CoD trip, day 1

So it's been a while since I wrote here, but it's time for my second trip of the year. I am now chasing with the College of DuPage.

Today is a repositioning day. We started out from the college at about 9, and we're going in the direction of Kansas City. Today's setup is one we'll sort of see but it's not getting us too excited--the shear is displaced to the north of the instability. The juxtaposition may get close today, but it's marginal at best.

Tomorrow's setup is what we're really looking at. The front that's right now sitting across central Missouri and southern Kansas is forecast to stall and maybe return north a little bit. Moisture shouldn't be a problem with dews in the upper teens to low twenties. The flow looks to be a little weaker than it was a couple of weeks ago so perhaps the enormous forcing won't be there and the storms will be more isolated.

The problem is this: we're looking at two distinct and rather separate areas: southwest Kansas and northeast Colorado. The Kansas play looks to be a dryline/warm front intersection, and the Colorado play is a classic upslope situation. The MLCAPEs progged are the same and upper flow is similar, too. At least according to the last model runs we looked at.

So tonight we're likely staying somewhere around Junction City, KS, so that we can decide in the morning which play to go for. And it's a case of once we commit, it's pretty much our play for the day.

To follow along, there are three (well, two and a half) ways, aside from this blog. First off, follow our icon along on GRLevelX (if you have it); Paul Sirvatka is the name. Second, follow on this page that has our location on a Google map:
This is the link.

Third, follow along on two Twitter accounts, where Paul will tweet from next to me, and the CoD lab will tweet back. Sometimes the banter is about weather, sometimes not so much. Here are the links:

Paul
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