Lightning, Storm Structure & a Nighttime Tornado — Travis Farncombe

Published on May 6, 2019

We bag a nighttime tornado near Belpre, Kansas, on our first chase of 2019!

On this first day of a quick, 3-day-long chase trip, we initially liked a target of Southwest Kansas near Liberal. However, as the day wore on, we kept an eye on surface obs and a better environment drew us eastward into the Great Bend area of Central Kansas. Our reassessment payed off; a supercell developed at our new target near Ellinwood. For a while it had beautiful structure and an impressive, rotating wall cloud, but began to get seeded by a new storm that developed behind it to the west. It became disorganized, so we dropped west to intercept the flanking supercell as it approached St. John. The structure was once again impressive, and this new storm put on a stunning display of lightning.

First supercell of the day south of Ellinwood

Incredible structure and bolts of lightning on this supercell west of St. John, Kansas

Third & final supercell of the day spawns a stout stovepipe tornado after dark

We chased the supercell as the sun set, then watched an absolutely breathtaking lightning show as the storm began to weaken. However, another storm was developing to the west near Kinsley, and we decided to intercept this one last storm of the day. We got ahead of this new storm by positioning to the north of Belpre, just as the low level jet ramped up and inflow began streaming into the storm.

Chase partner, Alex Goldstein, captured this footage of the tornado as it touched down northwest of Belpre

Travis Farncombe

I am the founder Highways & Hailstones. I live with my family in Toronto, Ontario - about 2000 miles from Oklahoma City and the heart of Tornado Alley. Every spring and summer, I travel down there, to the American Midwest, to witness the most awe-inspiring weather on the planet.

The first time I chased was ten years ago; I signed up as a guest with a storm chase tour company, and joined that group for a week on the plains. I saw my first tornado on that trip. It was a silhouette on a dark Kansas night, betrayed by strobes of lightning flickering in the distance. While the rest of the tour guides and group scanned the storm to the south, a lingering flash drew my glance to the north, and there, unmistakable, was a backlit cone. It was serendipity. I yelled cone tornado!, and a storm chaser was born.

After chasing for a few years as a guest with Silver Lining Tours, I gradually began to spread my wings and chase on my own, having learned enough from Roger Hill and other veterans to chase safely and responsibly. I became a guide with SLT in 2015. Now, I am a certified spotter and chase locally in Southern Ontario, as well as down in Tornado Alley. I am always meeting new people, always learning, and always humbled by the power of nature.

We bag a nighttime tornado near Belpre, Kansas, on our first chase of 2019!

Third & final supercell of the day spawns a stout stovepipe tornado after dark

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