Left-Mover from High on Scotts Bluff
Scottsbluff, NE: 5 Jun 2007
With an eye toward better storm potential the next day in western SD, we left Denver with hopes of seeing an interesting, high-based storm somewhere along the way to our destination of Chadron. Along the way we decided to sample the Wildcat Hills and/or Scotts Bluff itself (the geologic feature overlooking the town), as time and storm initiation allowed. Scotts Bluff National Monument offered a chance to hike around, do some photography, see interesting strata from 22-33 million year old ash/sand/lime beds, get several stampings for our national park stamp books, plus enjoy a great view of the surrounding high plains and hills…so there we went! It was a colorful treat to get up there at the right time to see the wildflowers and lichens in their fully rich tones.
Just before ascending the bluff, we noticed a fuzzy storm initiating to our distant WSW, moving E, and decided to keep an eye from atop. The base was mushy and unimpressive, in an environment of weak moisture and marginal shear for a right-moving storm; but a left-split which calved off to its NE grabbed our interest. While hiking and exploring, we watched the anticyclonically rotating storm and its precip shaft (which apparently was warned and generated a marginal severe hail report) move to our W and NW.
This view, from the bluff top to the WNW and up the North Platte valley, reveals an inflow tail curving clockwise with inward extent, along with precip shafts of richly varying backlighting and opacity.
The storm dissipated soon after we got off the bluff, and we headed through its dying carcass of light rain along the way to Chadron for dinner and lodging.
Mostly by fortuitous circumstance, we’ve spent the night of three of Elke’s last four birthdays in Chadron. This time we got a free dinner entree for her at the Country Kitchen, directly across the parking lot from the Best Western motel where we usually stay.
It was a fun, easygoing semi-chase day where we picked a spot in a target area and watched the storms roam about from up there. If you’ve got a storm potential in the southern part of the NE Panhandle, some time to kill, and a national parks pass, the top of Scotts Bluff is a great place to park and watch for a spell.