Western Railroad Discussion > Stormy Colorado This Week

Work took me to Mc Cook, NE, on Monday. We've had an early monsoon season this year as it normally comes in August. Driving east I hit a thunderstorm near Wray that had a severe warning on it with REALLY heavy rain. Coming back west that afternoon, I saw we had more thunderstorms building in northeast Colorado. I was watching a storm building over southern Morgan County that appeared to be developing a wall cloud under it, frequently a precursor to a tornado. I heard the Mc Cook East DS tell the Akron Local he was going to meet an eastbound at Eckley and then continue west. I stopped along the highway looking across a pasture looking at a line of severe thunderstorms 40 miles to the north that were dumping ping pong ball size hail from Julesburg west towards the towns of Ovid and Crooks.  I managed to dodge the storms the rest of the way home but they did produce some interesting sights driving home.

Photo #1- The eastbound train on the Akron Sub of the BNSF with the line of severe thunderstorms to the north. These storms were moving to the south (towards me) but I was gone by the time they reached my location. The signals are the intermediates between Eckley and Robb sidings.

Photo #2- The pulsing thunderstorm I saw in southern Morgan County. It would build and then decrease in intensity making it difficult to decide what the storm was doing...

Stay safe from the storms hitting the middle portion of our country and thanks for looking!

James Nelson
Thornton, CO
www.flickr.com/mojaveflyer



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/29/16 18:09 by mojaveflyer.

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There was monsoon-like storm activity in western Arizona, southern Nevada, and southeast California on Monday and Tuesday, too (possibly at other times, but that's where I observed it). I figured that had to be what triggered the thunderstorms I saw in the Kingman-Needles-Las Vegas area.

Weather trivia note: Monsoon is a reference to the wind pattern, not the rainfall itself. In the Desert Southwest, strong heating in the desert (like has happened the past few weeks) causes the air to rise and that draws moist air north from above the Gulf of California and Pacific Ocean. Anybody who, after getting soaked in a thunderstorm, says "It's a monsoon out there" doesn't know what they're talking about.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/29/16 17:54 by toledopatch.

Picture 2:  that cloud may be about to form a tornado.

I was watching this storm and realized it was growing weaker as I passed it. A short time later the NWS (National Weather Service) reissued a severe warning on it as it was moving east of me. I didn't see any little 'fingers' pointing out of the bottom of the wall cloud. I was very aware of that, though!

tomstp Wrote:
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> Picture 2:  that cloud may be about to form a
> tornado.

James Nelson
Thornton, CO
www.flickr.com/mojaveflyer

toledopatch Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> There was monsoon-like storm activity in western
> Arizona, southern Nevada, and southeast California
> on Monday and Tuesday, too (possibly at other
> times, but that's where I observed it). I figured
> that had to be what triggered the thunderstorms I
> saw in the Kingman-Needles-Las Vegas area.
>
> Weather trivia note: Monsoon is a reference to the
> wind pattern, not the rainfall itself. In the
> Desert Southwest, strong heating in the desert
> (like has happened the past few weeks) causes the
> air to rise and that draws moist air north from
> above the Gulf of California and Pacific Ocean.
> Anybody who, after getting soaked in a
> thunderstorm, says "It's a monsoon out there"
> doesn't know what they're talking about.
The reference is "monsoon moisture" from the Gulf of California. Love watching thunderheads boil upward

Photo 1 is great! Typical plains weather.

Wow, very nice images.  My storm chaser friends tell me that though it came close, never did actually have any tornados form out of that one.

Really NICE shots!!

Larry

i was out there

Really like #1, great shots!

Todd Busse

The first shot is great!

Awesome clouds!   I'm curious what train you shot.  They've been running unit sand trains and cement trains out there.  

I never heard a train ID or engine number... From the cars I'm guessing a sand or cement train. I also think it was an empty as it was running conventional with no DPU.

Pinlifter Wrote:
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> Awesome clouds!   I'm curious what train you
> shot.  They've been running unit sand trains and
> cement trains out there.  

James Nelson
Thornton, CO
www.flickr.com/mojaveflyer