2013 Severe Weather Season

Observations of Severe Storms and Interesting Weather Phenomena


May 15, Pagosa Springs, CO Lightning - My first success with my camera lightning trigger - includes photos of daytime lightning near Pagosa Springs

May 18, Kinsley and Rozel Kansas, High-based funnel and an EF-4 tornado - A thin funnel forms just ahead of a supercell's wall cloud, and then an hour or so later the same storm produces a spectacular backlit EF-4 tornado - with lightning, even! Includes photos, video, discussion of the weather setup, and a detailed account of my observation of this spectacular storm.

May 19, northern Oklahoma and Southern Kansas, Tornadic storm and multiple severe storms - I miss a brief rope tornado from a storm I am on near South Haven, KS, but then drop south into northern Oklahoma to see two gorgeous supercells. Includes photos, discussion of the weather setup, local storm reports, and a detailed account of my observations of these three storms.

May 20, Vega, TX dust devil (coming soon)

May 28, Severe storms and lightning in southwest Kansas - Storms in southwest Kansas are no longer supercellular by the time I arrive after a long drive from southwest Colorado, but I do get a nice lightning show. Includes photos of daytime lightning near Sublette, KS.

May 29, western Oklahoma bow echo and tornadic supercell - I stay just ahead of a massive bow echo storm with a spectacular shelf cloud in western Oklahoma and, later, intercept a supercell and rain-wrapped tornado south of Elk City, Oklahoma. Includes photos and a detailed account.

May 30, Chickasha to Purcell, OK supercell - I track a slow-moving supercell across central Oklahoma as it produces multiple rotating wall clouds and a large funnel. This storm had the strongest rotation I have ever seen without a tornado occurring. Includes photos, discussion of the weather setup, and a detailed account of my observations of this spectacular storm. Note: I am dedicating this chase and chase report to the memory of Tim Samaras, Paul Samaras, and Carl Young, three chasers and severe storm researchers who were tragically killed in a tornado the next day just a short distance from where I chased on this day.

June 17, Eastern Colorado Supercells - This chase day featured pretty much everything you could see except a tornado - two supercells, dust devils interacting with storms, gustnadoes, splitting storms, merging storms, hail, high wind and blowing dust, rotating wall clouds, flash floods, and some real eye candy. No crowds, and some pleasant, old-fashioned chaser convergence, too. A good example of how you don't have to see a tornado to have a really enjoyable chase day.

June 18, Severe Storms on Colorado's Palmer Divide - and some impressive dust devils, too - On this chase day, I was able to document a couple large microbursts and some distant gustnadoes, as well as getting some of my best dust devil video ever. But the day was a bit of a disappointment compared to what could have happened, had an isolated supercell formed and been able to sustain itself over the Palmer Divide, as had seemed possible when the day began Includes photos and video of the dust devils and a microburst near Colorado Springs.

June 16-29, Wildfires in the San Juan Mountains - Pictures, discussion, and a Web link on the West Fork Fire Complex in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado, which burned more than 90,000 acres as of June 29

July 3, North-Central New Mexico Storm - Supercells develop over northern New Mexico, producing some big-time hail accumulations and treating me to a variety of interesting features, including hail shafts, rotating cloud base, 2 gustnadoes, and a haboob.

August 5, Nebraska - While traveling across Nebraska, I encounter spectacular mammatus over Lexington, and chase a small, backbuilding supercell northwest of Gothenburg.

August 10, Northwest of Pagosa Springs, CO - I get pictures of some nice storm structure and interesting lightning on a severe-warned storm, then some good hail and wind video as a new storm forms almost overhead.

August 12 Lightning, Pagosa Springs, CO - Several pictures of spectacular lightning as monsoon storms form just before sunset.

Monsoon Storms, Late August, CO and NM - Pictures showing lightning and storm structure in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico, from an active period of the monsoon in the second half of August.

Southern Colorado Storms, October 13 - A line of thunderstorms extending across northern New Mexico and much of Colorado produces some spectacular and colorful scenes in the Pagosa Springs, CO area. Pictures here of a double rainbow and colorful storm structure at sunset.

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This page last updated November 6, 2013.