June 10 Storm Damage

Here are some pictures of storm damage.  We think it was a very weak EF-0 tornado that came through the area.  This shows just how fickle weather can be.

June 10 Moccasin, MT supercell

Our starting point was in Glendive, MT, and we needed to head west about 3-4 hours.  Lewistown, MT, was our intended target, so we ate lunch at Harry's Place when we arrived.  They were very happy to accommodate our large group, and they were quite friendly.  We lounged on their outdoor patio area after lunch and decided to head west out of town to monitor any potential storm development.  There was a rest/camp area about a mile out of town, so we lingered there for a while.  Patience would be key today, because the road network was very sparse.  If we got suckered on an early storm, our chances of being in position for a play later in the day would go down the drain.  There were a couple storms to our north, but chasing them would not be possible due to the aforementioned road network.  While we were waiting, we decided to stop at a convenience store for ice cream, and that seemed to do the trick.  A very nice storm went up, and we were able to intercept it near Moccasin, MT.  As we were following it to east of Roy, MT, it gave us multiple wall clouds and came close to producing a tornado.  It was difficult at times to see the base, because there were lots of hills in this area.  When that storm began turning into an outflow producer, we latched onto another one that had awesome structure.  We stopped along the road to watch the storm approach us, and the shelf cloud was very picturesque.  As we were taking pictures, outflow from other storms came through and drastically reduced the air temperature.  We followed the storm into Roy, MT and stopped near what appeared to be an abandoned fueling station.  A few of the guests needed an emergency pit stop, and tree cover would be the perfect place to do it.  After milling about and watching the storm, we herded the guests back into the vans and got blasted with wet RFD winds as we were leaving.  Along the way, the tour guide noticed a circulation in a field next to us, so we were wondering if that was a weak tornado.  After we emerged from the RFD winds, reports started coming in of a rain-wrapped tornado very close to the area we were in.  Damage reports also began coming through, so we returned to the scene of the crime.  Golf ball sized hail was also present, and we noticed some damage to the buildings.  One of the walls was bent outward, and multiple branches were snapped.  In addition, a signpost was snapped at the base.  After poking around, we decided to start our drive to Billings, where our motel was.  Total mileage for the day was 525 miles.

Moccasin, MT

June 9 Circle, MT supercell

Fortuna, ND

US/Canada border

Circle, MT

We began today in Weyburn, SK, and we were looking at 2 possible options.  There was a potential play along the warm front, which was about 2 hours north.  However, tornado potential seemed to be better in southeast Saskatchewan (SK).  After heading north out of Weyburn, prospects looked bleak for isolated supercells.  We did a pit stop in Francis, SK, and Chris looked at new data.  He decided to head back to Weyburn for lunch and figure out what to do from there.  After lunch, there were promising cells initiating in Montana (MT).  We needed to blast south and get back into the United States.  As we were getting processed at the border, one of the cells was looming over us, and the border agents were asking us how bad it would get.  We explained that it would most likely be a lot of rain and small hail.  They brought our passports back to us and sent us on our way.  We stopped just outside of the border crossing and checked out a small wall cloud that was forming to our west.  As we continued south into Fortuna, ND, we got blasted by golf balls and torrential rain.  It was intense!!!  After we emerged from the core unscathed, we stopped near a quarry and took pictures of the storm that passed.  The structure was decent, but there was another storm about 2 hours to our southwest that was begging to be chased.  It formed near Lewistown, MT, and it was moving east at 15-20 mph.  We blasted west on US 2 to Wolf Point, MT, and we continued south on MT 13 to Circle, MT, where we finally intercepted the storm.  Even though the road network was sparse, we still managed to intercept the storm due to its eastward motion.  As we got closer to Circle, the storm had a very nice base, and it looked like it was going to produce a tornado.  The structure was the best I saw my entire trip, and it eventually had a mothership appearance.  We followed the storm all the way to Wibaux, MT, with stops in-between to take pictures.  Hoping for a view of mammatus clouds, we drove south out of town to let the storm pass.  Due to debris cloudiness, the sunset was not great, and we were not able to see mammatus clouds.  We found rooms in Glendive, MT for the night after driving 454 miles.

Mothership approaching

June 7 and June 8 (positioning day and small storms)

Ardmore, SD

Need a car?  Go to Ghost Town Ed's
Used Car Lot in Ardmore, SD!

Pretty storm east of Weyburn, SK

On June 7, our plan was quite simple.  We needed to head north towards Saskatchewan in order to be in great position for June 9, which was progged to be a great severe weather day.  This death ridge has been causing a lot of headaches, because severe weather cannot develop and stay sustained in this type of pattern.  We got rooms in Spearfish, SD, and we stopped along the way in Ardmore, SD, which is a ghost town.  There were many old cars to be photographed, and the old buildings added a certain charm to the unincorporated community.  After we spent about 25 minutes poking around, we continued our journey to Spearfish and found a small storm to photograph along the way.  We drove 405 miles today.

