Weather Magazine

2011 Storm Chase 11 - June 29th - Winds In The Redlands, Lightning Bust

Posted on the 12 February 2012 by Danncianca
I stopped in at work on my day off to look a little deeper into the weather since I didn't have internet at home.  At potent, early summer storm system was heading into the west with the upper level low centered over the Great Basin.  In combination with the already-blossoming monsoon moisture, thunderstorms were erupting over much of the area.  There was enough support to give us a Mesoscale Discussion (#1442), which was the first that I could recall being in on the Western Slope all year. 
Somehow, I ended up in a news vehicle with our weekend sports guy, Pierre Noujaim, headed for the Redlands as an ornery thunderstorm collapsed off of the Monument.  To make a long story short, it was a little windy, but that was about it.  We took a little video of the winds and brought it back to work. 
Map (1st chase):2011 Storm Chase 11 - June 29th - Winds In The Redlands, Lightning Bust
Later that night, more storms came through.  This would prove to be frustrating as a strong storm was putting down a lot of great cloud-to-ground lightning in the Fruita area.  In an attempt to get in better position (what's new?), I basically missed the show.  While I did get to drive through a vigorous core, that was the extent of the fun for me. 
By the time I was in a dry location, the lightning had evaporated.  I had spent a considerable amount of time driving around in the desert north of Fruita... but alas, nothing.  The following image was about all I would get to capture. 
2011 Storm Chase 11 - June 29th - Winds In The Redlands, Lightning BustDissipating Shower Over Grand Junction
Map (2nd chase)2011 Storm Chase 11 - June 29th - Winds In The Redlands, Lightning Bust
STATS
Mileage: 66
2011YTD Mileage: 1487
States: Colorado
SPC Risk: Categorical
Max Hail: None
Tornadoes: None
Other Phenomena:  Wind, lightning
Storm Reports for June 29th
Dann.

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