June 1, 1997
June 1st finally arrived! We met the other people in the tour, Becky LeBlanc from Austin, Texas, and Jeffrey Rowley from Renton, Washington, and our guide, Marty Feely from Norman, Oklahoma, at the Super 8 motel in Amarillo. We all went to breakfast. Afterwards, we went back to the motel and checked out the Day 1 Convective outlook from the SPC's page, accessing it from a laptop. There was only a "slight risk" but we headed to the area where things would happen, if they were going to. There was good wind shear late in the afternoon, winds southeast and south at the surface, and northwesterly aloft. Dew points were in the upper 50's, so there was enough moisture. We saw "turkey towers" that grew and grew until the head was "pinched off" and they collapsed. Supercells just were not going to form. Huge anvil blowoffs from storms in the Rocky Mountains cast a shadow over the entire Panhandle. This shading of the ground prevented ground heating and surpressed convection. Our first chase with Marty was short, but fun anyway. We traveled a total of 170 miles, which was pretty good, considering the average bust trip is 300 miles. Back at the motel, Marty headed for bed, and Tom, Becky, Jeff, and I headed for the Country Barn for barbecue. This was the only day Tom would spend on the tour. He had been invited to go with the SUBVORTEX project, and make a videotape record of their chases this season.
June 2, 1997
We stayed in the motel for a while the next morning, waiting for the 10 AM Day 1 convective outlook report to be put up on the SPC page. At that time, there were dew points and CAPE that looked like there was a potential for tornadic activity, so we stayed around until just after lunch, when we made a trip to the Amarillo National Weather Service office. Chatting with other chasers, we found out that there had been a number of chasers in Stratford, Texas, the day before, where we saw the turkey towers. Doug Crowley, the WCM(Warning Coordination Meteorologist) gave us a tour of the offce, and explained many of the maps and data we saw on the monitors. The Amarillo office is renown for their friendliness to chasers.
Leaving about 3:45, we headed towards Clovis, where there was a blip on the dryline. As we moved southwest, away from Amarillo, we saw transverse rolls, which are slowly moving horizontal tubes of air. They are formed when there is wind shear(change in wind direction with height above the ground.) They rotate horizontally, but slowly enough so that time lapse photography may be needed to reveal it. Communicated with Matt and Betsy Crowther as we moved along. They work for the Weather Channel and chase on their vacation time. It was strongly capped, and as we watched, the cumulus eventually disappeared to our south, although the temperature and dew point was still okay. There was still cumulus to our north, and we held out the possibility that we would change direction in Hereford.
In Hereford, we saw Matt and Betsy again, stopped by the wayside, accessing satellite and radar data off the internet. With them were Linda Kitchen from Phoenix, AZ, and Kathy Velasquez from San Diego, CA, the only all women chase team. Every year they leave the husband and kids for two weeks and head out to the Plains. The data showed that there were storms going up in northeastern NM, but over the mountains. Marty and Matt decided that the best bet would be to go north somewhat, with the option of going west. The NOAA weather radio says there was a chance of explosive development. On the satellite map, we could see the transverse rolls as parallel white bands.We headed towards Vega, but all indications were that the cap was very, very strong, and so we decided to spend the night in Dalhart. Marty did not join us for dinner, but we had a good time chatting with Matt, Betsy, and Tammy over chicken-fried steak at the Sands restaurant.
June 3, 1997
There was no question from the very beginning that this was going to be a down day. The weather was just gorgeous!!! Mild and sunny. We decided to caravan with Matt Crowther, Betsy Abrams, and their friend Tammy, going to Capulin National Monument, in Capulin, N.M. The sides of the road were blanketed with wildflowers, wide strips of yellow, and patches of dark red, purple, orange and white. Wheat fields were the rule, occasionally interspersed with corn, with some fields fallow and others ready to plant. It was flat, and became flatter still. The center pivot irrigation systems I have seen in the last few days were a new feature for me--we have no such thing in Vermont--the mountains get in the way! At least that is what our hills would be called in Texas. As we moved further into New Mexico, the land became more and more devoid of trees, becoming gently rolling landscapes of prairie grasses. There were sweeping views that made me want to break into the Woody Guthrie song that begins "This land is your land, this land is my land." In my mind, it gave new meaning to the term "wide open spaces". We could see cattle here and there, and in the background, several "mountains" sticking up above the rest of the land. It looked lonely and at the same time beautiful. Even though I think the green, wooded hills of my home are lovely, I can understand why people could grow very attached to the majesty of this landscape.
