May 25-26, 2000

	We had all looked forward on the 25 to a lot of chasing... we were 
right in the center of a moderate risk zone.  However, the cloud cover didn't 
burn off, and we didn't get the heating the day needed to generate storms.  
Late that night, though, the area was drenched with about 3 inches of rain in 
storms moving in from the Texas panhandle.  
	Chris, Brian, and Bill Tabor had been grabbing data all day with an 
eye on the 26th, and it looked much better.  All of the indicators were there, 
and SPC had once again issued a moderate risk for the Woodward area.  Our 
guys, after looking at helicity values, and doing a skew T felt that the best 
area would be more towards NE Kansas, and it was a good call. Just as we were 
getting in to the NE quadrant of Kansas, cells started popping up everywhere. 
	The cell we committed to went large, and rotation was detected both 
visually and on radar. At one point, the wall cloud seemed to have a funnel 
that touched ground briefly, but we would all be reluctant to call it a 
tornado as we were far off and no debris could was detected.  
	It was, however, a huge beautiful storm that repaid us for a brief 
hail shower with a magnificent double rainbow. 
	We then targeted another more promising cell headed toward the KC 
area, but that got snuffed out real quickly when we hit construction on I-70.  
We had a great day, though, and saw lots of action.  Being so close to KC, we 
decided to stop for one good last meal together before people started taking 
off for there individual ways home.  We stopped at Arthur Bryants BBQ in 
downtown KC, and had a delicious meal in this legendary smoke house.
	Parting has always been rugged for me.  Fortunately, there was so 
much luggage to divide up I didn't have a long time to think about it.  There 
were hugs and handshakes, and people took off for home.  It had been a grand 
two weeks, with a cornucopea of severe weather events, and we were delighted 
with the things we had shared.   Possibly only one visible tornado, a few 
rain shrouded ones... nothing to give our press people the dramatic footage 
they had hoped for, but to a bunch of weather geeks and road gypsies like us, 
we would have to call this one of our better years. 
	Brian, Geoff, Bill, Jill, Steve and Nancy are now headed back to 
Wichita, to drop off people for thier various flights.  It's late, we're 
going to blast thru all the way to Wichita.  ETA, around 2am.

Nancy Bose

MESO     (www.mcwar.org)