May 20, 2021
Statistics
Initial Target
Start
End
Storm Intercepts
Tornadoes
Hail
Wind
Features
Miles
Akron, CO
Plainview, TX 10:09 AM 5/20/2021
Sidney, NE 8:03 PM 5/20/2021
Sidney, NE
0
0"
0 mph
Gust Front
569
Summary
Marginal upslope play in northeast Colorado. Targeted Akron for a possible afternoon supercell. Surface based storms failed to initailize before sunset in the cool environment. Watched sunset gust front after chase from hotel as likely elevated MCS approached Sidney, NE.
Crew and Equipment
Chase partners: Jennifer Brindley Ubl, Anton Seimon, Tracie Seimon, Hank Schyma. Equipment: Sony AX100, Samsung S9, Photography courtesy Jennifer Brindley Ubl shooting on a Nikon D4s.
Video
Details
"Can’t say I am as enthused about prospects today as I was earlier, and choosing a target might be a fool’s errand. An acceptable setup looks to be the US-34 corridor in NE Colorado, say from Akron over to Wray. What I do like is what we saw on our drive north yesterday: The Panhandle soils are saturated, and with abundant sunshine today moisture pumping into the boundary layer should be significant. The models are designed to recognize such things, but probably not to the degree we are presented with at the moment. This may give us a few hundred joules more CAPE than guidance depicts. If I didn't have the CAMs to sway me I would be aiming for Kit Carson."
After a long drive north from Texas, we pulled off the rural northeast Colorado highway to assess our prospects, and it wasn’t looking good. Only elevated showers materialized in the cool environment.
We called the chase and grabbed a room in Sidney, NE. Storms erupted to the west by evening, but they were clearly elevated in the cool, capped environment, so we didn’t bother going after them. The MCS caught up with us in town by sunset. The colors on the gust front were exquisite, and we watched the show from the front of the hotel with IPAs and a cheeseless veggie pizza.
Conclusion
A solid bust for sure, but the after chase sunset gust front was still a spectacular show.
Lessons Learned