MAY 31st - West Texas
CHASERS: Bobby Eddins  Michael Cohen  Edward Cohen
SUMMARY:
Started the day in Clayton, NM and our initial target south of Clovis, NM. Carson Eads, Sam Barricklow, Jimmy Deguara, and us all caravanned down to Tucumcari, NM for a data stop

Analysis showed that we needed to be even south of Clovis so we moved on. We stopped for a quick burger that took too long so we got behind as everyone else moved on but we finally got back on the road.

As we drove toward Clovis we could see storms going up near Amarillo, TX and monitored them. By the time we got to Clovis we had a decision to make. Go for the Amarillo storm or hold to our forecast. We drove to the east of Clovis and by that time a storm was going up back over Clovis. We hung for a while but the now Hereford storm just looked too good. Besides we could always drop back on the Clovis storm, right.

After some detours we finally got far enough east to go north toward the Hereford storm. We met the now HP storm and Sam Barricklow at Nazareth, TX and soon had to retreat south to stay ahead of it. This storm was an outflow dominant HP storm now. Got some nice pictures as the storm approached Hart, TX form the north.

Soon we had another decision. Stay with our storm or go for the old Clovis storm that had now turned to the southeast. We could see an apparent wall-cloud to our distant west so we broke off for it.

We drove south at Springlake on Hwy 385 and barely missed the core. We stopped to watch a wall-cloud try to form but it was fighting outflow. Soon small hail chased us further south and a wall-cloud wound up briefly producing a dust whirl for a few seconds. the storm transitioned to HP soon and we viewed a nice gustnado just to our west as we drove south.

We just got out of Littlefield before the hail and drove southeast on Hwy 84 to stay ahead. We finally gave up and got west of the storm as it moved into Lubbock and shot some nice sunset shots of the back side of the storm.
image from Cannon 300D Looking north from south of Nazareth, TX at an HP storm moving at us.
image from Cannon 300D The gust front kicks up some clouds in front of the storm with lots of green behind it.
image from Cannon 300D Wonder whats in the notch?
image from Cannon 300D Gust front approaching.
image from Cannon 300D Getting closer.
image from Cannon 300D Time to move further south.
image from Cannon 300D The storm approaches Hart, TX.
image from Cannon 300D Wide shot of Hart's Grain Elevator with the Storm coming in.
image from Cannon 300D We leave this storm for a new storm to the west which has made the turn to the southeast.
image from Cannon 300D We make it back to Springlake and turn south and get in front as this storm intensifies.
image from Cannon 300D A bit further south a beavers-tail forms to our north.
image from Cannon 300D A wall-cloud shows increasing rotation and a brief dust whirl forms beneath it barely visible here but this is soon undercut as the transition to HP begins.
image from Cannon 300D Chasers line the road as the storm becomes momentarily less organized.
image from Cannon 300D We navigate out of the storms way as it moves into Lubbock county. Here dirt is lofted high on the west side of the storm.
image from Cannon 300D Towers explode into the west side of the storm as it moves over Lubbock.
image from Cannon 300D A close-up of a vigorous tower.
image from Cannon 300D The wide view.
image from Cannon 300D The storms flank to our east.
image from Cannon 300D The sun begins to set, providing more color.
image from Cannon 300D More color.
image from Cannon 300D Sun setting behind us.
image from Cannon 300D Low clouds begin to block the view.
image from Cannon 300D A gentle tower provides more color.
image from Cannon 300D A fitting end to the day.

All Images © 2005 Bobby Eddins. All rights reserved.