WMOD00043

• Contract/Permit #: Denied
• Applicant: Western Kansas Groundwater
• Project Name: Kansas Weather Modification
• Title: Denied
• Date: 1/1/1996
• Weather Modification - Doc Type: Proof of Public Notice

there at 8:23 and 8:25 p.m., respectively. That area soon elongated
into a line from a few miles southwest of Leoti to near Syracuse.

The two planes sent to southern Wallace County found nothing
upon arrival and were sent back to the original cluster of storms
north of Tribune which had since appeared to have undergone some
new growth. Seeding was done there between 8:23 to 8:45 p.m. Then,
one of the planes was moved to the Hamilton-Greeley County line of
storms to work, with the other two planes, whereas, the other plane
went to check another storm possibly attenuated located in central
Wallace County. Nothirig was found in central Wallace upon arrival
and the plane, was sent southeast along a line of clouds organizing
NW-SE, toward Lakin, as part of an overall expansion of the cluster
of storms originating in northern Hamilton County.

',At 7:45 p.m. the last cloud base plane had been scrambled to
look at new storm development in western Stanton County but found
nothing seedable. That plane then went north to work with others in
Hamilton County and started seeding there for hail at 8:34 p.m. The
cloud ,top plane began seeding about 10 .miles west of Kendall at
8:36 p.m., however, its on-board radar failed after its first
seeding pass. Subsequently, the cloud top plane continued to seed
in Hamilton County as best it could, however, its effectiveness was
compromised to some extent due to losing its radar.

Radar indicated that the cluster of storms developed around
the seeded Hamilton County storm was hail-bearing at times, as well
as in southeastern Greeley, southwestern wichita and northwestern
Kearny. However, seeding continued until 9~40, - 9:43 p.m. at which
time the cloud top plane and all cloud base planes ended seeding
for fuel and resupply. Storm intensities and updrafts had dropped
to low levels by that time.

As early as 9:31 p.m. it was recognized that a broad area of
storms, oriented NE-SW, was approaChing Stanton and Hamilton
counties through Baca and Prowers counties in Colorado. Two of the
five cloud base planes were ,diverted to this area at 9: 51 p.m.,
before,th~y could ,land,to refue.l and res.u)?ply; whereas. the, other
three basese.eders already had landed by that . time.' ,

Some collapsing storms in southeast Colorado had produced an
arc-shaped gust front pushing northeast under the line of storms
advancing to Stanton county. As the ,gust front undercut the line,
storm centers in the line were being invigorated and intensifying
to become severe (hail-bearing). It appeared this undercutting was
going to occur dangerously near the Hamilton County border with
Colorado. Both planes began seeding at 9:58 p.m., one along the
state line in northwest Hamilton, the second, east of Coolidge.
Seeding was concentrated along the state line, north of Highway SO
as the gust front moved underneath the older line of weaker storm
development in that area. Hail was indicated on radar in Colorado
west and southwest of coolidge at 10:08 p.m. The first resupplied
plane was airborne from Syracuse at 10:12 p.m. and seeding on the
line with the other two planes by 10: 14 p.m. The Johnson-based