This small supercell moved NE along a slow moving cold front and stayed surface-based for about an hour, until merging with other storms. In the meantime, the storm flashed brilliantly, mainly with in-cloud lightning, occasionally hurling a ground strike or aerial filament. Does the distinct, dark lowering below its base, just left of lower center, look like a tornado? Brief glimpses of such a feature in the dark, only occasionally silhouetted by lightning in the rain farther behind, may fool a spotter into believing so. Instead, it was only a heavy precipitation shaft, tilted leftward (W or SW) by outflow from the larger area of rain to its right. This was one of two discrete supercells we saw at night, after a brilliant sunset near Stafford KS, and dinner in Hutchinson. Lightning flashes drew us back out for more storm observing as the midnight hour approached, and these nighttime storms (viewed from a safe distance) made us glad to have lingered in the area.
2 SW Inman KS (16 Sep 6) Looking NNW
38.2172, -97.8127Kansas Nighttime Non-Tornado
This small supercell moved NE along a slow moving cold front and stayed surface-based for about an hour, until merging with other storms. In the meantime, the storm flashed brilliantly, mainly with in-cloud lightning, occasionally hurling a ground strike or aerial filament. Does the distinct, dark lowering below its base, just left of lower center, look like a tornado? Brief glimpses of such a feature in the dark, only occasionally silhouetted by lightning in the rain farther behind, may fool a spotter into believing so. Instead, it was only a heavy precipitation shaft, tilted leftward (W or SW) by outflow from the larger area of rain to its right. This was one of two discrete supercells we saw at night, after a brilliant sunset near Stafford KS, and dinner in Hutchinson. Lightning flashes drew us back out for more storm observing as the midnight hour approached, and these nighttime storms (viewed from a safe distance) made us glad to have lingered in the area.
2 SW Inman KS (16 Sep 6) Looking NNW
38.2172, -97.8127