Photos from today's chase (near Amarillo)

Due to a wobbly rear-tire I was forced to stay in the Amarillo area. I tried to go east-to where all the tornados were dropping (dozens I hear) but my car had other ideas.

Still- I took a few photos of the storm that blew through the north side of Amarillo and chased it up HWY 60 almost to Panhandle - but once it turned into a wall of white, I was forced to give up the chase.









Hail fog NE of Amarillo:

Click to enlarge:



These are photos of the two very brief land spouts in that storm that came up from the Umbarger area. They were very short lived (twenty-to thirty seconds) and dissipated as the storm gained power. I saw about five of these. No warnings were given-and in reality-they are very weak and probably didn't show up on radar.

I was surprised that AES didn't report them-but they were a tad late getting out to where I was.






Lots of dime sized hail NE of the city - pelting my car. Grabbed a snap out the open window before it hurt too much.


The "Big Boys" building off to the east. These thunder-bumpers dropped large hail and quite a few tornados in neighboring counties.



The road not taken - and after seeing all the great tornado footage on the TV - I should have risked it:

Tornado threat shifts east today

DAY 1 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0736 AM CDT THU APR 22 2010

VALID 221300Z - 231200Z

...THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS OVER PARTS OF THE CENTRAL AND
SOUTHERN PLAINS...

...SYNOPSIS...
SPLIT FLOW PATTERN WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THIS FORECAST PERIOD AS A
LARGE UPPER LOW OVER SRN NV GRADUALLY REDEVELOPS EWD ACROSS THE SRN
ROCKIES. THIS WILL OCCUR AS A SERIES OF SHORT WAVES/VORTICITY LOBES
ROTATE THROUGH THE SRN/ERN PERIPHERY OF THE CIRCULATION. AN INITIAL
PERTURBATION EVIDENT IN WATER VAPOR IMAGERY OVER EXTREME ERN AZ IS
LIFTING NEWD TOWARD THE CENTRAL ROCKIES AND HIGH PLAINS...WHILE A
SECOND FEATURE DIGGING SEWD ALONG THE SRN CA COAST IS FORECAST TO
TURN EWD ACROSS THE SRN AZ/NM BORDER TODAY AND CONTINUE INTO THE
CENTRAL HIGH PLAINS TONIGHT.

AT THE SURFACE...A SERIES OF LOW CENTERS ARE LOCATED OVER THE
CENTRAL/SRN ROCKIES FROM WY SWD INTO NM. A DRY LINE IS ALONG THE
FRONT RANGE OF CO SWD ACROSS ERN NM INTO SWRN TX...IN ADVANCE OF A
N-S COLD FRONT THAT IS MOVING EWD OVER THE CENTRAL PARTS OF CO AND
NM. A WARM FRONT EXTENDS FROM A LOW OVER SERN CO ESEWD NEAR THE
KS/OK BORDER INTO NWRN AR AND IS EXPECTED TO MOVE SLOWLY NWD THROUGH
TONIGHT. THE MULTIPLE LOW PRESSURE CENTERS ARE EXPECTED TO
CONSOLIDATE INTO A SINGLE LOW OVER ERN CO TONIGHT IN RESPONSE TO
DYNAMIC AND OROGRAPHIC FORCING ASSOCIATED WITH THE SECOND SHORT WAVE
TROUGH. AS THE LOW DEVELOPS...THE DRY LINE IS LIKELY TO MIX EWD THIS
AFTERNOON BEFORE BECOMING QUASI-STATIONARY ACROSS SWRN KS/TX
PANHANDLE/WEST TX. BY THIS EVENING THE COLD FRONT IS FORECAST TO
ACCELERATE EWD AND OVERTAKE THE DRY LINE...REACHING AN ARCING LINE
FROM NORTHWEST INTO SOUTH CENTRAL KS/CENTRAL OK/AND WRN PARTS OF
NORTH CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL TX BY 23/12Z.

