July 18, 2024 Las Vegas, NM Storm Chase - What started as an outing to photograph lightning turns into more, as a storm near Las Vegas, NM gets two SVR warnings and two flash flood warnings, and produces an impressive wall cloud. Then, on the way back to Santa Fe, I get caught in, but get video of, an intense barrage of small hail in another storm near Glorieta that also causes flash flooding. Report includes a number of photos of the Las Vegas storm and video of the hailstorm near Glorieta.
June 30, 2024 Pagosa Springs, CO Hailstorm - An early-monsoon storm produces a heavy barrage of hail up to about a half-inch in diameter at our house, along with more than an inch of rain. Other nearby spots got over 2 inches of rain and up to dime-sized hail. Report includes video and photos of the hail.
June 19, 2024 Encino/Willard, NM Storm Chase - A nearly stationary supercell produces multiple funnel clouds, large hail, and copious amounts of both rain and hail accumulations near Willard, NM, and I am there for nearly the entire lifecycle of the storm. Report includes a detailed account of my observations of the storm, along with lots of pictures, info on the weather setup that led to the storm, and a link to a story about the storm from AP News.
June 14, 2024, Trementina and Santa Fe, NM Storm Chases - I do two out-and-back chases in one day - one in the early to mid-afternoon in the Trementina, NM area, then another shorter one (but with a more intense storm) near Santa Fe. Report includes detailed accounts of both chases, pictures from both, and a short video clip from the second one near Santa Fe.
June 11, 2024 Las Vegas, NM Area Storm Chase - I intercept a severe-warned storm southeast of Las Vegas, New Mexico on a day when the overall risk of severe weather was marginal at best. Report includes a detailed account along with storm-structure and lightning pictures.
June 1, 2024 Springfield/Pritchett, CO Storm Chase - I intercept a slow-moving supercell north of Pritchett, CO that, over a period of 3 hours, gets 4 severe thunderstorm warnings and a flash flood warning. At one point, rotating rain curtains and a rain-wrapped lowering form under a new mesocyclone. The storm also produces some nice mammatus, and, later, another storm, as it collapses, produces strong wind at my Lamar hotel blowing stuff around the parking lot. Report includes a detaied summary of my observations of these storms, plenty of pictures, and video clips of both storms
May 31, 2024 Northeast New Mexico Storm Chase - I observe the first storm of the day in northeast NM, as it goes SVR-warned and produces large hail, before congealing into an MCS that later produces a haboob over the TX Panhandle, which I was able to photograph from the east in NM. I also intercepted a later SVR-warned supercell east of Mosquero, NM and northwest of Nara Visa, NM that formed and separated from the southwest end of the earlier line of storms. Report includes a detailed account and photos.
May 29, 2024 Las Vegas, NM Storm Chase - I catch up with a marginal but very photogenic supercell east of Las Vegas, NM, then watch as another storm surges in trom the south, goes SVR-warned, and offers up more eye candy. Report includes detailed account and photos.
May 11, 2024 Pagosa Springs Hailstorm and Wolf Creek Thundersnow - Thunderstorms produce hail around mid-morning in Pagosa Springs, with accumulations of up to 3" in some areas, then thundersnow at Wolf Creek Ski Area and nearby locations. And later, another spectacular storm goes up on the west slopes of the mountains. Report includes a detailed write-up, videos of both the hailstorm and the thundersnow, and photos.
May 10, 2024 Mountain Snow, Foothills "Thunderslush" and an Aurora Borealis Display - On an exciting day, all of it close to home, I witness snow in the San Juan Mountains, "thunderslush" (winter precipitation mixed with rain, with thunder), and a display of the Aurora Borealis (northern lights), a rarity for a location as far south as Pagosa Springs. Report includes a detailed write-up, pictures of the mountain snow and the aurora, and video of the "thunderslush." CO.
April 27, Binger to Perry Oklahoma Storm Chase - I observe a tornadic storm as I pursue it from near Binger, Oklahoma northeastward to Perry, OK. I saw what was likely the Geary/Calumet, OK EF-1 tornado, but could not photograph it due to only getting brief glimpses of it through breaks in trees as I was in heavy, fast traffic on I-40 when the tornado occurred. There was another much briefer and weaker tornado southwest of Hinton that with a clear view should have been visible, but from my angle it was hidden by rain. Report includes a detailed account of my observations of this storm and several pictures of the storm (and the heavy traffic of storm chasers pursuing it).
April 25, Western Kansas Storm Chase - I intercept supercells that produce big hail, but no tornadoes, in western Kansas. One interesting ocurrence was when the updraft of a newly formed supercell drew in low clouds that formed on the leading edge of a southwestward-moving cold front that had begun the day as a warm front. Report includes a detailed account of my observations and a number of photos.
April 8, Total Solar Eclipse, Fort Kaskaskia State Historic Site, Illinois - With my daughter and her family, I observed the total eclipse from the Fort Kaskaskia State Historic Site near Chester, IL. This total eclipse was quite different from the only other one I had ever seen, the 2017 one which I saw in Nebraska. This time, with solar activity near a peak, I was able to photograph solar prominences, which were not visible in 2017. Also got a picture of the "diamond ring." This link includes a detailed account of my obsevations of the eclipse along with lots of photos and some detail on several ways this total eclipse was different from the one in 2017.
This page last updated July 23, 2024