We woke up in Loveland, CO this morning and held our morning forecast discussion in the hotel lobby. The drive wasn’t expected to be too long, which was a big change of pace for the group!
Atmospheric Setup
The SPC Convective Outlook outlined a Slight Risk (2/5) for severe weather along eastern Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado along with western North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska.
At the surface, there was a low pressure center over northeast Colorado with a stationary boundary extending northeastward across Wyoming, North Dakota, and South Dakota. As the day progressed, a dry line developed just to the east of the Rockies. Since we were at a higher elevation, dew points in the low-50s were sufficient for some storm development.
Upper level support was lacking over the Plains due to a strong and large ridge over the eastern half of the United States, which kept a trough in the far western part of the country. There was a small pocket of approximately 45 knot shear in fear eastern Wyoming, which is the area we made our target for the day.
Target Area/The Drive
Our target area was southeast Wyoming, so we headed north from Loveland, CO to Douglas, WY. We stopped for a quick lunch at The Depot in Douglas and then hung out in a park while we waited for storms to develop.
![](https://meteorology.blog.wku.edu/files/2021/05/Screen-Shot-2021-05-21-at-9.10.56-AM-1200x675.png)
![](https://meteorology.blog.wku.edu/files/2021/05/IMG_5268-1200x675.jpg)
The Chase
As storms started to develop, we encountered small hail in Douglas. We then headed southeast and encountered more hail in Torrington, WY.
![](https://meteorology.blog.wku.edu/files/2021/05/IMG_5269-1200x675.jpg)
We then made our way to the small town of Lingle, WY where we hung out and waited for more storms to develop. While there, we tossed a football and frisbee again. Our location was between two cells, which ended up being quite beautiful! We ended the day in Chadron, Nebraska and had dinner at The Ridge!
![](https://meteorology.blog.wku.edu/files/2021/05/IMG_5260-1200x675.jpeg)
![](https://meteorology.blog.wku.edu/files/2021/05/IMG_5259-1200x675.jpeg)