...NERN CO/KS AREA...
SEVERAL BANDS OF ELEVATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING EWD/NEWD ACROSS
THE REGION THIS MORNING IN RESPONSE TO LOW LEVEL WARM ADVECTION AND
CONVERGENCE NORTH OF THE SURFACE WARM FRONT IN ASSOCIATION WITH A
BROAD SSWLY LOW LEVEL JET OVER THE SRN PLAINS. A LAYER OF STEEPER
MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES HAS ENHANCED HAIL POTENTIAL IN STRONGER CELLS
DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS...BUT SLOW WEAKENING OF THE LOW LEVEL
JET SHOULD LIMIT THE SEVERE HAIL THREAT THIS MORNING.

ADDITIONAL STORMS ARE LIKELY TO DEVELOP AND INTENSIFY DURING THE
EARLY/MID AFTERNOON FROM NERN CO INTO PARTS OF KS AS DYNAMIC FORCING
ASSOCIATED WITH THE LEAD SHORT WAVE TROUGH MOVES TOWARD THE HIGH
PLAINS AND COOLING ALOFT OVERSPREADS THE AREA FROM THE WEST.
SURFACE DEW POINTS AROUND 60F ARE EXPECTED TO SPREAD NWD INTO PARTS
OF KS...WITH 50F DEW POINTS MOVING INTO NERN CO AS MOIST SELY LOW
LEVEL FLOW PERSISTS. WIDESPREAD CLOUD COVER AND PRECIPITATION IS
LIKELY TO INHIBIT DIURNAL INSOLATION TODAY...HOWEVER LOCALIZED
REGIONS OF ENHANCED HEATING WITHIN CLOUD BREAKS WILL CONTRIBUTE TO
ADDITIONAL DESTABILIZATION.

EFFECTIVE BULK SHEAR OF 35-45 KT WILL BE SUFFICIENT TO SUPPORT STORM
ROTATION...WITH POTENTIAL FOR MORE INTENSE CELLS TO PRODUCE LARGE
HAIL AND POSSIBLY A FEW TORNADOES...ESPECIALLY FROM NERN CO INTO WRN
KS WHERE STEEPER LAPSE RATES WILL BE PRESENT.

...PARTS OF WRN AND N CENTRAL TX INTO WRN/CENTRAL OK...
CONVECTION OVER THE TX PANHANDLE AREA HAS BEEN SLOWLY WEAKENING AND
THIS TREND IS LIKELY TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE MORNING AS IT MOVES
NEWD INTO WRN OK. IN THE WAKE OF THESE STORMS...SOME DECREASE IN
CLOUD COVER IS EXPECTED WHICH WILL PERMIT REGIONS OF AFTERNOON
HEATING TO DEVELOP...WITH SURFACE TEMPERATURES WARMING INTO THE
75-80F RANGE. WITH SURFACE DEW POINTS OF 60-65F EAST OF THE DRY
LINE...THE ENVIRONMENT WILL BECOME MODERATELY UNSTABLE WITH MLCAPE
OF 1500-2000 J/KG.

STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO REDEVELOP LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING
ALONG/EAST OF THE DRY LINE...WITH HIGH RESOLUTION WRF GUIDANCE
INDICATING SEVERAL BANDS OF SCATTERED STRONG/SEVERE STORMS FORMING.
THE INITIAL STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER CENTRAL/ERN TX
PANHANDLE BEFORE THEY MOVE INTO WRN OK...FOLLOWED BY A MORE
EXTENSIVE BAND OF STORMS FROM THE ERN TX PANHANDLE SWD INTO THE
SOUTH PLAINS AS THE COLD FRONT SURGES EWD TONIGHT. STRONG DEEP
LAYER SHEAR WILL CONTRIBUTE TO SUPERCELL GENERATION...ESPECIALLY
WITH MORE DISCRETE CELLS THAT FORM INITIALLY...AND THE COMBINATION
OF STEEP LAPSE RATES AND FAVORABLE LOW LEVEL SHEAR/SRH WILL RESULT
IN A FEW STRONGER SUPERCELLS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING VERY LARGE HAIL
AND TORNADOES.

