July 15, 2015 Guide Rock Nebraska Supercell

After a few struggling supercells a decent one finally gets going over Red Cloud Nebraska.  The outflow boundary in the area had killed a couple of these.  You could see another one(I thought we were out of them at the time) coming and about to hit this one at Red Cloud.  I thought, well this thing will probably die soon.  Often as a storm gets cut off, it will at least show some structure for a while, as it produces less precip.  I thought maybe that was happening at first at Red Cloud.  But no, it just sort of took off then instead. 

The storm was a little pulsy.  Seems you get half capped struggling things that act this way.  Or it is just how their shear is orientated.  In the above gif loop I think it's more new precip coming down than a wall moving east.  I didn't have much of a view, then I began to get more of one.  Soon after I was getting dumped on again.  I wasn't that far northeast of the base at the time.  Precip separation just wasn't great.  And this gives storms problems.  Undercut a bit, produce less precip, tap better air, bigger plume and rain, repeat.  Pinched turdage, you could tell on radar.  They need more of a thing or two.  Least it presented some nice scenes a few times. 

Moved east and you can tell right now it's not producing that much precip. 

More precip happening again and shutting off at least that one region on the northeast side of the updraft base...where I would be this whole time on highway 136. 

Should at least be clear there is a lot thicker core coming down at this moment in time. 

24mm, core coming down the highway.  But you might notice it is showing signs of entering a lighter phase again.  The tricky part about shooting from here on some storms.  When to be where.  There weren't tons of choices north of the river right through here. 

It is almost due south of me now with the 14mm ultrawide lens on now.  Just a few small hail stones and some rain falling. 

Nice view yet, with the 50mm on now.  The number of dirt roads I saw earlier in the day was discouraging.  I think I was at 4 of 5 pull offs I chose being dirt and not gravel.  Didn't make me eager to chase this on them, at least if rain was a threat.  Turns out there was a good gravel road on the south side of the river. I normally like more northeast of things. 

It started to look its best when I got to Guide Rock.  I was in the processes of zipping south through town when I decided to slam on the breaks and get a town scene with a menacing storm.  Half that reasoning was finding good views hadn't been so simple on 136 east of Red Cloud.  Thought, ok do I find a good view down there in the next 1-2 miles I'd go.  I should have, as the clarity was a lot better in that distance, just out of the rain.  The rain that hadn't always been problematic from this position on this storm. 

Trying not to complain about the view too much.  The storm 2 miles more north and this would be epic from here. 

I really regret not swinging here in a shot or two.  But even inside the car, each shot I'd have to wipe the lens again and was running out of dry shirt to do so.  Would have needed a tripod mounted inside the car to do it(swinging shot).  Wasn't much lightning as a concern.  Just one random bolt at the previous spot about a quarter mile from the car. 

Moved east some more.  Not great, not bad. 

Getting colder and shrinking now. 

South of Nelson now about to call it a day and drive home.  Shortly after getting gas there and going north I came across the second frog swarm I've ever seen.  Just like the time years ago, there were literally thousands and thousands jumping on the highway.  It was rather dark then and I didn't know what it was at first.  Was thinking rocks were all over the highway but then I saw them jumping.  Like the other time, it was only a couple miles but it was a disturbing couple.  Not sure what the story is on how that ever happens.  Because just why are they all on the highway.  It's not like it is something that happens every day.  They are going to their demise in the thousands on the highway.  It's not a frog here or there, it's pretty much like hail on the road.  Something must come up that makes them all move from the water somewhere and head somewhere else.  Like all the sudden this mass migration.  Crazy there can even be that many in one location.  Google frog swarm and it should give an idea.