Virtual Day 2 - Travel Day in Colorado

MON 18 MAY

With upper ridging largely dominating the Plains, it's looking very quiet today aside from isolated non-severe thunderstorms developing over the Rockies. Looks like better prospects over the Rockies on Tuesday, and more especially over the northern Plains on Wednesday, so today we'll amble north from our overnight stay at Raton (NM) up I-25 for 4.5 hours to spend the evening in Estes Park (CO), in the scenic Rockies.

Estes Park, nestled in the Rockies, from our last stay here in 2014

SPC Day 1 Outlook

Virtual Day 1 - Southern Colorado

SUN 17 MAY

Needless to say, we're all gutted we can't be chasing in the U.S. Plains this year due to the health risk and heavily restricted travel worldwide as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nonetheless, might as well chase 'virtually' to pass the time and see where we may have ended up each day during our chasecation.

Today we would in theory be waking up in Denver having landed yesterday evening, probably up quite early due to jet lag. After spending the morning in Walmart stocking up on water and snacks, and making sure our mobile internet works and is all up and running, looks like we would have a 2-3 hour drive south along I-25, next to the stunning Rockies to our right, in the general direction of Raton.

A few thunderstorms are expected to fire over the high terrain in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico this afternoon, generally non-severe but may produce some marginally-severe hail as they drift away from the mountains and over the open plains. Nothing desperately exciting expected, but a quiet, relaxed chase to ease us into the holiday.

Couple of severe storms develop in the vicinity of our target