Day 6: Chickasha to Midland

 We didn't know it in the morning, but Day 6 turned out to be pretty exciting. Surprise storms and a change of scenery in Texas on May 28 marked the halfway point of our trip, and things were settling into a rhythm. We ate a fast breakfast at the hotel in Chickasha, and drove south to Lawton to visit Fort Sill. As the first Army base we stopped at this trip, all of us were excited to see the difference between Air Force and Army weather prediction. Their team was comprised entirely of civilians, and monitored conditions from New Mexico to Eastern OK, in order to keep the units at Fort Sill safe and able to conduct training. It was a calm day for the most part, so the forecasters weren't too busy yet.

After the visit, Dr. Kalkstein chose a target area in West Texas, where some promising dry lines were setting up. This was a long drive away, and we passed the time in the van by watching Twister -- appropriately themed, but we also laughed at its Hollywood exaggerations. For lunch, Ethan found a local cafe in Seymour, TX that surpassed our expectations. While we waited, Dr. Kalkstein gave a short lesson on downdrafts and instability. Although the food was delicious, homey, and very Texan, Dr. Kalkstein was anxious to leave since great storms were brewing. Eventually we got back on the road and followed a storm near San Angelo. MAJ Hughes drove us around the back of it, and we saw the hail on the ground that it had just dropped. Some of the hailstones were as large as a golf ball, and we reported it to the NWS. 



When that storm had passed, we decided it was time to find a hotel in nearby Midland. On the vast dry plains of West Texas, the sunset colors and stormy skies beautifully matched the reddish landscape. A rainbow following the storms topped it all off. For dinner in Midland, we ate at a local Tex-Mex taco restaurant with authentic and unique tacos. But heading back to the hotel, we noticed a bow echo of storms approaching on the radar only 15 miles away. We waited for it to arrive in the hotel parking lot, and a massive outflow carrying dust and 40 mph winds hit us out of nowhere. Although at the end of the day, this powerful thunderstorm was really the highlight and was a unique experience. The next day should be much more relaxed, with Roswell being our main target.




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