May 31, 2010 Campo, CO Tornado

As Seen on on The Weather Channel

May 31, 2010: Simon Brewer and Juston Drake documented 2 tornadoes near Campo, CO.

Report:

Juston and Simon started the day in Cheyenne, WY; far from their target of Southeast Colorado. The chasers could see massive towers grow in the distance as a supercell developed in their target location. A tornado was reported with the supercell and the chasers were concerned the storm would become outflow dominant. They intercepted the tornadic supercell thunderstorm northwest of Campo, CO. They documented a mesocylone occlusion, golf ball-sized hail, and the storm then produced a very photogenic tornado south of Campo.

 

 

The image on the right is a pic of a thick rope-shaped tornado south of Campo, CO.

The chasers drove south of Campo, CO and a thin rope funnel developed and continued to grow in size as it came closed to the ground. The rope condensation funnel thickened and debris became visible near the surface.

 

 

 

 

The image on the right shows the tip of the condensation funnel just above the surface with a debris field underneath. A tree and small windmill is visible near the debris.

 

 

 

The image on the right shows the tip of the condensation funnel and debris cloud near the tree and windmill. This photo is not cropped; it's using a 270mm zoom lense.

 

 

The image on the right is a picture of the tornado after the condensation funnel widened giving the tornado a skinny cone-shaped appearance.

Simon and Juson didn't have to move very much to document this tornado.

 

 

The image on the right is a picture showing the widened condensation funnel as it meets the debris cloud.

 

 

 

The image on the right is a picture of a tornado south of Campo, CO.

 

 

 

The image on the right is a picture showing a tornado near Campo, CO, which had a stovepipe appearance.

 

 

 

The image on the right is a picture of a stovepipe-shaped tornado near Campo, CO.

 

 

 

 

The image on the right is a picture of a stovepipe-shaped tornado near Campo, CO.

 

 

 

The image on the right is a picture of a stovepipe-shaped tornado near Campo, CO.

The tornado crossed the road south of Simon and Juston, so the chasers dropped south and watched the tornado as it became wrapped in rain and hail. The chasers drove into the Oklahoma Panhandle and witnessed a second tornado to their north.

 

 

The image on the right is a picture of a tornado southeast of Campo after it wrapped in rain and hail; a rainbow and hailstones can be seen in the foreground and a white funnel can be seen in the rain.

 

 

Simon and Juston witnessed two tornadoes in two states on one high-based supercell.

 

 

 

 

The image on the right is a pic of the supercell updraft near sunset.

 

 

The image on the right is a picture looking west at a supercell updraft in the Oklahoma Panhandle near sunset.

 

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