June 15, 2006 Storm Chase |  Northwest KS Rotating Storms and Realistic Scudnado
All photos © Copyright 2006 Matt Ziebell
I left early from Spearfish, SD for NW KS in preparation for tomorrow's setup as the upper trough would kick out across the Rockies.  Dewpoints today weren't that great across NE or KS, but some diffluence aloft would help support some scattered storms.  By late afternoon I arrived at Goodland and a few high based Cbs were already in progress to my west near Yuma, CO.  While fueling up, I noticed some sharper convection well to my southeast and decided to track east and check it out.  While on I-70 near Grinnel, I was finally able to see the updraft base of the closest cell about 3mi to my south.  Radar was depicting three isolated cells with the two closest to me having persistent rotation.  While continuing eastbound, I glanced south for another check of the updraft and to my shock a laminar lowering had developed!  What the?!?  It looked like a perfect funnel cloud 60% of the way down, though it was along and parallel to the leading edge of the precip core (as viewed from the north) and could have easily been scud.  I focused the camcorder on it with the hope of deciphering rotation later on, but I couldn't discern any firsthand or on video.  It slowly evaporated and I dismissed it as a great scudnado and then exited on HWY 23 towards Gove for a closer look at this storm.  Just as I was got on the off ramp, NWS-GLD issued a TOR warning for this very cell!  I naturally assumed it was a bogus spotter report of this tornado/funnel look alike, but instead was due to strong rotation near Gove!  Holy crap--I quickly began rethinking my earlier conclusion.  By this point the updraft was already eroding hard and not showing any clear sign of a visible rotation anywhere.  After all this drama and reviewing the video, I'll leave it as a scudnado since both it and the subsequent lowering (possible forward flank wall cloud) were sloped with the precip core.  To have looked at it any closer or longer while driving on the wet interstate would have been suicide.  For the record, the only documented tornado today was further northwest in KS from a separate cell.  I later aborted this rotating storm in favor of a more interesting cell to my east approaching Wakeeney.  Daylight was fading by this point, though I observed some frequent CGs from this northern cell as it tracked north of Wakeeney.
Composite radar before TOR warning
Looking south at realistic funnel look alike near Gove
Wider view later on
Sloped parallel to precip--likely not a wall cloud
Cell is now TOR warned, but eroding hard
In Wakeeney looking west at old rotating cell
North of Wakeeney enjoying a great light show
Stuck with the power lines unfortunately
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All photos © Copyright 2006 Matt Ziebell

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