May 25, 2017
Statistics
Initial Target
Start
End
Storm Intercepts
Tornadoes
Hail
Wind
Features
Miles
Sterling, CO
Springfield, IL 3:32 PM 5/24/2017
Colby, KS 9:43 PM 5/25/2017
Idalia, CO; Goodland, KS
1
2"
0 mph
Tornado, Occlusion, RFD Gust Front, Wall Cloud
1192
Summary
Marginal, low moisture play across eastern CO/western KS. Targeted ne CO for afternoon supercells noting weak dust whirl tornado near Idalia, CO followed by photogenic storms and outflow across western KS.
Crew and Equipment
Chase partners: Jennifer Brindley Ubl, Anton Seimon, Tracie Seimon. Equipment: Sony FDR-AX100.
Video
Details
Team Woodchuck’s (Anton and Tracie) Forecast:
“Based on credible-looking guidance from the 12z NAM runs, our best play tomorrow may well be NW KS. This will be your call, but just wanted to let you know that we will add a time buffer here to our planning to ensure that we could make it to Goodland as a possible start point by 20z should this scenario indeed pan out.
Also, with -13 C predicted at 500 mb tomorrow over NW KS, upper-50s dewpoints should be more than sufficient to get the job done.”
Team Turtle’s (Skip and Jenn) Forecast:
“Per 12z guidance Turtle would still like to rendezvous in Sterling, CO. 12z NAM shows nw KS shut down for surface based storms. Despite HRRR and NAM NEST consensus that the top of the low/thermal axis will initiate in far eastern CO/nw KS with a prominent helicity track, this activity will most likely be elevated. No low level cap and LSIs are 3-5 C. I've never seen a supercellular tornado come out of such an environment. A landspout play might be possible, but would expect instead a high based and outflow storm instead. NAM shows 0-3km CAPE and open LSIs from Cheyenne southeast into ne CO through 21z. Steep low level lapse rates ahead of the advancing cold pool and we may get a surface based storm favorable for vorticity stretching. There's a wind shift draped along I-70 that I'm still watching closely as vorticity generator for us today. I'm also still watching if we need to adjust closer to Cheyenne to be better aligned for initiation rather than catching an outflow MCS as it advances into Sterling in the afternoon. Will watch as we head west on 80.”
Brindley and I left the night before our chase, leaving early and taking our time so that we’d be well rested for the long drive out to Colorado and subsequent chase. After several hours on the road, we were dipping below a quarter tank so I planned to take the next fuel stop outside of Nebraska City. We didn’t make it. The car stalled just as it had done the previous times it failed this year. I tried restarting, this time cranking for 15-30 seconds and mashing the gas pedal down. It actually kicked over and I was able to get off the shoulder and lurchingly limp it to our exit and the gas station by keeping the gas pedal down. Topping it off, the pump indicated that about three gallons were still in the car when it died, making sense with the vehicle’s 80 miles of indicated range. The car ran fine once it had more gas in it, but the check engine light remained on and it seemed to be running a little rough.
We got a room right next to the truck stop, not wanting to chance driving the car anymore that night. All the food joints were closed apart from the gas station convenience marts. We wound up eating microwaved potatoes with salsa in our tiny, dingy room outside of Nebraska City, NE. Storm chasing is glamorous.
The next morning we took the car into the Subaru dealer in Lincoln, NE. The check engine light was off, the error codes gone, and the car pretended as if nothing had happened. The dealer staff seemed worlds more attentive and helpful than the local dealer in Springfield. However, they couldn’t diagnose what was wrong with the car without spending a lot more time with it. We had to get on the road to our target area so we continued west with a gremlin prone Forester. It was becoming increasingly more clear that the problem was probably somewhere on the fuel line, and adding fuel seemed to be a workaround to getting the car going again. We'd have to carry extra gas with us from now on in addition to refueling before the car gets below a quarter tank. What a pain in the ass. I was starting to loathe my car.
The next morning we took the car into the Subaru dealer in Lincoln, NE. The check engine light was off, the error codes gone, and the car pretended as if nothing had happened. The dealer staff seemed worlds more attentive and helpful than the local dealer in Springfield. However, they couldn’t diagnose what was wrong with the car without spending a lot more time with it. We had to get on the road to our target area so we continued west with a gremlin prone Forester. It was becoming increasingly more clear that the problem was probably somewhere on the fuel line, and adding fuel seemed to be a workaround to getting the car going again. We'd have to carry extra gas with us from now on in addition to refueling before the car gets below a quarter tank. What a pain in the ass. I was starting to loathe my car.
Conclusion
It wasn’t a significant tornado, but the catch greatly exceeded our expectations. The marginal moisture and parameters no doubt led to its high based, relatively weak, and funnel cloudless nature. We hoped this was just the preshow too, with bigger events forecast in the following days.
Lessons Learned
- Weak, dust whirl tornadoes are possible on the high plains even on super marginal days with seemingly inadequate moisture.
- Bring a gas can when chasing in the Forester as a workaround for the stalling issue.