25 Jun Laura: Wild Weather – Part 1

Rolla, Kansas – The guys have had a week of wild weather. I will cover their stories in a series of posts.
It started on Tuesday when the guys cutting around Rolla were in a tornado warning. Our crew didn’t see anything touch the ground, but I was told they saw some significant rotation. Even if you watch storms closely and keep a diligent eye on the radar, conditions can change quickly. Eventually Mark and TJ decided it was time to get to a safer location, left a truck for James, and headed out. Mark reports it was the first time he had crossed a circle in a combine going twenty miles per hour. I asked if his head hit the ceiling a few times to which he replied, “No. It got smooth over 15.”

Meanwhile, James had decided to take another load to town. Things escalated on his drive to town. He reports when he got to the grain facility he was TOLD, “Come with us. We’re hiding in the tunnel under the bin.” He said it was two-foot-thick concrete under the ground.

After all that excitement, the guys from that storm made it to Ulysses for a meal. As if the previous experience wasn’t enough, James reports the wind picked up and someone shouted that a vortex was forming overhead. The power went out and they had to run for cover again. They just couldn’t catch a break, though I’m happy to report everyone made it through the events safely.

Click here for the video Mark sent in from the storm.

Nasty little storm. Here’s the screenshot I took of the radar when I was getting updates from the guys.

Photo credit: James

Photo credit: James

Photo credit: James

Photo credit: James

Photo credit: James

The series of pictures above is the evolution of the storm James was able to capture before heading to town.

Flat on the screen just doesn’t do this amazing photograph justice. You can use the 360 viewer on Facebook to view this photo another way by clicking here. Photo credit: TJ

All Aboard Wheat Harvest is sponsored by High Plains Journal and John Deere. Laura can be reached at laura@allaboardharvest.com.