June 16, 2006 Storm Chase |  Southwest KS Rotating Storm and Strong Gustnado!
All photos and video © Copyright 2006 Matt Ziebell
I chose to play the triple point in SE CO today, but I ended up viewing too much data while at the motel in Wakeeney, KS and got a late start on the road.  Road construction delays en route didn't help matters out any and while I was stuck at one of these annoying stops, initiation took off in Baca Cty, CO.  I was about an hour away at this point and the cells were nicely compact and eventually became SVR warned.  Awhile later, a few SVR cells popped to my east towards Dodge City.  I took a few shots of these Cbs, but overall wasn't too impressed with their appearance and continued west.  The southernmost storm in Baca Cty was now looking great on radar and later acquired a TOR warning while crossing the border into Morton Cty, KS.  I was about 20min away when I could clearly make out an extensive flanking line and eventually an updraft base (forward flank) with weak inflow bands to my immediate west.  I shot north on HWY 27 from Richfield and observed a steady state wall cloud off to my west.  This lowering was close to where NWS-DDC was indicating rotation, but it was already becoming undercut by a wet RFD.

The wall cloud eventually dissipated as the RFD appeared to be gaining significant momentum.  I observed two weak gustnadoes along its leading edge and a short while later I couldn't believe my eyes as a vortex tightened in the field to my west while tearing up vegetation and dirt!  Luckily I snagged some of this on video (2 MB) as I wouldn't have believed it myself.  If the rotation wasn't impressive enough, then its depth certainly was.  I'd estimate debris was ascending at least a few hundred feet.  I looked above for any cloud base rotation, but couldn't discern any.  Interestingly, this gustnado was very close to where the meso and decaying wall cloud was tracking; though despite its impressiveness and lack of rotation aloft I'll still call it one heck of a gustnado - the strongest one I've seen so far.

After the gustnadoes, I was hit by probably 50kt winds that sent some loosely anchored road construction signs airborne a short distance.  The town of Johnson City (just to my north) reported winds much higher.  This storm was now over.  I drove south into the TX Panhandle to see if any tail-end cells would cooperate, but prior outflow waves had seriously hindered any organization.

 
Looking back east at marginally SVR Cb
  
Extensive flanking line to TOR warned cell
  
Updraft and some inflow on forward flank
 
Wall cloud already being undercut
  
Closer view of wall cloud
  
Wall cloud dying as RFD takes over
 
 		  
Compressed video of strong gustnado (2 MB)
All photos and video © Copyright 2006 Matt Ziebell
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