If this west Texas cloud formation resembles a snowplow to you, that's not entirely accidental. Both represent a heaver, denser mass (cold slab of outflow air, plow blade) lifting lighter material (warm inflow air, snow). Of course, here's where that superficial similarity ends: the snow ultimately falls aside, whereas the inflow air rises to form the shelf cloud, then enters the storm's … [Read more...]
Lovin’ Lightning at the Lake
Following a grand structure and lightning show of a couple hours, the Ordway supercell merged with other convection that was developing nearby, evolving into a complex of thunderstorms that churned off to the southeast, destined for northeastern New Mexico and the Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles, while spitting sparks in and out of its rain cores. This tall stroke emanated from the upper reaches of … [Read more...]
Hurricane Hotel
The former Holiday Inn, along the Turnpike north of Caribbean Blvd., posed for this slide with assorted doors, windows, cladding, and signage blown out and scattered to the two winds of the eyewall. Despite the ugly superficial damage, this steel-reinforced concrete edifice stayed structurally sound, and soon reopened for business. This building since has been a Best Western and now is a Motel … [Read more...]
Atmospheric Generator
The amazing Kinsley nighttime supercell, here shown in an early shot soon after I arrived at a good viewing spot, was the gift that kept on giving for keeping this storm observer awestruck. Fortunately grounded electricity stayed close to the visible updraft region or inside the core, so that this observer wasn't "lightning-struck". Much to my relief, it produced no anvil-to-ground bolts while … [Read more...]
Tornadic Supercell at Sunset
Our experience of the central Illinois tornado outbreak ended with a beautiful sunset in the west, and the "I-72 supercell" receding into deepening evening darkness. The storm was producing an F3 tornado in the Decatur area at this very moment, a vortex not visible from here due to distance, darkness and intervening low clouds. Nonetheless, we had seen a few other tornadoes with this supercell, … [Read more...]
Outbreak Sundown
While watching a still-tornadic supercell recede into the eastern distance, the opposite side of the sky blazed with one of the prettier sunsets of the 1990s for me. Being forced by an intense mid/upper-level trough, a surging dryline related to the historic central Illinois tornado outbreak fronted some dust lofted from far away that nicely diffused the sunset light around a lone cumulus humilis … [Read more...]
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