One of my most offbeat scenes as a storm observer appeared in west-central Kansas. A former supercell, blowing upscale into a raging line of severe storms with a menacing and strongly forced arcus cloud, didn’t need any help sustaining itself. Nevertheless, this center-pivot machine offered some. Not enough to matter anyway, mind you…the storm processed millions of times more water by volume, per minute. All this precious groundwater was flung airborne in futility, as not only would the wheat get soaked by heavy rain regardless, but pummeled by hail. Next time, irrigator operator, check the forecast, or even just the sky.
4 SSE St. John KS (9 May 23) Looking NNE
37.9561, -98.7408