Crepescular rays

June 8 was pretty much the same idea as June 7.  We needed to continue our drive north to Saskatchewan to be in position for June 9.  Our tour director changed to Chris Gullickson, because Bill needed to be at his job, and he also was in much need of a break before the next tour.  Storms were predicted to fire today in SE Saskatchewan, but it seemed like they would be junky, high-based storms.  When we were at the border, the agent told us that we "dodged a bullet" with our passports because no one had a negative background.  Between you, me, and the fence posts, I think she was a bit disappointed that no one had any warrants or crimes on their record.  Either way, we all received a stamp in our passports, and we were sent on our merry way.  We intercepted a storm near Weyburn, SK, and it was very pretty with the setting sun.  It gave us some lightning, but it was not enough to get a good shot.  However, the rays of sun coming out of the clouds were splendid!!  After driving 454 miles, we got rooms in Weyburn for the night.

June 6 storms near Denver

Today began a new tour, and we rounded up the group at 10 a.m. for the orientation and weather briefing.  We left the base hotel after 11, and we ate lunch about a mile away.  Storms were predicted to go up near the Denver area later in the day, so we did not want to venture too far away.  On the other hand, we knew we would be chasing in Canada on Wednesday, so we also wanted to work our way north.  That being said, we noticed some perky cumulus clouds north and east of the Denver metro area, and they were near the Palmer Divide.  We drove towards the Cu field and noticed some were trying very hard to become thunderstorms.  As we headed into Greeley, CO, we latched onto one that was looking good both visibly and on radar.  We took a pit stop in Ft. Collins, CO, and the other van decided its alarm was going to malfunction.  The sirens, sounds, and flashing lights inadvertently caused people to pull over with confused looks on their faces.  We continued the chase for a bit until we came into Greeley, CO and stopped at an auto store to replace the batteries to the key fobs.  That did not work, so we found a Chevy dealership in town (our vans are from Chevrolet).  The mechanic could not pinpoint the problem, so he cut the wire to the sound, leaving only the flashing lights.  Now, the van's lights flash if it goes over a bump, shuts down, starts up, or a fly sneezes on it.  Anyway, there was a beefy looking cell north of the Denver metro area, and it was moving south at 20 mph.  We knew we could easily catch it, but this storm was dropping 2.5" hailstones.  Luckily, we just ran into small hail and torrential rain.  Even though the storm's shape looked good on radar, it eventually became outflow-dominant.  After staying with the cell near Watkins, CO, we called it a night and headed to Greeley after driving 304 miles.

June 3 to June 5

Pretty flower

Wichita Mountains Wildlife Nature Preserve

These next few days were quite uneventful.  On June 3, we continued our trip north from San Angelo, TX toward Oklahoma City.  We found a place in Meers, OK for dinner, and it supposedly had the best burger in Oklahoma.  Personally, I could make a better burger on my own grill, so the $15 was not worth the meal.  I suppose most of that price was paying for the atmosphere.  Anyway, we stopped a few times along the way to photograph wildlife.  I used my telephoto lens to take pictures of a bison in a meadow.  Some of the guests were brave enough to get within 20 feet of it, but I wanted to stay near the van in case it decided to charge.  As we continued, we came across another creature, but I was not sure what type it was.  Either way, it decided to lie down in the grass as we approached it, so we were able to take easy pictures.  When we arrived in Lawton, OK for the night, we checked into our hotel, and a few of us walked to the casino next door.  It was a fun time with great people!!  We drove 399 miles.

Bison

Twistex Memorial

On June 4, we drove the guests back to the base hotel in Oklahoma City.  Along the way, we drove through the path of the El Reno tornado that occurred on May 31, 2013.  At its peak, it was 2.7 miles wide and was packing winds of 295 mph, as measured by radar.  Seeing the damage from that storm was surreal, and we also passed by a house that looked "too new."  Looking at the storm's path, that house was directly in the middle of the damage path, so it was a safe assumption that the original house was obliterated.  Many trees were still damaged, and it was evident that there was no hope for them to grow back.  We also stopped at the Twistex Memorial.  This memorial honors the lives of Tim Samaras, Paul Samara, and Carl Young.  They were killed when the tornado suddenly changed its direction, picked up their cobalt, and threw it 100 yards with them inside.  These chasers were well-respected in the weather community, and they will be greatly missed.  However, their research has helped make tornado predictions better than before.  Between dropping off the guests at the hotel and beginning our drive to Denver for the next tour, I drove 445 miles and stayed in Ulysses, KS for the night.

June 2 Strengthening Ridge of Death

Small tarantula

Male peacock

Female peacock

Today was not looking too good for storm development.  A huge ridge was beginning to develop in the western part of the states, and this causes air to subside, or sink.  Storms need rising air to develop and strengthen, so this meant a ridge would effectively end our chase week early.  We left Del Rio, TX and began our journey north for Oklahoma City.  Our guests needed to be back by Saturday afternoon, and there was no sense in chasing in the southern tip of Texas.  Along the way, we stopped in Sonora, TX for lunch at a Mexican cafe.  The food was cheap and amazing!!  Bill decided to take the group to the Caverns of Sonora to kill some time.  We explored the underground caves and saw some neat wildlife.  Most of us were happy to emerge from the caves because the humidity was 98%.  There was a male and female peacock on the grounds, and one of the group members found a small tarantula under a rock.  Storms began developing when we were done with our cave tour, but they sputtered very quickly.  Bill was quite exhausted, so he found rooms for us in San Angelo, TX, and we had another very early night.  Our mileage for the day was 199 miles.

Caverns of Sonora

Caverns of Sonora