The second image from the viral Flint Hills Invasion, Severy, Kansas supercell, also featured on this site. By this point, the mesocyclone had moved nearly
overhead. I had hoped to capture some cloud-to-ground positive lightning strikes, but all the supercell could produce were a few anvil crawlers. The rest of
the story unfolds below.
Saturday, May 10th, 2014, was a day that almost didn't happen. My original target was the Kansas City metro area, where tornadic supercells were likely along the
warm front. After staying up late the previous night, I got a late start, leaving Norman just before noon. By the time I reached Tulsa, storms had already started
developing around Kansas City. I decided to head into southeast Kansas to wait for new developments further south.
Eventually, several storms fired up along the dryline near Wichita in south-central Kansas, and I headed west. The first storm fizzled out before I could reach it,
but the second supercell developed a corkscrew mesocyclone, spinning like a top. It seemed like it might produce a tornado, but then it suddenly collapsed. The next
supercell that formed would be one I'd remember for the rest of my life. At first, the structure wasn't impressive, but by the time it reached Severy, Kansas, it had
morphed into an alien-like supercell of epic proportions, as seen in the image above.
I quickly found a grassy field that provided a perfect foreground and began shooting as the mesocyclone advanced toward me. The sun, the teal light spilling from the
updraft, the dramatic structure of the mesocyclone, and countless other details made this shot my favorite of all time—one I doubt I'll ever top. I am truly thankful
I overslept and ended up at my secondary target that day.
