STORM TRACK: January 31, 1987 (Volume 10 Issue 2)

On the afternoon of August 2, 1986, I was torn between the list of catch-up work on my desk in Boulder, CO and the mushroom cloud out the window. Not only did this storm look very organized, showing up to 60 dBz on the Limon radar, but it was chaseable for a soft-core chaser like me who only gets out once or twice a year. So, I shoot for close-in, high probability events. At 4 pm, it seemed like the perfect time to share with my wife, and two sons (4 years and 1 year) the electric atmosphere of a storm chase. We also brought along another 1 year old we were watching for the weekend. I was already thinking of how much fun it might be to tell the parents of this 1 year old that she had seen her first tornado.

I dashed home and loaded up our Dodge Caravan with the essentials for family chasing, a camera, mega-rolls of film, binoculars, Sesame Street books, and lots and lots of crackers. We headed southeast toward Denver, trying to catch up and get out ahead of the storm. By the time we got just east of Denver, we had caught up with the rain and it seemed foolhardy to go after the storm anymore.

By this time, the kids were getting a little surly and my wife was spending all of her energy trying to keep them occupied. So we decided to reward their patience so far with a round of Happy Meals from the slowest serving McDonalds I've ever seen. While the attendants were trying to find another bag of plastic granules for the chocolate milk shake machine, I noticed another explosively developing storm to the distant north. But by this time, all the McNuggets and french fries were eaten or on the floor, and it was 6:30 pm. I grimly headed the car for home.

While driving through north Denver, all of a sudden, I felt a spark of hope as I spotted a new anvil to the northwest over the foothills. The radio reported a new storm in that vicinity. Why not go for it. Everyone else was clearly tired of being in the car, but I was obsessed with peering further under the huge cloud base which covered the entire northwest quadrant of the sky. As we drove west on Route 52, a large precipitation shaft became apparent only a few miles to the northwest. Instinct took over and I knew we had to get closer. About five miles from Longmont, near 7 pm, large slushballs began falling on down the road. At least, I thought they were slushballs, because of the way they were spreading out as they hit the pavement. Then, WHAM, the first "slushball" hailstone hit the car. Within seconds, it sounded like several hundred very angry Juveniles were throwing rocks at the car. The only escape route to the south was closed for construction.

Meanwhile, the one year olds in the back seat began screaming. My wife's fear was exceeded only by her anger at me for getting us into the situation. I turned the car around and we sought shelter under a cottonwood tree about a mile down the road. The road was covered with white walnut size hailstones, some up to 2 inches in diameter. My four year old wanted to get out of the car to look at them. I commended him for his healthy scientific curiosity but suggested he wait until the hail stopped talking.

Second hailstorm near Longmont, CO. 8-2-86. View looking NW from Brighton at 6:30 pm (MDT). Sketched from photo taken by Steve Albers.

Leaves and small branches from the cottonwood covered our car. When we left, about 15 minutes later, a fog layer about 6 feet deep formed from mixing over the hailfall. This storm caused minor home and automobile damage than a storm earlier in the day, but more crop damage in the Longmont and Niwot area.

When we arrived home, I was reminded, and have been many times since, of my souvenir dings on the hood and roof of the car. I was grateful we didn't lose the windshield. My wife diligently promised me, as she swept cracker crumbs from the floor, that there would be no more family chasing. But hey, we have changed our minds before, and I'm hopeful that someday we will have another one of those bonding family experiences such as those of August 2nd."

Wall cloud with patches of scud rising to meet it. No condensation to the ground was seen. Storm produced extensive hailswath est. 2 mi. wide. View looks NW from 15 mi. S of LAST CHANCE, CO at 6:20 pm (MDT). Sketched from photo taken by Keith Brewster.