May 31, 2023

Statistics

Initial Target

Start

End

Storm Intercepts

Tornadoes

Hail

Wind

Features

Miles

Tucumcari, NM

Springfield, IL 5:29 PM 5/30/2023

Tucumcari, NM 11:08 PM 5/31/2023

Taiban, NM; Santa Rosa, NM

0 mph

Rotating Wall Cloud, RFD Gust Front, Flash Flood

1135

Summary

New Mexico upslop play targeting Tucumcari area for afternoon supercells. Intercepted tornado warned supercell near Taiban noting rotating wall cloud and RFD gust front. Followed north in storm's wake encountering flash flooding. Targeted new cell off higher terrain in lower CAPE air noting updraft base before cell fizzled.

Crew and Equipment

Chase partners: Project Photographer. Equipment: Sony AX100, Canon 60D with EFS 10-22, Samsung S9.

Video

Map

Details

This was the first chase on a three day run with a photographer getting shots of storms for an unnamed project. Several days of High Plains chasing in New Mexico were ongoing and we were catching the last half of that run. I left the night before, stopping overnight in Emporia, and then got up before dawn for an interview with a Fox TV network about the ten-year anniversary of the El Reno accidents. I continued on to Guymon where I rendezvoused with the photographer. We caravanned to Tucumcari, made lodging reservations, and then consolidated gear to chase together in my van.

A dominant cell took shape south-southwest of my initial target and we went in for the intercept, the air a dusty red color. We got on the base south of Taiban, noting classic supercell structure with a horseshoe shaped base. Several points of rotation were noted along the base and the storm was warned for tornadoes.

Tornado Warned Supercell
15 miles E of Fort Sumner, NM
4:31 PM

Supercell Pano

4:34 PM

Wrapping Up
15 miles E of Fort Sumner, NM
4:37 PM

The base looked like it was wrapping up with a lowering right where the tornado should form, and I hoped it was a developing funnel, but rotation was weak after reviewing video.

Photographing Lowering

4:38 PM

4:39 PM

We photographed the base until an encroaching cell started to dump rain on us. Stronger rotation was noted in this lowering to our west.

We stayed watching turbulent, roiling motion in the clouds to our north before deciding to chase after the north-northeast moving cell.

North of Taiban, I was winding and weaving down a canyon highway as fast as conditions allowed, trying to keep up with the storm. I rounded a bend and had just enough time to recognize that the color of the road up ahead was not correct and that this was a bad thing.

We hit the flash flood at speed, but the van plowed through the water and made it to the other side without incident. Startled, we both exclaimed and cooled our jets on the pursuit.

Shortly afterwards we came upon a more dramatic flash flood, with water and debris roaring across the road. We stopped and chatted with several other chasers who were already there and shot video for a few minutes.

Flash Flood
2 miles N of Taiban, NM
5:15 PM

Driving into this flash flood could be potentially deadly and it meant the end of our chase, for this particular storm as least.

We retargeted a tornado warned cell in higher terrain to the northwest near Santa Rosa. It was in cooler, less unstable air so it didn’t survive long. By the time we arrived, a scuddy, cold looking base was already starting to shrivel.

7:14 PM

We called the chase and returned to Tucumcari where we met up with Anton and Tracie Seimon for dinner at a Route 66 diner.

Dinner
Tucumcari, NM
7:14 PM

Conclusion

No tornado, but this chase was a success in that we got the supercell shots we were after for this project. The display of rotating supercell structure was dramatic, and equally dramatic was our flash flood encounter, which fortunately didn't also result in a potentially catastrophic accident.

Lessons Learned

Watch for flash flooding when chasing behind storms, especially in high and dry places of the southwest where it's common.

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