Date

Date: 1 June 2003

Location: Cheyenne Wells, CO to Lakin, KS

Chase Partner: Vail

Summary: Departed Denver at 1000 MDT and set out for initial target area near Boise City, OK. While enroute I stopped in Kit Carson, CO to look at some data. If you chase and use a cell phone to download data, Digital Atmosphere from Tim Vasquez and Weather Graphics is a MUST to have. After looking over the data I adjusted my target a little more to my east near Cheyenne Wells, CO. I stopped there and topped off the gas tank and went north of town a little to size things up. Off to my NW there was a rather nice tower going up that went severe after about 30 minutes of watching it. It was headed my way so I decided to meet it half way. I watched a nice lowering develop and right when it looked like it was getting its act together it fell apart and the outflow winds came my way. I kept watching to my SE because there were a couple of cumulous clouds ,with rather high bases, thinking that the outflow winds would trigger development in that direction. After sometime watching the main show it picked up the pace and started to move south and se a little quicker. I then began to backtrack toward Cheyenne Wells to stay ahead of the storm. Meanwhile rain shafts were beginning to fall on the cumulous to my SE and they began to develop more rapidly into Cb's. I started heading that direction a little faster when all of a sudden there it was.............voila!! Landspout tornado. And I was in a real bad position for filming it. I had the storm to my NW heading my way with some pretty good CG and a nice landspout tornado about 8 miles to my SE. What to do...........well stopping to film was out because of the big green monster behind me. So I put the metal to the petal and the thing to the floor (Smokey and the Bandit humor) and bolted east. When I got to the main highway running down to Cheyenne Wells I headed south and shot what video I could of the tornado before it dissipated. This particular storm was really intensifying. After getting through Cheyenne Wells I continued south and I noticed another funnel cloud to my SE. I pulled off the highway on the first turn off to the west of the highway I could find and filmed this tornado in the field about a mile or 2 to my SE. It quickly dissipated about about a minute or two. I headed down HWY 385 and I noticed a really nice lowering to my ENE about 5 miles away. I stopped and watched for a little while as it seemed to becoming more organized with rotation. A very brief tornado formed after couple of minutes and then quickly dissipated. After getting to Sheridan Lake I continued south toward Granada, CO. I had a decision to make. There was what looked to be a nice storm near the Lamar area to my south that was rather appetizing, or head east and see what the outflow from this storm would do to the growing cumulous clouds to my east. I decided to head east toward Garden City, KS. I topped off the tank in Holly, CO and let the storm catch up a bit. Outflow winds came barreling through just after I filled up and I continued east on Hwy 50 to Lakin, then South toward Ulysses, KS. I stopped about half way and there was magnificent structure on the MCS headed my way. I stopped to film its advance.......next to a feedlot. Nothing adds to a great chase like the fresh aroma of inflow winds from a Kansas feedlot. As the line approach I noticed what looked like a Cessna 152 hauling ass to the SE above the leading edge of the storm. I was slowly getting swallowed by this monster storm. If they had a camera I bet they got the shot of a lifetime. Hope they had a change of underwear too. After the storm reached me I tried to stay ahead of it, but was quickly overtaken near Deerfield, KS. After reaching Garden City I decided to call it a day. The radar picture did not look all that appetizing with the huge squall to my east now. All in all this has been the most satisfying chase day for 2003 for me.

Mileage: 667 round trip.

Storm #1 NW of Cheyenne Wells, CO