Labor Day Chase: 7 September 1992

Labor Day Chase: 7 Sept. 1992
(this account can also be found in the Sept./Oct. 96 edition of StormTrack Magazine)

Having missed the excitement in Wichita on 5 September, members of the KU Severe Storms Intercept Project (KUSSIP) and I had only one thing on our mind...tornado. While we did not get the wedge action we wanted, we did see a particularly interesting supercell that came close to producing a tornado.

A look at the morning weather data showed an upper-shortwave trough over the Northern Rockies, and it was forecast to move into the Central Plains and become negatively-tilted during the late afternoon and evening hours. Diffluent flow at the 500mb level was present across Kansas. In addition, a strong, mid-level wind max of 60 knots was progged to push into the state.

At the surface, midday temperatures were already in the low to mid 80's, with the low 90's observed in Manhattan (MHK) and Medicine Lodge (P28). Dewpoints settled in the upper 60's to lower 70's across the eastern half of Kansas as gusty south winds were ushering in the warm, humid air mass. But of particular interest was an outflow boundary that lay from 25 miles ESE of Kansas City, MO (MCI) to 30 miles west southwest of Forbes Field (FOE). This boundary would act to enhance surface moisture convergence over East Central Kansas and provide our chance of severe weather. With a moderate risk and weather information in hand, we made some phone calls. Our chase team, along with Kevin Polston, Lead Forecaster Jack Hales from NSSFC (now, SPC) and his son Matt agreed to meet in Ottawa, KS by 2pm. This position was just south of the boundary.

Leaving Lawrence (LWC) we passed up a developing thunderstorm enroute to our target area. We made it to Ottawa and waited for Kevin and Jack to show up. Not long after we arrived, Tornado Watch #819 was issued for portions of Eastern and Southeastern Kansas, and a large part of Central Missouri. Minutes later, WSFO TOP issued a Tornado Warning for Southeast Jefferson County as a tornado was indicated by radar ten miles north of Lawrence- where we had just left! The storm did produce a brief tornado, not lasting over a minute. We knew we couldn't catch that storm, and Jack assured us that the main action would wait until later in the afternoon along the outflow boundary.

Cumulus clouds flared up along the boundary only to be sheared away by the strong mid-level winds. By 4:30pm, the towers seems to have more success and by 5pm, the towers were more sustained with the tops not being sheared off. Precipitation began to fall just north of Ottawa. Around 5:30pm, we stopped about three miles east of Ottawa and watched the storm grow even taller and fill in. At roughly 5:45pm, we started to notice a lowering base on the southern edge of the storm. Minutes later, rotation became evident and lightning was intensifying in and around the same area. We fled eastward and watched the wall cloud become apparent with rising scud clouds enlarging the wall cloud. We called in our report to the local officials and the dispatcher replied: "Well, we don't see anything out there." Need I say we weren't very happy. Two meteorologists, including a SELS forecaster and they would not believe our report!

For the next hour, we kept pace with the wall cloud. Perhaps the most exciting moment came around 6:20pm as we turned north off of Highway 68 (see first photo below!) onto a county road that led us right to the wall cloud.

Photos courtesy Susan Kula Copyright 1992

The rotation was close, and rather intense! Just as we left our film site, John Hart, also from SELS, drove up and joined the chase. We kept a steady pace with the storm watching the wall cloud spin to within a mile from our location. The supercell was a classic right-mover, taking a gradual east southeast track.

A little after 7pm, we crossed the Missouri state line and watched the wall cloud spin even faster. We thought for sure this would be the moment, but just as our excitement grew, wrap-around precipitation enveloped us. We fled to the east as the radio ironically played the Eurythmics tune "Here comes the Rain Again." We caught up with the remnants of the wall cloud about 15 minutes later, and followed it to Archie, MO just as darkness fell upon us. We aborted the chase about ten minutes to 8pm. Despite our frustration of not seeing a tornado, it was a good learning experience for us all.

Raw log of this chase follows:

University of Kansas Severe Storms Intercept Project
September 7, 1992   Labor Day Chase

Chase 1:
Rodney Price (D/H)(driver, ham radio)
Rick Katzfey (V)(video)
Eric Renner

Chase 2:
Kevin Polston (D)
Jack Hales
Matt Hales
Chris Murphy (H)

Chase 3:
Andy Kula (D)
Susan Koons

Chase 4:
Jim Dudley (D)
Mark Kramer

Chase 5:
John Hart

Begining mileage: 198624.3

Time: Report: (All times are in CDT)
1340 3LA (now LWC).

1430 Ottawa (have been here for the past half hour.)
          Tornado Warning for SE Jefferson (JF) Co. Tornado
          10 N of LWC! Also, Tornado Watch #819 has been issued for our area.

1453 Leaving Ottawa, heading Westbound on I-35.

1505 Stopped at rest area 5W of Ottawa. Watching for dvlpmt
             along the outflow boundary/convergence line.

1535 TCU being sheared off by stg mid/upper level winds.
         Surface winds: SSW 15-25.

1626 Rest area. Watching line have more success at developing.

1651 Still at rest area. Conglomeration of cells, with
      updrafts more sustained, not being sheared off like
      they were earlier. Cu field is more organized now, and
     development is occuring fairly rapidly.

1707 Leaving rest area. Tstm developing rapidly.

1716 Eisenhower Rd. and Old Highway 50, just off of I-35.
     Tstms are just to our north.

1730 Leaving this spot, heading around east side of Ottawa on
     I-35.

1735 Exiting off of I-35 to K-68, heading eastbound. Intense tstm, w/ heavy rain just to the north of Ottawa.
1740 3 miles E of Ottawa. Tstm between Lawrence and Ottawa. Nice tower to our north, with line extending from NE-W
(just N of EMP) Somewhat of a base noted in southern edge of tstm, but no lowering. Looking to our NNE, seeing signs of rotation. LTG is intensifying in that general area as well.   We've been watching this edge for the last 10 minutes...hard to tell. Line from NW-W filling in nicely.

1755 From WSFO TOP LSR:
Quarter-size hail and wall cloud at Wellsville.

1800 From SELS/Mesoscale Discussion...
Cell merger @ approx this time along Franklin (FR),
Douglas (DG), Johnson (JO), Miami (MI) Co. line.

1818 Stopped N of K-68 on county road. Wall cloud w/ rotation
1-2 miles north of our location.

1850 US-69 & K-68. Wall cloud 1 mile NW. Movement: ESE@25.

1900 Rotating (even faster) wall cloud, NW 1/2 - 1 mile.
3 miles E of Louisburg, noting beautiful straitions to this right-moving supercell tstm. (video) Heavy rain wrapping around.

1904 KS-MO State line. Highway D. Moderate inflow jet of 35 -45 mph. Intense ltg w/ wall cloud just to our west.

1910 "...here comes the rain again..."

1933 Highways O & A (MO) Wall cloud now to our NE, rotating
resuming once again? Now going E.

1948 Archie, MO. Darkness falls upon us. Tstm still heading our way.

1950 Cool NW outflow. =END OF CHASE=

2145 Back in LWC.

Ending mileage: 198809.0
Total mileage of chase:   184.7

Chase summary:

Ah, good things come to those who wait....After analyzing the maps, the AC, and other stuff, we organized with KP to meet him and Hales family in Ottawa. We placed ourselves in a perfect spot just south of the boundary, and for once, got to see the entire development of the tstms. From small cu, to a towering supercell, we got to see everything...except a tornado. I guess better luck next time...we still have to give ourselves a "10" for placement and location respectively to the supercell.

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