MAY 7TH
Greensburg, KS
CHASERS: Bobby Eddins, Edward Cohen   NOWCASTING: Michael Cohen
SUMMARY:
We started this chase in Emporia, KS. Analysis revealed good flow aloft with a surface low near Dodge City, KS. A dryline extended south through the TX/OK panhandles from this low with a front extending Northeast through Kansas. An old warm front also extended east from this low across southern Kansas. Our target for the day was Pratt, KS since it was along the warm front and east of the surface low. As we left Emporia morning high-based convection was occuring along the KS/OK border. We took Hwy. 54 west at Wichita, KS toward Pratt. While driving through town we experienced 30-35 mph outflow from the high based storms to our south. When we arrived in Pratt we were still fighting outflow so we drove a bit north on Hwy 281. Al least we had better viability to our west. We finally spotted initiation to our WSW and drove west on FM 19. Sopping to time lapse 2 new anvils to our west. Soon it was clear that we needed to be on the southern storm and drove south to Hwy. 50 and went west toward Kinsley, KS then south on Hwy 183.
image from Sony TRV-900 miniDV South of Kinsley, KS on 183 we were able to get timelapse of the Windthorst storm as it exploded to our southwest. We could hear continuous thunder rolling in the anvil above us. Soon large drops began to fall so we moved south.
image from digital video We took a county road off of Hwy 183 to get a better view of the Windthorst storm. The problem was that when the storm really started sucking inflow it also started sucking in all the plowed fields around us. Soon we had a reported tornado on the ground to our west and nothing but dust to see. We made a hasty retreat south toward Hwy 54 then east toward Greensburg.
image from Sony TRV-900 miniDV After driving back north on Hwy 183 from Greensburg we could finally see what was sucking all the dust. Our view was rather low-contrast but it a video review revealed a smaller cone that appeared to wrap around a larger circulation.
image from Sony TRV-900 miniDV These images reveal a bit more detail as lightning flashes back light the smaller cone and debre cloud. While sooting these images we could barely see the tornado, but as usual the video tells the story. At first this cone moved left-to-right as it rotated around the meso. As it strengthened and wrapped around the back side it moved right-to-left and became much bigger.
image from Sony TRV-900 miniDV Here the tornado takes on a broad truncated cone look as the debre cloud grows larger.
image from Sony TRV-900 miniDV Condensation appears near the ground as the tornado is now engulfed it dirt from the fields.
image from digital video A broader view show the structure well with a large RFD slot wrapping completely around the meso. Again, detail is revealed in a flash of lightning.
image from Sony TRV-900 miniDV As we ready to move south at the urging of a state trooper the tornado becomes more visible to the naked eye. Again a well developed RFD slot.

All Images © 2002 Bobby Eddins. Except where noted. All rights reserved.