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In 2014, a storm chasing trip took me from the Texas Panhandle to North Dakota and back to New Mexico, all within a few days. On an early June afternoon, storms erupted along the high plains near the Sangre de Cristo range. I focused my attention on one particular storm near U.S. 87, just outside the Capulin Volcano National Monument. This storm produced a stunning rope tornado just before it fizzled out.

Afterward, a few of us from New York decided to head south to stay ahead of a developing supercell. This storm eventually matured into a low-precipitation (LP) supercell, dropping softball-sized hail along its path. Fortunately, the storm tracked along the same direction as the highway, allowing us to stay just ahead of it. The striking contrast between the blue sky, dark storm clouds, and the picturesque New Mexico landscape provided the perfect backdrop for this dramatic scene.

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