Day 3: Garden City to McCook

 Our third day, May 25, shaped up to be a calm day with little storm activity. We decided to use it for some local sightseeing and repositioning for the following days. From our hotel in Garden City, we headed toward Dodge City after breakfast with no rush to get anywhere. In Dodge City, we visited the downtown area, toured the Boot Hill Museum, and learned a lot about the role that the city played in the Old West. We all enjoyed the opportunity to get some cowboy souvenirs and learn some local history. 

After a lunch of some amazing local beef burgers, Dr. Kalkstein brought us to the Dodge City NWS station and we looked at the large radar dish. At this point, it was almost 4 PM and we needed to head North to prepare for the next day's storms, which we thought would be promising in Nebraska. We drove for a few hours to the town of Selden, KS, where a small tornado hit on the previous day, part of the system we tracked. This tornado overturned a train, destroyed some grain silos, and damaged a few houses, and the scene was eye-opening for us. Although we are excited to see severe weather, we remember that there is a real human impact and that for many Americans, these storms could take away everything. Luckily nobody in the town was seriously injured by the tornado. 














We drew closer to our final destination of McCook, NE. The models were showing an enhanced risk of severe weather the next day, and we were gearing up for a good day. But it was getting late, so we found a steakhouse in town and enjoyed a great dinner together. MAJ Hughes gave us a great lesson on wind shear and what conditions are right for supercells. Our waitress, a cattle rancher, talked about her experiences with tornadoes and weather, since her house was hit a few years ago. She recommended routes and things to do in Western Nebraska, and wished us luck observing the storms. At last we came back to the hotel, mostly reenergized after a slower-paced day. It's only day 3, and we knew there were plenty of opportunities ahead.




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