A BETTER DEFINED LINEAR MCS IS FORECAST TO DEVELOP ALONG THE
ACCELERATING COLD FRONT DURING THE EVENING...FIRST OVER THE ERN TX
PANHANDLE WITH GRADUAL DEVELOPMENT SWD INTO THE SOUTH PLAINS. WIND
PROFILES SUGGEST THE LINE MAY CONTAIN EMBEDDED BOW/LEWP STRUCTURES
WITH PERHAPS A TRANSITION TO AN ENHANCED DAMAGING WIND THREAT
TONIGHT FROM PARTS OF WRN/NORTH CENTRAL TX INTO WRN/CENTRAL OK.
OWING TO ANTICIPATED LOW LEVEL COOLING AND STABILIZATION COUPLED
WITH UNCERTAINTY IN THE DETAILS OF THE CONVECTIVE MODE...WE HAVE
OPTED TO NOT INCLUDE HIGHER WIND PROBABILITIES AT THIS TIME BUT THIS
POSSIBILITY WILL BE MONITORED IN LATER OUTLOOKS.

On e more - storm panorama.

Click to enlarge:


(C) Steve Douglass

Today's severe weather outlook

VALID 221200Z - 231200Z

...THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS CENTRAL/SRN HIGH PLAINS TO
PORTIONS CENTRAL TX...CENTRAL OK AND SRN KS....

...SYNOPSIS...
SPLIT-FLOW PATTERN ALOFT WILL DOMINATE PATTERN ACROSS MUCH OF MAIN
BODY OF NORTH AMERICA THROUGH PERIOD...FEATURING LARGE CYCLONIC GYRE
NOW CENTERED OVER SRN NV. SEVERAL VORTICITY LOBES AND ACCOMPANYING
SHORTWAVE TROUGHS WILL CONTINUE TO ORBIT THIS CIRCULATION AS IT
MOVES SLOWLY EWD THROUGH PERIOD...ITS CENTROID CROSSING NRN AZ
DURING LATE AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING TIME FRAME. ONE OF THOSE
SHORTWAVES...NOW EVIDENT IN MOISTURE CHANNEL IMAGERY OVER SRN CA
COASTAL WATERS...IS FCST TO PIVOT THROUGH CYCLONICALLY CURVING PATH
ACROSS NERN MEX BY 23/00Z THEN ACROSS NM TO CENTRAL HIGH PLAINS BY
END OF PERIOD. THIS FEATURE MAY EVOLVE INTO SEPARATE/SECONDARY
CYCLONE CENTER OVER ERN CO BY END OF PERIOD. MEANWHILE...SOMEWHAT
WEAKER/INITIALLY EJECTING PERTURBATION -- EVIDENT ATTM INVOF NERN
BAJA -- SHOULD EJECT NEWD ACROSS MUCH OF NM BY 22/18Z THEN OVER ERN
CO DURING DAY.

AT SFC...CYCLONE SHOULD REMAIN OVER ERN CO THROUGH MUCH OF
DAY...WITH WARM FRONT ESEWD ACROSS WRN/SRN KS. BY MID-LATE
AFTERNOON..EXPECT DRYLINE OVER SWRN KS TO E-CENTRAL TX PANHANDLE TO
NRN COAHUILA. LOW-LEVEL COLD FRONT -- NEARLY COLLOCATED WITH PLUME
OF DEEP LIFT PRECEDING MID-UPPER CYCLONE -- WILL CROSS MOST IF NOT
ALL OF NM BY 23/00Z THEN OVER PANHANDLES INTO WRN OK AND W-CENTRAL
TX OVERNIGHT.

