|
|
Chasing the storm
What's more hazardous than a "super cell" thunderstorm rotating over your head about to unleash a nasty thunderstorm that may or may not include a tornado? It is the 50+ storm chasing vehicles driving you off the road, passing you at break-neck speed so they can get in position to track the storm. I had not ever seen anything like it. I left work just before some nasty storm cloud was ready to unleash its fury on Ford County, Kan. I managed to just skirt the storm as a few pea sized hail stones hit my car before I got ahead of the storm. But as I headed east out of Dodge City, I couldn't believe the traffic. There were cars everywhere. About the time the driver of the SUV in front of me slammed on his breaks and pulled to the side of the road, I realized, these weren't your average citizens on their way home from work. They were the storm chasers and they were looking for exactly the thing I was trying to avoid. My phone rang and my husband informed me that there was a suspicious storm headed toward our house. He had seen it on the Weather Channel. But it wasn't just the Weather Channel. There were teams from universities, storm centers and even an amateur or two. Everything had converged for the perfect storm. The weather forecasters were able to predict earlier in the day where a severe thunderstorm was most likely to hit. The storm chasers were in position and when that thunderstorm did materialize, they were on top of it. The storm developed into what they called a "super cell," a rotating storm that has the potential to produce a tornado. As I dodged the storm chasers and headed home, I could see the storm headed toward our home. I pulled into the driveway and stepped out to see firsthand the huge rotating storm to the west. I did what any good reporter does and pulled out my camera. The air was calm and because it was still light, we could see the threat of the storm was still far away. As the storm chasers began to fly down our dirt road at break-neck speed, my husband and I decided we might be in for a big one. We checked back with the Weather Channel to see the reporter nearly giddy over this storm. He happened to be reporting live from a road we recognized just a few miles away. In the end, we got some rain and a little hail. Unfortunately, many others were not spared. The worst of it went north of us just a mile or two. Hail and strong winds destroyed many crops that evening. And it hasn't been limited to just that night. Nearly every night for the past week, we have had rain and hail. It's enough to make a farmer sick. With the mild, wet spring we have had in our area, crops are looking fantastic. And we all know what that means--something must come along to put a damper on things. Further south, the rainy weather pattern put a halt to wheat harvest for days. And while I know better than to complain about rain in western Kansas, my hope is that by writing about the mild, wet weather, I might be able to turn the corner and bring on the hot, dry weather we need. Not forever mind you, just long enough to get the wheat crop out of the field without any more damage. I can go a long time without having to contend with the storm chasers in my area again.
Copyright/Privacy
Copyright 1995-2011. High Plains Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Any republishing of these pages, including electronic reproduction of the editorial archives or classified advertising, is strictly prohibited. If you have questions or comments you can reach us at High Plains Journal 1500 E. Wyatt Earp Blvd., P.O. Box 760, Dodge City, KS 67801 or call 1-800-452-7171. Email: webmaster@hpj.com |
|
