This situation is unsuited to safe boating. Fortunately I didn’t see anyone still out on the lake as a previously tornadic, always messy, now-HP supercell churned over the biggest reservoir on the central High Plains. As seen from this overlook on the south side of the “Big Mac” dam, the newest mesocyclone was located to the left of the intake tower, strongly rotating but now obviously tornadic, and with considerable precip wrapping, as it just had passed across the upper parts of the lake. To its background left, an older mesocyclone still whirled in the background with its flatter, more drum-shaped appearance and nearly fully wrapped “clear” slot. Meanwhile, the broader rear-flank downdraft and associated gust front, bearing intense outflow, rain and hail, also produced the shelf cloud in the middle to left foreground, and headed toward where we stood. The somewhat-early storm would spin off into the big road voids of the Sandhills, leaving us behind to ponder what to do with the rest of the chase day.
6 NNE Ogallala NE (17 Jun 18) Looking NW
41.2101, -101.6718Supercell across Lake McConaughy
This situation is unsuited to safe boating. Fortunately I didn’t see anyone still out on the lake as a previously tornadic, always messy, now-HP supercell churned over the biggest reservoir on the central High Plains. As seen from this overlook on the south side of the “Big Mac” dam, the newest mesocyclone was located to the left of the intake tower, strongly rotating but now obviously tornadic, and with considerable precip wrapping, as it just had passed across the upper parts of the lake. To its background left, an older mesocyclone still whirled in the background with its flatter, more drum-shaped appearance and nearly fully wrapped “clear” slot. Meanwhile, the broader rear-flank downdraft and associated gust front, bearing intense outflow, rain and hail, also produced the shelf cloud in the middle to left foreground, and headed toward where we stood. The somewhat-early storm would spin off into the big road voids of the Sandhills, leaving us behind to ponder what to do with the rest of the chase day.
6 NNE Ogallala NE (17 Jun 18) Looking NW
41.2101, -101.6718