Stormy night in the Black Hills

2 years ago
237

On June 13, 2022, my children and I traveled from North Platte, Nebraska, to Angostura Reservoir in the SW corner of South Dakota, where we would be camping for three nights. Across western Nebraska it was stiflingly hot, until we arrived at the SD/Nebraska border where we encountered a cold front. This is where the severe weather manifested in the evening and overnight hours.

The most dangerous cell past near us at about 8:50pm. Tornado sirens rang out at the Angostura Reservoir State Park while we sheltered in our van, vulnerable to lightning strikes at our campsite underneath tall ponderosa pines. Storm chaser, Reed Timmer, was doing a live stream just a few miles away from us. He watched the rotation in the storm north of Hot Springs, SD, and was ultimately clobbered by baseball-sized hail (https://youtu.be/MYu9nKBBX5o) . Luckily for us, the edge of the storm passed just to our northwest.

Throughout the night, there was lightning and thunder, but just a little rain. Thankfully, we did not have a miserable night in the tent. I would get up periodically and check radar. After the weather passed, the next day was stunningly beautiful and crystal clear...a perfect day for sightseeing at Mt Rushmore and Custer State Park.

Those of you who are interested in weather would enjoy Reed Timmer's forecasts and also his storm chasing in WY, SD, and MT when all this weather hit.

Reed Timmer's analysis of the meteorological setup for June 13:

Start
https://youtu.be/LMIauFCa3a0?t=273

Lusk, WY (this is exactly where these storms began to pop!)
https://youtu.be/LMIauFCa3a0?t=339

Easterlies funneled through the terrain:
https://youtu.be/LMIauFCa3a0?t=540

NE/SD border area:
https://youtu.be/LMIauFCa3a0?t=594
https://youtu.be/LMIauFCa3a0?t=937

The Black Hills funnels easterlies to the north and south, creating wind shear, pooling moisture, and transporting moisture into the higher plains west to the west:
https://youtu.be/LMIauFCa3a0?t=997

To see Reed Timmer whole chase on June 13:
https://youtu.be/57WS8DJn1eo

Music Attribution:
Song 1: 505340__klavo1985__very-best-epic-film-music-by-kris-klavenes-boom-goes-bassdrum-big-boom-sound-by-jobro-on-free-sound-07-02-2020 https://freesound.org/people/klavo1985/

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