Started the day in Lamar, CO (again!), torn about the best options for the day within the context of having to start the trek back to Phoenix – during or after the chase – as circumstances permitted. Decided on the TX PNDL play and blasted S.
Things blew up early near Floydada, TX and the convection looked pretty explosive. Unfortunately were just N of Tulia TX and it would have be impossible to catch. It also looked fairly messy on radar with a split developing (splitting storms would again be a theme this day).
This image was taken about the time the TOR warning was issued – note the vigorous convection associated with the left-split:
We headed back to Amarillo, TX, and drifted N, but were put off by the hulking Cap in the special VORTEX 2 sounding. We then saw cells start to pop to the SW of AMA and headed back S to intercept.
Timing allowed us to observe a developing Meso with Wall Cloud from the Amarillo, TX, National Weather Service Forecast Office parking lot (note KAMA Radome):
We followed the cell ENE along US 60 and observed another split (and that left member trucked right on up to Liberal, KS with unexpected strength and almost c0llided with one if the TOR warned cells coming SE out of CO). We pulled off US 60 to observe a Mesocyclone over Pantex.
For those who don’t know the Pantex Plant is basically the lone US facility for assembling/maintaining/dismantling nuclear weapons – Wikipedia entry here. We could see the signs on the fence from the public highway – with the word “Halt” in big black letters.
The smaller text we couldn’t read from the road probably said something like “use of deadly force authorized”. The Plant website’s rotating banner even includes a picture of a Hum-V with a Machine Gun Turret on the roof being fired.
So we were quite content not to get any closer than the public highway! The storm was probably at its peak here, with a strong low-level inflow jet just S of our location. Not a lot of other chasers on this cell but we did notice the College of DuPage (COD) chase group a little further up the road, E of the Plant:
We then encountered a spread-out VORTEX 2 back on US 60 to the ENE, and kept our distance, so as not to intrude. Passed and waved at the COD crew before stopping for this nice Laminar Flanking Line/Shelf presentation:
And had the opportunity to engage in that age-old chase diversion: wildflower photography! In this case we had a fine example of a flowering Bull Thistle:
Ending the chase trip at the excellent Dyer;s BBQ in Pampa with a nice view of the waning Supercell at Sunset to the ENE of Pampa, TX:
A wonderful chase trip had reached its conclusion!
CanadianTexan 