We started day 7 of our trip in Guthrie, OK and were not terribly optimistic about our chances of severe weather observation due to a general lack of wind shear. After a lengthy discussion, we decided to target the northern Texas Panhandle where we were hoping an outflow boundary from an old mesoscale convective system (MCS) would serve as an initiation point. For much of the early afternoon, we were chasing ghosts as multicellular storm clusters would fire and quickly dissipate, as the shear was not sufficient to support sustained updrafts. As the outflow boundary pushed south, we followed, and eventually, a couple supercells began to develop near Hollis, OK. Although the first fizzled by the time we arrived, the second, southernmost storm was showing modest rotation and began bending to the right. As we approached, it looked quite impressive. With radar-indicated hail of over 2", we positioned ourselves southeast of the storm to watch. After the rain subsided, we were able to collect some of the hail which was at least golf ball in size. We decided to bail on the storm as it began to weaken, and thought our day was over as we headed towards our hotel in Amarillo, TX. On the way to Amarillo, TX, we saw
another beautiful supercell and fortunately arrived just before it crossed the interstate. This storm lacked rotation, but was highly photogenic and put on quite the lightning show. 10 minutes after we passed, 2+" hail was reported on I-40. Once we arrived in Amarillo, yet another severe-warned storm approached, and we observed an expansive shelf cloud, dime-sized hail, major street flooding, and some rather dramatic wind gusts. We concluded the surprisingly eventful day with an enjoyable dinner at the Big Texan.
Severe thunderstorm in Amarillo, TX.
Approaching supercell near Hollis, OK.
Golf ball sized hail. Make note, this hail had been sitting out in rain for at least 3-5 minutes before we picked it up, so it was even larger when it fell.
Rainbow west of Hollis, OK.
Passing just ahead of a supercell on I-40, east of Amarillo, TX. Ten minutes later, this storm dropped 2”+ hail on the highway.
Approaching shelf cloud in Amarillo. We had been following this storm all day on radar since its initiation in NE New Mexico. This storm brought us dime-sized hail, 60+mph winds, and bad street flooding.
Dinner at the Big Texan in Amarillo. Notice the approaching storm in the background.
