Storm Print – Mass

This was a wild ride of a chase day. With a Slight Risk in place over Western Nebraska, we played with some weak surface based storms as we waited for the atmosphere to get its act together. Coming to the end of our tour in what had been a poor season, the longer it was taking for the show to start the more nervous we became of another no-show. You sit around at gas stations with one hopeful eye watching clouds bubble whilst the other keeps tabs on the obs. With diurnal heating reaching its peak, I spied a funnel cloud and hopes were raised - there was some shear about at least - and sure enough, shortly after our storm made itself known. However, not long after the chase had begun, we were now reminded of the limited road options that the Sandhills area of Nebraska has.
That and getting stuck at a railroad crossing.
With the storm getting away from us and rapidly intensifying, it quickly became apparent that if we were to ever get ahead of it again we'd have to punch through it from behind. Though wind and hail were the prime risks on this day, tornadoes could not be ruled out and with shear already being evident prior to a storm quickly getting its act together, our eyes were peeled and laser focused as we punched through the core. Driving through a deluge of biblical proportions with wind and rain lashing the car, the radar scan updated to show the return had doubled in size over our position. Rain curtains could be seen moving right to left as we neared the edge of the storm and though there was no tornado to be seen, the structure on the leading edge as we emerged was gobsmacking. Ample reward for our efforts.

The Arthur, Nebraska supercell of May 2018 was a standout storm in a drought of a season. Though it produced some jaw-dropping structure later in the day, its this shot at the beginning of the chase as it really started to ramp up that is special to me. The contrast between light and dark really lends a sense of movement and impending menace to the scene. The setting sun pushing through the rain bands casts glancing highlights on the silhouette of the farmhouse, revealing its tiny structure beneath whilst mid-level inflow streams feed into the heaving mass of a storm overhead.