...CENTRAL/SRN PLAINS...
SVR TSTMS ARE EXPECTED FROM W TX TO WRN KS AND NERN CO...WITH AT
THESE THREE PRIMARY EPISODES POSSIBLE...
1. ONGOING AT 22/12Z THROUGH LATE MORNING...AS EWD EXTENSION OF
EWD-SHIFTING REGIME OF DEEP-LAYER ASCENT AND INCREASING CONVECTION
ALREADY EVIDENT ATTM OVER PORTIONS NM.
2. DEVELOPMENT INVOF DRYLINE BEHIND EARLY-PERIOD ACTIVITY...WHICH
ITSELF MAY BE SPORADIC PROCESS THROUGHOUT AFTERNOON INTO EVENING
GIVEN EXPECTED WEAKNESS OF CINH IN MUCH OF THIS CORRIDOR.
3. BAND OF SCATTERED-NUMEROUS TSTMS PROBABLE DURING LATTER HALF OF
PERIOD...MOVING EWD/NEWD ACROSS PORTIONS WRN/CENTRAL TX AND
WRN/CENTRAL OK.

IN ADDITION...BACKED LOW-LEVEL WINDS AND UPSLOPE FLOW COMPONENT WILL
AID CONVECTIVE POTENTIAL...INCLUDING THREAT FOR SUPERCELLS/TORNADOES
OVER NERN CO GIVEN SUFFICIENT DIURNAL DESTABILIZATION BEHIND EARLY
ACTIVITY. FARTHER SSE...WITHIN BROAD CATEGORICAL OUTLOOK
PLUME...ONE OR TWO RATHER FOCUSED/MESOBETA-SCALE AREAS FOR
SUPERCELLS...SIGNIFICANT HAIL AND TORNADOES SHOULD DEVELOP AS WELL.
HOWEVER...CONVECTIVELY MESSY NATURE OF THIS SITUATION...ESPECIALLY
EARLY IN PERIOD...CASTS CONSIDERABLE UNCERTAINTY ATTM ON WHERE THOSE
FOCI WILL SET UP. THEREFORE...IT STILL IS TOO SOON TO ASSIGN
PROBABILITIES AOA CATEGORICAL MDT-RISK CRITERIA.

MODEL FCST SOUNDINGS AWAY FROM EXCESSIVELY STABILIZING CONVECTIVE
INFLUENCES REASONABLY SHOW STEEP LOW-MIDLEVEL LAPSE
RATES...VERTICALLY JUXTAPOSED WITH INCREASING SFC DEW POINTS AND
BOUNDARY LAYER MOISTURE CONTENT. WHERE THIS AIR MASS CAN BE HEATED
ON A SUSTAINED/ROBUST BASIS BEHIND EARLY-PERIOD
CONVECTION...POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR MLCAPE 1500-2000 J/KG...SUPPORTED
BY 50S DEW POINTS OVER WRN KS/ERN CO AND 60S FROM WRN OK SWD.
EXPECT WHAT MAY BE TERMED A TOP-HEAVY BUOYANT PROFILE...WITH LARGE
PERCENTAGE OF CAPE ABOVE 500 MB. VERTICAL WIND PROFILES WILL
SUPPORT SUPERCELLS...WITH BACKED SFC WINDS UNDER MORE MERIDIONAL
FLOW OVER WRN CO/WRN KS...AND MORE CLASSICAL VEERING WITH HEIGHT
ACROSS PANHANDLES SWD OVER W-CENTRAL TX. EFFECTIVE SHEAR 45-55 KT
AND 0-1 KM SRH 100-200 J/KG SHOULD BE COMMON.

THREAT SHOULD TRANSITION TO MIXTURE OF WIND/HAIL AS MORE LINEAR MODE
BEGINS TO DOMINATE THROUGH NIGHTTIME HOURS...AND PRIMARY ZONE OF
ACTIVITY SHIFTS EWD ACROSS CENTRAL/SRN KS...WRN/CENTRAL OK AND
WRN/NRN TX.