When we reached Capulin, we stopped at the visitors center before taking the drive up to the top. Capulin is an extinct volcano, and the toll road takes us in an almost complete circle to the parking lot set onto the lowest spot in the lip of the crater. The crater rim trail was a nice exercise break, just about a mile long, and even paved to protect the fragile plant life on either side. I found myself huffing and puffing, with my ears popping, unable to get enough air into my lungs, at 8000 feet above sea level. The views were wonderful in all directions, in this field of the remains of almost 40 volcanic cones. We could see the snow-capped Sangre de Cristo mountains in Colorado in the background. At one point, we saw an "orphan anvil," or an anvil that was formed by a cloud that then dissipated underneath it.
After several hours at the top, we started down, and back to Dumas, Texas, where we intended to spend the night. But the day was not over yet. With the volcanoes at our back we began seeing those "deer" again, and this time they were close enough to the road to identify more fully. They weren't deer! They were pronghorn antelope, and we got a really good look at them. They seemed to get a really good look at us too! At one point, 5 seemed to pose for us, evenly spaced, with a windmill in the background. The trip back to Dumas was pretty uneventful, but we all agreed that it was a great day.
June 4, 1997
The beautiful weather continues, but the days are still filled to the brim with interesting things to do. Our first stop of the day was the Amarillo National Weather Service office again, to check on the latest maps and data. We ran into "the girls" in the library once again, checking the current conditions. Many chasers stop there to visit, although the internet now plays a major role in determining where to go. Some chasers have cell phones they can use to make the internet connection, but many keep a list of truck stops and convenience stores where you can get internet access.
We were about to leave when someone brought in a radiosonde. A radiosonde is the package that is carried up by a weather balloon, and records weather data which is sent back to the NWS. Two weather balloons are launched each day, at 6 AM and 6 PM, and they rise tens of thousands of feet into the air. This radiosonde was found when a farmer was working a field; it was covered with dirt. The outside of the package tells you that it is a "harmless weather device." When you open up the package, you find a styrofoam box with compartments for the components of the radiosonde. There is also a postage paid mailing bag so you can send it back.
We did it. We succumbed. We became the quintessential tourists--we went to the Big Texan restaurant for lunch. There was no one trying to eat the 72 ounce steak that day, but we gawked at all the stuffed animal heads, the live rattlesnake, and took pictures of each other outside. Becky impressed us all with her intestinal fortitude by first eating a bisonburger, then the raw jalapeno that was the garnish on my plate, seeds and all. Of course, it was Becky who had also brought along the Habanero Pecan Brittle for us to munch on in the car, so we shouldn't have been surprised.
"Cadillac Ranch" was the next stop. It is on the west side of Amarillo, south of I-40. I think it can be seen from the highway if you know where to look. Unusual, to say the least, to see 10 Cadillac cars half submerged in the ground, each one fully covered with a colorful collage of painted autographs and messages. Chunks of rubber have been cut from the tires. For souvenirs, I guess. This "object d'art" is right in the middle of a wheat field, with a broad dirt path leading to it from the road. Whether this was someone's idea of art or a joke, I have no idea.
Then we headed south in the late afternoon to take advantage of the cooler hours in Palo Duro Canyon. What a surprise to find this spectacular canyon so close to a city the size of Amarillo. The colors in the rock walls ranged from snow white to bright rust, to bark brown, to sulphur yellow.
We felt as if we were in the most remote wilderness. That is, until we unexpectedly came across a camera shoot, in which a four piece chamber group were posed in front of this beautiful view, playing Handel and Bach. Continuing onward, we saw that the masses of flowers seen by the sides of the road the day before were nothing compared to the meadows full of Indian Blankets, horsemint, and other flowers carpeting the floor of the canyon. The dryest areas had cactuses, and they were blooming too. It seemed like every little crevice and spot there was dirt had blooming plants. They were magnificent!
Jeffrey, Becky and I hiked to a cave near the Spanish Skirts, and Marty joined us in another cave hike, pictured here. While at the replica of the Charles Goodnight cabin, which was not much more than a log hut banked with earth, we heard wild turkeys gobbling nearby. We saw rabbits at another stop. A few weeks before, Marty and John Brosio had seen a Big Horn Sheep watching them just 50 yards away, and had seen several wild turkeys in one of the meadows. Hawks soared and turkey vultures circled as the shadows lengthened. The only sound was the wind. It was almost magical.
