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

around the upper low bringing much colder air, convergence and high
atmospheric instability into Southwest Kansas and more widespread
severe storm activity. When it ended, much colder air invaded the
region behind the cold front and it felt more like early spring
than late spring.

OPERATIONS: Flights were made on the 21st and 24th---with seeding
continuing into the early morning hours of Saturday, the 25th.

MAY 21st - OPERATIONAL DAY #9: Low level moisture was abundant, a
dry line lay to the west and surface temperatures were expected to
be able to cause convection. In late afternoon an E-W line of
towering cumulus clouds began building across central Wallace
County. The Tribune pilot first spotted the line developing and was
able to launch quickly. Four other cloud base planes and the cloud
top plane were launched between 4:10 p.m. and 4:41 p.m..

Precautionary seeding began in centralWallac~ County at 4:36
p.m., however, significant updrafts were not sustained. After five
minutes of further cloud examination by seeding pilot and lacking
radar confirmation of severe storm growth, seeding ended at 4:41
p.m. ,It appeared later a frontal boundary lay E-W across Wallace
County and that an intrusion of hot, dry air had moved up and over
it from the southwest. Clouds formed but lacked sufficient moisture
to produce precipitation despite the obvious vertical depth to
which the clouds had grown. All flights were terminated at 4:53
p.m. except for two planes which patrolled the clouds until 4:58
p.m. at which time they returned to their bases,

MAY 24th - OPERATIONAL DAY *10: A cluster of extremely intense
thunderstorms began building in early afternoon in the northern
Texas panhandle. Movements were to the north-northeast toward
Stevens County in Kansas and the Hitch Ranch in Oklahoma. Five
cloud base planes initially were sent in that direction at 2:30
p.m., however, one was diverted to Dodge City. The cloud top plane
was kept on a standby status. With time the severe storms moved
more northeast, away from the immediate area of concern. Three of
the aircraft landed at Guymon to await further storm developments
while the fourth patrolled a large, storm south of the Oklahoma
::>anhcmdle f:t'OliI 3:22 p.m. through 3:47 p.m. NO seeding was done and
the patrolling aircraft also landed at Guymon and took on fuel.

At 4:10 p.m. all planes were scrambled (from Guymon and Dodge
City) to a severe storm moving toward the target area through Meade
County and another in Seward County. Storms were followed northward
into Haskell, Gray and Ford counties. unfortunately, while seeding
was being performed in the eastern part of the target area, a new
severe storm built in ~outhwestern Stanton County. TWo planes were
sent there at 5:30 p.m. Separately, an E-W oriented line of severe
storms built across west-central Kearny and east-central Hamilton
counties about the same time. The other aircraft were soon sent to
the storms in the western part of the target area. Seeding was
performed on the storm in northern Stanton County and southern
Hamilton bj' 6:05 p.m. However, by 6:39 p,m, all storm activity had