First Chase of 2017, First Tornado of 2017! Near Agate, Colorado — Travis Farncombe

Published on May 8, 2017

This was my first storm chase of the season and it didn’t disappoint!

This chase lived up to every hope I had for the day and exceeded expectations. I was chasing with my uncle, Eric, who I was excited to be out chasing with again. We arrived in Denver at noon and had plans to grab a quick lunch with my brother, Matt, before I expected storms to fire. We were going to meet at a diner in Bennett which was en route to my target: Limon. That was not to be.As soon as we left the airport the first storm of the day exploded south of Bennett; we cancelled lunch and met Matt in a field near Deer Trail to watch this pretty little updraft mature and then die as it approached.

After this updraft shrunk up and dissipated, we waved goodbye to Matt and began heading toward Limon and a new cluster of towers going up to our south. We thought perhaps we’d have time to grab a bite before things ramped up, but again, that just wasn’t in the cards. A dominant updraft was exploding off to our southwest, so we jogged west on Highway 86 and headed for the developing supercell.

It was quickly becoming a pretty beastly supercell and was showing increasing rotation on radar. We continued west until we had a perfect view of its base, then hopped onto a dirt road north of the highway, due north of Simla. We sat and let the storm approach our location with a rapidly rotating base.

As it neared, a funnel cloud developed and for the next 10 to 15 minutes we were treated to a beautiful white cone that passed by us slowly, spinning like a top. We were never able to confirm ground circulation, although other chasers who were positioned almost directly beneath the funnel) did capture a dust whirl on video, confirming a brief / weak tornado.

Finally, starving, we waved goodbye to the storm south of Anton, made our way back to Limon for beer and burgers at Oscar’s Bar and Grille. All in all, not a bad way to kick off a few days of chasing on the Plains!

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.

This was my first storm chase of the season and it didn’t disappoint!

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