Tuesday, June 7, 2005

 

 

I am writing this chase account some 2 1/2 years after the fact, so I will let the photos tell most of the tale.  Left Kansas City

the afternoon before and checked into a Super 8 in Sioux Falls that night.  The place was so shady that I fled in less than an hour,

finding a different hotel which was much more suitable (no worries about being assaulted, shot, etc).  The surface wave ended up

being far less progressive than previously forecast, and after checking 12Z data I targeted the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation way down in

southwestern SD.  Documented an LP supercell with absolutely ridiculous structure and a nice tornado, before the storm transitioned into

a "wet" classic with serious problems containing its outflow.  The day ended with a linear MCS swallowing the storm from behind along I-90.

 

 

 

318pm - at a rest stop on I-90 near Murdo, where I'd made a data stop.  This is what a typical tornado day looks like in the western Dakotas.

419pm - near the entrance to the Badlands National Park.  Ran into Chris Lenz and chatted a bit.  Convective initiation was occurring to our southwest over the indian reservation.
425pm - visibility not the greatest within the park... but some nice scenery to be found.  Developing anvil canopy looking south.
437pm -  a pair of young LP storms, looking southwest
437pm - southern storm
444pm - northern storm
 

 

 

511pm - headed SSE on Highway 44 out of Badlands National Park and onto the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation to get in position for the southern supercellular storm.  View looking southwest.

 
517pm
524pm
527pm
535pm
 
536pm
546pm - jogged east on Highway 44 and stopped at a point about 6 miles west of Wanblee SD
 
548pm - a tornado is born near the hamlet of Potato Creek, and lasts for about 9 minutes in varying forms
550pm
 
551pm
554pm
555pm
 
 
556pm
 
557pm
 
601pm - "remnant" meso

 

604pm - had the pleasure of visiting with Al Moller a bit here

607pm - can you say "updraft bomb" ?
611pm
613pm - the green beast poses with the storm
617pm
643pm - moved east thru Wanblee and then north on Highway 73.  Roads of any sort were at a definite premium.  View of the storm here is due north; note it has developed a precipitation core and a clear slot
701pm - back into the Badlands, looking north again
703pm
708pm - looking east as storm crosses the highway.
711pm
715pm
726pm

 

 

738pm - looking east down I-90 from beneath supercell
751pm
816pm - the most insane striations I've ever seen (upper right)
817pm - same
823pm
832pm - linear MCS eats supercell
833pm
848pm

 

 

Maps, weather data

 

chase route in green, supercell path in black, red dot = location of tornado

 

23Z modified RUC sounding at Potato Creek SD

Sfc T/Td: 80/64 F

MLCAPE: 3261 J/kg

MLCINH: 0 J/kg

0-3 km MLCAPE: 98 J/kg

MLLCL: 1348 m

MLLFC: 1459 m

0-1 km SRH: 56 m2/s2

0-3 km SRH: 220 m2/s2