June 5, 1997
Another beautiful day, but with possible storms this weekend, we did our laundry in preparation for travel/chase days. Canyon, Texas, and the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum was our destination for the day. We spent several hours there, and it was very enjoyable. I particularly enjoyed the Native American clothing exhibit, and the petroleum industry exhibits. This is a very big museum, considering the size of the town.
Today was Jeffreys birthday, so he got his choice for supper. We went to an Outback steak house, and the waitresses sang Happy Birthday to him. We overdosed on "Chocolate Thunder from Down Under," too.
June 6, 1997
Today Marty had to decide whether we would head north to Colorado or wait a day and go south to west Texas. After looking at all the data, he decided to wait and go south. So we had one more day in Amarillo, and spent much of it at the Don Harrington Discovery Center. We saw the Helium Columns, where objects from 1968 were sealed inside, to be opened at later dates. The first of the three columns was opened in 1993, and we saw the items displayed inside the center. Apparently, Dove soap and All detergent haven't changed their packaging in 29 years. And prices have changed. Back in 1968, a full steak dinner was $3.25! I recognized some of the exhibits as being developed by Ned Kahn of the San Francisco Exploratorium, including the tornado model. We also saw the planetarium show.
June 7, 1997
Onward to west Texas and New Mexico. As we headed south, we saw an emu farm. Further on, the livestock population dwindled. The wheat fields also dwindled, and the "grasshoppers," as the oil well pumps are called, increased dramatically as we crossed into the Permian basin, a rich oil field. First just a few, a mile or so apart, they became so numerous that we could see a dozen or more by standing in one spot and turning around. In some areas, we could smell the oil in the air. We had passed through Andrews and were heading for Jal, NM when we saw anvils from storms in extreme west Texas. We had heard that there was a tornado warning in El Paso yesterday, and there was a watch there this afternoon. But it was much too far away, and Marty doesn't chase that area. He kept looking at the sky as we drove, and when we reached Jal, NM, he decided to continue to Carlsbad, NM. Even if there were no storms tonight, he explained, that would be a good position for storms tomorrow. And if there were storms tonight, well, we still would be in good position.
On the way there we stopped to get a good look at a salt lake, and considered trying to make the bat cave "fly-by" at 8 PM. The line of afternoon storms could be seen ahead of us, and as we neared Carlsbad, NOAA weather radio issued its tornado watch for Chavez county and Eddy county, which is where we were! Marty took a another quick look at the maps, took a longer look at the sky, and set the course. Becky, riding shotgun today, kept track of our progress with the maps. We re-entered Texas, and after a bit of riding and watching a potential wall cloud, lightning, and rain shafts, stopped on a hill with a good view. Sam Barricklow and Patty were already there, cameras all set up. We could see three inflow bands, and a wall cloud trying very hard to form. It became better organized, and there sure was rotation, but then it broke up again. We could see rain and hail shafts. The storm structure was not beautiful, but there was no question that it was a supercell that had a wall cloud. Marty called our attention to the hail roar, which we could easily hear on that quiet road. It sounded like rushing water, only from above!
Eventually, the lightning got a little closer than was comfortable, and we moved to the next good vantage point, a mile or so down the road. On the way, Marty reminded us of lightning safety rules. The wall cloud looked as if it were trying the organize again, but it was also getting quite dark. Behind us, we saw beautiful mammatus clouds on the underside of the anvil. The mammatus pictured here, however, were seen several days later, and since they were seen earlier in the evening, they were lighter in color, and made a better web image.
Near where the wall cloud was, a very distinct and dramatic "rain foot" started pushing out. As the rain foot began to break up, we saw a dark cone that seemed to be in contact with the ground. Was it a tornado? We don't know. We know the approximate location it was in. We know what time we saw it. But it was in such a remote location that we don't know if anyone else saw it and reported it. It lasted less than 2 minutes. When it got so dark we couldn't see the storm anymore, we started back to Carlsbad.
A few miles down the road, we found where the hail had fallen, in about a half mile swath. A fellow in a pickup had told us he had turned back from 50 cent piece hail, but we found only a few that were as large as a quarter, and most were dime sized or less. It covered the road, and on the sides of the road, collected in drifts about 1 1/2 to 2 inches deep. As we continued back to Carlsbad, we stopped several times to watch the lightning and smell the sweet scent of mesquite after the rain. There were a few anvil crawlers as well as CGs. All in all, it was a wonderful evening. We started in Amarillo this noon, and Marty took us directly to a supercell in West Texas.
Very, very, impressive.
The second week continues here
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