June 13

Austin and I mid-to-late morning driving north from KC on 169 to Smithville to pick up another chase partner. A morning thunderstorm can be seen ahead.

Austin in the driver's seat.

2:22 pm radar reflectivity of a small teaser cell going up over my home county. We decide not to go for it as it looks weak and is too far from our eastern Kansas target and outflow boundaries.

Looking northeast from I-70 near Lawrence at the cell before it dissapates.

Notice the trough about to arrive into the target area, which indicates we are getting closer to initiation.

OTUS Project, the world's leading tornado drone intercept team, can be seen beside us while we stop at a gas station in , KS.

Convective initiation begins to our north around pm.

Finally get signal and a new radar update at 5:28 and see the now severe-warned storm over us with a pronounced hail core and small velocity couplet.

6:19 radar data of the new severe storm we are targeting to west. Not the broad rotational area being indicated on velocity.

View looking west/southwest in Fairview, KS as we arrive on the storm.

6:34 radar as we begin heading south from town.

Looking southwest into the updraft base as we head south. A wall cloud looks appearent on the bottom right.

Closer view of the wall cloud.

Rain core and higher wind gusts begin to approach and swallow up the treeline in the west.

6:53 pm radar data from Kansas City KEAX .

We emerge again from the rain core and see the epic leading edge of the storm on the east side.

Blinding rain and winds near the storm's leading edge as we pace it east towards 

Broader view of the storms on radar heading towards home in Kansas City with a massive severe warning extended to include the northwest metro.

After moving southeast into Missouri across the river, we keep pacing the most intense surging part of the line of storms. Here it is passing by to our southwest.

8:01 radar of the storm near our location.

Looking north as we pace the storm east and south. I notice the kink in the leading edge, signaling possible rotation and/or inflow.

CG lightning strike to our east near I-29 as outflow starts to overtake us.

Passing through Platte City, MO where small hail and the core of intense winds begins to hit us.

Continuing east on 92, we remain in the intense core as the line bows out.

8:33 radar reflectivity and velocity of the storm as it blasts the Kansas City metro.

Violent winds continue even as we pull into Kearney, MO, with at least 70 mph being measured in town.

9 pm radar reflectivity and velocity of the storm with our position in Kearney.