MAY 31, 1996

Rush Center, Kansas HP Supercell

Carson Eads and Tim Marshall

Steve Tabb and Beverly

Time Odom Town/Heading Remarks

9:30 316 LEWISVILLE: Target in northern Kansas today. I-35 N.

12:06 510 OKLAHOMA CITY: Southeast winds, overcast sky

12:56 574 PERRY, OK - Pit stop. Carson downloads data.

1:35 575 Leaving Perry. Southwest Kansas is the place to be as dry air intrusion is working its way in. SELS has issued moderate risk.

2:00 607 1 wide angle picture to the north with green sign on right.

2:06 Cb N. Cirrus overcast overhead but clearing to the north.

2:22 Cb N and NW in clear air. Both are multicells.

2:51 674 WICHITA, KANSAS -

3:31 Bruce Haynie called and said there is a T-box out for western Ks down through west Texas. Also, there is an isolated cell south of Russell, Ks.

3:46 739 McPHERSON - Cb with dome N and another NW. All anvils are mushy but domes are crisp.

4:00 Pretty intense storm west of us south of Russell.

4:10 754 LINDSBORG- Rt. 4 (exit 72) westbound. Cb W. some backbuilding.

4:12 1 pict. of Cb west.

4:17 1 pict. of Cb west. Strongest cell on radar just to our west.

Cb has wall cloud to our west - Severe Thunderstorm Warning in Russell Co. At 4:35pm, radar indicated a severe thunderstorm 5 south of Russell moving NE at 20mph.

4:41 791 Wall cloud west with rotating updraft. Stopped to take video.

Took several shots of wall cloud.

4:46 791 Took zoom picture.

4:52 791 Another anvil W. Proceeding W on Rt. 4.

4:56 Winds shifted to NW. (T-Box now out for central Kansas)

5:00 BUSHTON, KS. Stopped to take pictures of hail on the ground.

5:21 BUSHTON, KS. Leaving town on Rt. 4. 1.5 inch hail.

5:28 811 Rt. 156 SW. (Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Rice Co. 15 E of Great Bend)

5:42 828 Rt. 56 W. Cirrus to the west.

5:47 832 GREAT BEND, KS - Light north winds.

Rt. 56 SW. Mushy anvils SW. Stopped to get radar.

6:00 TWC radar shows isolated supercell in Ness County. We can see a flanking line west. That's are target storm. Great hook on radar.

(SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING- ELLSWORTH, CO).

GREAT BEND, KS - Rt. 96 NW

(SEVERE THUNDERSTORM BARTON AND RUSSELL, CO.)

6:26 Rt. 96 is closed- Rush Center sign is crossed out. A beautiful supercell is off to our west and we can't get there. Heading south on farm roads and meandered around with no luck. Finally drove south to Rt. 56.

6:46 881 Pawnee Rock- Rt. 56 SW. Beautiful Cb with sharp anvil W. Another small Cb W. Encountered another dead end road.

(TORNADO ON THE GROUND AT 6:53pm. Spotters reported an elephant trunk in contact with the ground with dirt and debris in the air. No doubt about this being a credible report.)

6:59 896 LARNED, KS- Spiral bands feeding into supercell to our NW.

7:02 Rt. 156 W. HP supercell is to our NW and has beaver tail.

7:10 909 Rt. 183 N. Heading into the slot. Tremendous cloud motions. The world is churning. We stopped right underneath the cloud base.

7:30 925 Leaving film site.

7:40 Tail with wall cloud now east of us.

7:42 928 Strong NW winds. Turning around to the south on Rt. 183.

7:47 935 Pawnee County line.

7:56 947 Rt. 154 East.

8:06 958 LARNED, KS- Stopped to watch storm to NW. West winds.

8:17 961 Pit stop then Rt. 54NE.

8:22 969 PAWNEE ROCK- Stopped to watch storm. Wall cloud with tail just to our northwest.

8:27 Took several pictures.

8:39 971 Left site.

8:55 986 Rt. 281 S.

9:22 016 Jct. 50 still going south on Rt. 281.

9:42 039 PRATT- Stopped at Super8 for evening. Storms roared through area between 10 and 11pm.

Trip summary. 723 miles in 12.2 hours.

Well Tim you blew it today. Fritz Kruze filmed a highly contrasted elephant trunk tornado at Ness City, KS and Al Petricha and Craig Setzer saw several tornadoes near Sterling City, CO. A dusty tornado was filmed by many in southwest Kansas near the town of Rolla. Other severe storms developed in the Texas panhandle.