August 2, 2013

Statistics

Initial Target

Start

End

Storm Intercepts

Tornadoes

Hail

Wind

Features

Miles

Torrington, WY

Hyannis, NE 12:16 PM 8/2/2013

Lusk, WY 8:45 PM 8/2/2013

None

0 mph

None

325

Summary

Upslope setup in eastern WY. Surging cold outflow from mountain convection kept storms from initiating despite upslope flow. Cap bust.

Crew and Equipment

Chase partners: Jennifer Brindley Ubl. Equipment: Canon 60D, Canon t2i, Canon EFS 10-22, Canon EF 50mm, Sony HDR-xr500v..

Video

Map

Details

Our second day out on a multi day plains run, Jennifer Brindley Ubl and I were hoping to catching some upslope storms in eastern Wyoming on this chase. Tornado probabilities were otherwise minimal across the region.

Hill Hike
30 miles S of Harrison, NE
4:00 PM

We left our 19th century hotel in Hyannis, NE and made for our target area west of Torrington, NE. We took back roads out there, trying to make for a more direct approach, which took us down some pretty rural unpaved roads. I spotted a giant hill I wanted to climb, so we stopped the van and decided to go for a hike. Brindley atop the hill:

Nebraska
30 miles S of Harrison, NE
4:01 PM

Looking east across the vast expanses of western Nebraska from atop a large hill:

Lunch break
12 miles NNW of Torrington, WY
5:09 PM

We continued on into Wyoming and decided to stop for a picnic style lunch. Thin wisps of cirrus stretched overhead. The day was not looking good for storms.

Tea Kettle Ranch
12 miles NNW of Torrington, WY
5:10 PM

We stopped in front of Tea Kettle Ranch for our scenic lunch spot.

Brindley and the van in front of the Tea Kettle rock.

Cumulus formed in eastern Wyoming, but we watched on visible satellite as some sort of outflow or cold sinking air fanned out from the mountain region. The cumulus would dissolve as soon as they were hit by this airmass, effectively killing any chance for storm in the region. Some storms did fire way up in northeastern WY putting down a smattering of hail reports, but that was about it.

Conclusion

A complete cap bust. We barely even saw cumulus on this chase thanks to the surging cold air coming from the mountains to our west. Hiking the hills and hanging out in rural Wyoming sure was fun though.

Lessons Learned

Even with upslope flow, surging outflow and sinking cold air can ruin a chase setup.

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