Storm Chase Details
Chase Date: May 29, 2024
Miles Logged: 319
States Chased: TX, NM
Severe Risks: SPC Outlooks
Chase Recap:
After spending the morning taking care of my tires and wheels, I spent the day as if it were a down day in Lubbock. I contemplated heading home, but didn’t want to go home empty handed.
With visible satellite up, it appears a storm was blowing up near Clovis. There was also another area just west of me which had some agitated cumulus development.
Heading Out
I headed northwest out of Lubbock on US84 towards Clovis. The storm was visible on the horizon and grew as I closed in.
Supercell moving Southeast out of Clovis New Mexico
I’d make my first stop just after Muleshoe. Since I was still quite the distance away, I would head east out of Muleshoe down FM1760 to the state line.
I’d go south on the State Line road, but had to back-track probably 15 miles once I got to a completely flooded area. I was unable to pass in my car and didn’t want to get stuck in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night.
Shelfing Out
More updrafts were going up, and the storm became a lot more outflow dominant. These pictures were north of Morton. It was after 1am and the storm was becoming less organized, so I started heading back to my hotel in Lubbock.
Scary Situation
On my way back to Lubbock I stopped along the service road/on ramp to US84 in Littlefield. It was around 2am and I hadn’t seen another vehicle for at least 15 miles. I pulled off the road and started putting my equipment away. A car would go by me at a fast rate of speed followed by another a few seconds later. That vehicle would pull up to me. As it was pulling up, there was a loud “pop” sound that could have been mistaken for a gun shot. I later found out it was a tire issue. The driver was aggressively questioning me if I shot at him. After a few tense moments, we realized it was a misunderstanding. I was positive I was about to be robbed.
It turned out this man had an alleged person shooting at his property. He had jumped into his truck to go after the perpetrator. The car that went by me first was the alleged vehicle. He mistook me for that person. Thankfully we were able to keep calm and I sent him a copy of my dashcam video for the investigation. Morale of the story is to keep a spare pair of shorts in your vehicle.
