Day 8: Roswell to Hobbs

 On May 30, the pattern looked calm yet again, and severe weather could've popped up anywhere in Eastern New Mexico. We were unsure of our plans for the day, but decided over Dunkin Donuts in Roswell to head north. Although everyone was pretty tired and took a nap on the bumpy ride to Fort Sumner, it was nice to get out and explore the local landscape. In Fort Sumner, we visited the grave of Billy the Kid and the Bosque Redondo Memorial. This site of an old Army fort and Native American internment camp was fascinating and we had it to ourselves. There were also a few goats outside, which brought everyone (especially Olivia) some joy. Afterwards, we ate lunch at the only restaurant that was open in Fort Sumner - and tried our best not to appear so much like outsiders.



Before leaving the town, we stopped at an oxbow lake to skip rocks and talk to the people fishing, and Dr. Kalkstein sang his favorite song about the formation of oxbow lakes, a true masterpiece. But radar indicated some strong cells growing in the Roswell area, so we begrudgingly had to return south and catch the storms in time. After positioning ourselves southeast of one storm, we had an amazing panoramic view. The cell was rotating strongly, had good inflow and structure, and kicked up a lot of the desert dust. The best part: a tornado formed beneath the storm's wall cloud! Although weak and short-lived, Dr. Kalkstein and MAJ Hughes were completely certain that it was a tornado and not just a dust devil. We brimmed with excitement in the moment, but had to drive quickly to avoid the approaching hail. Tim reported the tornado to the NWS, and being the first to do so, triggered a tornado warning thanks to his input.






For a few hours, we observed this cell as it became more outflow-dominant and rainy, and several gustnados formed in front of it. Later, we followed a strengthening cell behind it, and observed it in the desert near Hagerman. It was picturesque, but produced no rotation or tornadoes. Since we were all tired and hungry at this point, we drove east toward Hobbs, NM and ate at a Texas Roadhouse. Crashing in the hotel felt particularly satisfying, since we finally saw our first tornado! The day may have started out without promise, but ended up being very rewarding. For the next day, severe weather is likely to affect more of New Mexico and West Texas.






Comments

  1. L. KalksteinMay 31, 2021 at 6:39 AM

    Congrats on sighting your first tornado! Looks spectacular!

    ReplyDelete

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