles away in Collin County.] We crested a rise with a fantastic overlook, and this storm appeared before us in all its wonder: a skeletal but menacing supercell, spiraling its way southeastward toward us steadily but surely. It may have been slightly elevated too, its inflow rooted just above the surface given its position several miles north of a cool outflow boundary left behind by other storms earlier in the afternoon. Despite that, it managed to kick up plenty of dust with its downdrafts, while sculpting a classical tail cloud and visual vault region (at right). Sculpted High Plains supercells have commonly identifiable characteristics and can begin to look like one another after many years of observing them, but I’ll never get tired of being eyewitness to their amazing power and splendor. Best of all, no two ever are precisely the same!
4 E Knott TX (23 Apr 8) Looking NW
32.3976, -101.564Fair View from “Fairview”
The atmosphere rewarded us for a long trip to the southeast edge of the Great Plains, near Big Spring, and all the hassles and expense that came along the way. [A nearby, unincorporated place called “Fairview” is appropriately named, but not the same as the Fairview 300 miles away in Collin County.] We crested a rise with a fantastic overlook, and this storm appeared before us in all its wonder: a skeletal but menacing supercell, spiraling its way southeastward toward us steadily but surely. It may have been slightly elevated too, its inflow rooted just above the surface given its position several miles north of a cool outflow boundary left behind by other storms earlier in the afternoon. Despite that, it managed to kick up plenty of dust with its downdrafts, while sculpting a classical tail cloud and visual vault region (at right). Sculpted High Plains supercells have commonly identifiable characteristics and can begin to look like one another after many years of observing them, but I’ll never get tired of being eyewitness to their amazing power and splendor. Best of all, no two ever are precisely the same!
4 E Knott TX (23 Apr 8) Looking NW
32.3976, -101.564