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storm gallery: May 6, 2008

May 6, 2008: There was promise for rotating storms on this day, and I started by heading for the New Mexico-Texas border in the southern Panhandle.

Click on the thumbnails to see a larger image, or view these photos as a gallery. From the gallery pages, click the "up" arrow to return to this index.

a050608pecan1 b050608pecan2 c050608cell1
May 6 offered promise for rotating storms. My initial target was Andrews, Texas, though I stopped just north in Seminole and watched the clouds develop. A pecan grove is a pretty foreground to the clouds west of Seminole, Texas. To my south, a big storm emerged out of Wink, Texas. My original target, Andrews, was in the path. While it looked fierce, it was also evolving into a cluster instead of the more desirable single cell.
d050608shower e050608storm f050608dust1
Meanwhile, I eyed a wannabe storm coming out of New Mexico, west of Seminole, but it died pretty fast. Since I didn't have a lot of choices, I got ahead of the fast-moving storm cluster and its hail core and filmed outflowish features - dust being kicked up by the storm. Here is a closeup of some of the dust the storm was kicking up. At the most, there was a gustnado, but I'm not even convinced of that.
g050608dust2 h050608lamesa i050608wall
More dust being kicked up by the storm. I moved east to Lamesa, Texas, home of the Tornadoes. Embedded cells within the cluster showed interesting bases and potential wall clouds.
j050608cluster k050608bird l050608tailstorm
Another view of the cluster of storms illustrates how hard it was to see their structure and, subsequently, tornadic potential. As I pulled off on a side road to view the tail-end storm, a chirping bird filled the air with sound. I briefly had hope for the tail-end storm, which was somewhat isolated.
m050608stormpond n050608stilllife o050608flood1
The weakening storm was pretty over a farm pond. Texas still life: dirt, cotton remains, and a shotgun shell. All the storms caused heavy rain and flooding in the Panhandle, like in this pecan grove.
p050608west q050608flood2 r050608sunset
A few clouds lingered in the west before the next round of storms. Excessive water on the sides of the road flowed into this pond area. In the background are the storms that dumped the rain. At least the sunset was pretty.
s050608bolt1 t050608bolt2 u050608bolt3
Redeeming the chase was some great lightning east of Lubbock in the evening. More lightning, with the streak of car headlights. More lightning.
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More lightning. More lightning. More lightning.
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More lightning. More lightning. More lightning, with the streak of car taillights.
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More lightning.

2008 reports and photos

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go to reports from 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997