Wall Cloud With Significant Rotation

CARES SKYWARN was activated once again on 6 June 2005. That was the third activation this year.  The last activation was on Memorial Day.

While W5ALL (Alf) maintained radio contact with WX5ABQ (Keith) in Albuquerque via the MegaLink, KD5ZMD (Steven), KD5ZME (Chris) and others tracked the severe thunderstorms in our area -- reporting on what they saw via the Caprock repeater.

Roswell was spared the worst of the storm.  Based mainly on radar data, a tornado warning was issued for north central Chaves County. Steven was stationed at a safe spot, southwest of the cell, near the rifle range on US 70 when the warning was issued.  He watched the storm travel northeast, north of the highway.  Steven warned that it looked to him like traffic on US 70 was in danger.  W5ALL passed Steven's message to ABQ NWS.  About four minutes later an 18-wheeler was reported blown over some distance beyond the Bob Crosby Bridge, northeast of Steven.  We don't know if the accident was due to straight-line wind or a small twister.  Later in the day, that same cell again showed a tornado pattern on radar (Intelicast) -- south of Portales.

Steven (KD5ZMD) took the above picture of the wall cloud with rotation from his location on US 70, prior to the wall cloud being obscured by a wrapping rain column. Russ (WA3IBE) took the photo at the end of this page from his home in northeast Roswell.

We also relayed a message to ABQ NWS from a ham at Conchas lake concerning a cell that dropped golf ball sized hail on Santa Rosa. 

Meanwhile, KD5FTG (Lynn) monitored the Hobbs area weather net that reports to NWS in Midland, TX.  Lynn tells us Lovington received tennis ball sized hail.

The Same Storm Viewed From Northeast Roswell