WMOD00174 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

., OPERATIONS (All times given are CDT): MAY 9th. OPEBA1IONAL DAY #~: Although the atmosphere appeared to be very unstable early in the morning, a cold front had pushed through earlier in the morning advecting cool air behind it. Later we heard of incredible hail occurring in the Texas Panhandle and New Mexico on this day and the next. Some convective bands of clouds formed by mid-afternoon but were confined to counties bordering colorado---Stanton, Hamilton and Greeley. Storm movements were to the northwest and were relatively low- topped allowing for some rainfall augmentation to be performed intermittently in Hamilton and Greeley counties from 2:43 to 3:20 p.m. An observation flight in Stanton County was requested at 5:55 p.m., however, only weak, spotty cloud updrafts were found. The flight was canceled at 6:19 p.m. Total flight time this day was 1.7 hours with 46 grams of silver iodide generated. MAY l2th. OPE~TIONbb DAY ~~ A pre-dawn isolated cluster of weak thunder-storms and showers developed near Garden City. One plane waS airborne at 7:28 a.m. but found no significant updrafts; no seeding was performed. At 1:45 p.m. all planes were scrambled as a NE-SW line of storms had begun developing vigorously in northwestern Greeley County. However, while enroute to Greeley, those storms abated somewhat and both the Scott City-based aircraft and Lakin aircraft were diverted to NW Lane County on developing storms. Cloud movements were to the NW and WNW. The storm in NW Lane decreased in intensity by the time the first aircraft arrived and no Beeding was performed there as it moved out of the target area. Clouds in NW Greeley County did not exhibit continued strong growth, however, one plane began seeding to increase rainfall there at 2:19 p.m., ending at 2:.32 p.m. Also, an aircraft which had been diverted earlier to an isolated storm NI1E of Garden City seeded it to increase rain from 2:36 to 2:48 p.m. then moved to SW Lane County to check out a potential severe storm with one other plane. The storm appeared, to collapse shortly afterward aI?' no significant updrafts were found; all flights were canceled by 3:18 p.m. Enroute to landing, the Johnson-based aircraft developed a generator prOblem and unable to fly again until a replacement part could be flown down later from Scott City and repairs made. At 5:25 p.m., the cloud top and two cloud base aircraft were scrambled when strong storms began building in SW Lane; ona clOUd base plana checked it out but found nothing seedable at the time. The Lane area soon weakened in favor of a much stronger N-S oriented line of storms running from Kendall northerly into Wichita County---all three planes were diverted to it. At 5:42 p.m. seeding for hail began with a second base aircraft joining at 6:20 p.m.; the cloud top plane briefly seeded the line of celIe from Kendall into wichita County beginning at 7:04 p.m. then moved into Lane for seeding across the central part of the county from at 7:04 to 8:02