06/27/10 Chase...

Yup! Went on another storm chase. Big surprise, huh? I chased several pulse thunderstorms today. I started from Wichita Falls and ended up in Jacksboro. These storms were never severe warned and nontornadic, but I still managed to get some great photos and I had a blast chasing them.

Thanks for the support!

-Ben

The SPC Thunderstorm Outlook for 06-27-10. A "see text" indicates a less than 5% probability of severe weather occurring.

SPC Tornado graphic. Nothing around our area.

SPC Hail Graphic. Our thunderstorms were only forecast to have marginally severe hail and gusty winds.

Satellite at 4:55pm. Thunderstorms are starting to develop in front of an advancing cold front. A moderate unstable air mass was in place and an upper level disturbance was moving through our area as well.

I leave Wichita Falls around 5:15 and I head for Henrietta, TX. The storm to my NE looks pretty good. You can see an inflow notch and a strong core.

Velocity scan shows a nice area of rotation.

Echo Tops show these storms are reaching 52.5 kft (52,500) that is almost 10miles high!

The storm starts to look very good now and what appears to be a hook echo is developing.

Shot this out my window while driving. You can see the core of this storm in the center of the image.

I get into position and try to head north, but the cold front catches up to the storms and the cells start to merge.

For some reason the cells break apart again and I have a storm I can chase. The storm takes a southerly path and I need to move south.

On FM 2332 west.

This storm starts to put on a lightning show for me.

I drive a few more miles west and I find this old shed sitting in a field. I thought to myself, "Sure would be nice if some lighting would strike over there."

This storm was pulling in some pretty good inflow and structure wise its not too bad.

The core is catching up to me and I don't want to be in it. I had back east on 2332 and come up to this scene. A dilapidated windmill and the storms' mammatus clouds.

My storm starts to die out and I shift my target farther south. I am heading for Newport.

Velocity scan. This storm is exhibiting some rotation.

I have to pull over and shoot what I see.

Beautiful! I love the triangle shape formed by the hay and the bowing of the shelf/scud/roll cloud--not really sure what that is.

Vertical orientation now. I could have shot this scene all day.

Foiled once again by the cold front!

That cool roll/shelf/scud cloud decays into nothing.

I keep heading south past Newport. Here is another structure shot of the approaching gust front.

Under the ragged base.

I shift my target further south now. Jacksboro is where I would like to be. But the fastest way to get there is to drive through the storm.

Updraft base from the storm north of Jacksboro.

Rain/Hail core of the cell.

I punch through some heavy rain and possibly some pea size hail and the storm dies out.

But at least the show wasn't over. The storm forms a roll cloud. This was taken through the windshield while driving.

While these are perfectly harmless there is still an ominous look to them.

Texas delivers photogenic storms once again! It even looks like there could be some tomorrow and tomorrow night. Unfortunately I will be working, but if I might chase after work.

NWS Graphicast for tomorrow 06/28/10.