Play it cool son, play it cool...

Day 6 - 2nd June

Another fantastic day on the Plains, two supercell thunderstorms and more.

The initial target is around north east Colorado, the Oklahoma Pan Handle or possibly into Texas. The tornado potential for today is 2% but who knows what we'll get.

We head off west on the I70 and stop at Colby for provisions and by coincidence Vortex 2 are have stopped there as well. Vortex 2 is the biggest tornado research project ever comprising over 40 vehicles (including doppler radar trucks, probe teams and other weather recording vans) and 0ver 100 scientists. As we pull in I spot Tim Marshall, one of the team filling up with gas.

I wonder into the main shop and there is Herb Stein, driver of DOW 7 at the check out. I turn round and there is Dr Josh Wurman, project leader of Vortex 2, and then in walks Karen Kosiba, part of the DOW 7 team. I'm trying to buy some lunch but am so distracted (mostly by Karen...) that I end up with 5 bananas and 3 fibre bars. I'm paying for that selection as I type...

We wander back to the van and Dawn insists I get my photo taken with some of the Vortex 2 team. Self consciously we chase after Josh and Karen who are walking back to DOW 7.

Thankfully they are quite happy to have their photos taken with the idiot with the bag of bananas...I told them I'd last seen them in Woodward Oklahoma in 2006 and promise to meet them again in another 4 years. I then have to suffer my leg being pulled for the rest of the day. Not sure I played it cool!




We then set of and end up in Goodland and stop at Wendy's for yet another burger. Ratty reckons it's the best yet and then launches into another diatribe about Sonic Burger. The models have been updated and our original target doesn't look too good any more and we head off towards Nebraska.

We head north on the 61 through Imperial and near to Madrid then charge down dirt roads after a newly formed supercell. We are treated to a number of gustnadoes including one which buffets the van with corn stalk debris.






The supercell soon loses its way as other storms fire to form a line so we head south on the 23 then on the 83 through McCook as another supercell is initiating. We're now in Kansas and stop on the 29 to take some photos. The supercell has a classic form of rain curtain and precipitation free base and is producing a wall cloud. We keep moving and stopping to keep ahead of the storm which is tracking south east at 20mph.


We park up and elements of Vortex 2 turn up. Tim Marshall walks past the van and doesn't acknowledge my exuberant "Hiya Tim!".Although the supercell doesn't drop a tornado, the structure is amazing. It eventually falls apart as we drive down the I70. We spot Storm Chasing Adventure Tours parked up, the previous crew I chased with.



To celebrate our ongoing success we have a steak and beer at Oakley (home town of Buffalo Bill) and then we're back at the Super 8 at WaKeeney at 23:00 where we started the chase 14 hours earlier.

A great day, two supercells and I got my photo taken with Karen Kosiba ;o)

Total miles 519