MAY 25, 1999 with Ed Cohen
Roswell, NM
Portales, NM
EAST-CENTRAL NEW MEXICO, Started the day in Lubbock, TX and targeted the area south of Clovis, NM. We drove NW on hwy 84 to Littlefield, TX and took 54 west to the NM border where we took 114 to Elida, NM and topped off the gas tank. While there we learned of an LP storm west of Roswell and decided to go for it so we headed SW on hwy 70. We encountered 2 storms just SW of Roswell. The first was sculpted and tiered, looking like the Starship Enterprise. The second produced several funnels and a needle-like tornado that was on the ground for a minute or two. As the second storm fell apart we headed back NE on hwy 70 and encountered a small rotating storm at Portales, NM. This storm had a distinct RFD notch for quite a while and as we drove under it on the SW side of Portales we were chase away to the south by half-dollar sized hail and heard of golf-balls nearby. So we raced south a bit and stopped for a nice rainbow and hail shaft picture. Later we saw new towers trying to go at sunset on the state line. We headed back to Lubbock for the night only to head for an underpass for protection as new storms approached the area with baseballs covering the ground NW of Lubbock. These storms skirted the SW side of town.