June 16 TWISTEX Chase

Status: On-The-Road
Location: Sioux Falls, SD -- Wyoming -- Pierre, SD

16 Hours, 50 Minutes and just over 780 miles total traveled today.

11:59 PM: Technically, it is past midnight central time, but still holding onto today as we are in the mountain zone just leaving Rapid City. Have rooms in Pierre for tonight, which is around a 2 1/2 hour drive from Rapid City; thus putting us into bed around 3 am central time at the best hopes. All in all today ended up nice and scenic, with potential for severe weather, we did end up on a storm that was severe/tornadic and witnessed severe weather. But, still a disappointment...

9:00 PM: Stopped just to the northwest of Four Corners to attempt some lightning shots, not too much happenings in terms of CG strikes to make it count. We've decided to make our way back towards the Black Hills area as it is eastward and will still put us right behind the now linear blob of storms.

8:30 PM: Journey into Wyoming has led us onto and into the core of a storm near and south of Sundance. Encountered some small hailstones, maybe a penny size hail one in the mix as well. Good gusty winds from it along with the extremely heavy rain, recorded a 50+ kt wind gust. Once again now hitting some small hail between Four Corners and Sundance, Wyoming. Good lightning with this storm as well, but still not what we were hoping for today. Still trying here, but not looking pretty anymore.

8:00 PM: We've now entered Wyoming, pretty much on last efforts here to get onto a storm before we lose too much sunlight.

7:40 PM: Arriving in Belle Fouche, SD with not much to look forward to at the moment as our cell in Wyoming has been dieing off and no other convection that really gets our attention currently. Looking like we will make a stop here and wait to see if anything can come off of the higher terrain and get going.

6:45 PM: Still in route to Belle Fouche, SD area, likely to intercept the storm that is going to be nearing the WY/SD border at that time. Main threat with that storm currently is large hail, latest estimations of 2" diameter.

5:50 PM: Arrived in Faith, SD after the stay in the nowhere sections of South Dakota. Also by looking to our west at a nice CU field that has begun and continues to increase I have good 'faith' about the day and how it will turn out. Still only 5 PM local time and thus leaves plenty of time for good chasing out here in the beautiful land of northwest SD. Leaving Faith behind as we continue westward in route to Belle Fourche, SD (nearly Wyoming) for the continued progression of storms already developed.

4:30 PM: Still sitting and waiting for the most part, good feelings for the most part from the crew that we will have something today. It's a waiting game and a fairly decent guessing game on where that first storm will go up and hopefully become tornadic. Currently sitting pretty much in the middle of nowhere South Dakota, expecting we'll move somewhere within an hour (currently 3:30 local time). Now that I've just finished this up, we are now moving westward further, so on the road again...

1:15 PM: Arrived in Murdo, SD well ahead of previously planned schedule, although cloud cover and scattered showers were abundant through quite a bit of central South Dakota. Tim & rest of crew were already there and with the risk area being better to the northwest we are once again hitting the road for a relocated target area of Faith, SD.

9:00 AM: Awake in Sioux Falls to a moderate risk and good tornado chances today in western SD. A nice morning breakfast courtesy of Mr. Karstens & family, the KELO-TV meteorologist here in Sioux Falls. Looks like we will depart around 10:30 am on our target of central South Dakota once again...

1:00 AM: The ISU crew pre-deployed tonight and is currently in Sioux Falls, SD spending the night in hopes of an easier drive for tomorrow. Samaras and his crew have also pre-deployed to North Platte, NE once again to make their drive easier as well. The WindLogics crew of Bruce & Bob will be meeting up with us tomorrow as well, not sure on their status as of this moment. Haven't had much of a chance to look at things this early this afternoon, thus currently still have a broad target of central South Dakota. The ISU crew likely leaving Sioux Falls between 10 and 11 am tomorrow to our destination...