6/3/2014 - I-80 Shelf

Another higher-end 2014 day that resulted in lackluster results. We ferried up from Hays, KS to the Kearney-Elm Creek, NE area, spending most of the afternoon watching the pattern unfold. What initially looked like an outbreak day, was squashed by cold, outflowish storms to the north and a stout cap racing in from the southwest. We sat in Elm Creek for a long time, never budging north for any of the elevated, HPish, warned storms despite their tor warnings. Our hope for surface-based convection to the west shriveled as the hot air moved in aloft, choking the cu to our west. We eventually decided to pull east just in case the only show was going to be a line segment heading for LNK.  After about 45-min east, a surface-based storm formed to our west. Naturally, we raced back west ... and, as we approached, it was undercut. Argh. So, we slid back east and caught another of the cars in the line-segment train, stopping east of GI and south of York for shots of the fast moving shelf.  The storm overtook us south of York, producing lots of dust to chew on. Continuing southeast, we followed the storm all the way to St. Joe where we overnighted.

Quick lapse segment.

Trip 3 map.