May 14: Southwest Texas Storm and Fireball
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Warm, breezy afternoon near Monahans, Texas (southwest of Odessa). Storms begin to fire along a stalled frontal boundary.
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Rain-free base at western end of line.
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View looking north at approaching squall line.
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Main updraft to my southwest.
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Storm approaches Interstate 20.
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Strong outflow is creating a chaotic structure.
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The updraft moves south as CGs (cloud-to-ground lightning strikes) and large hail are just behind me.
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One last photo before the squall line overtakes me.
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Near the town of Crane. Intense outflow dominates the line of storms, so I head back west in hopes of finding a new cell. Soon I'm driving through rain, hail and frequent CGs to approach a strong updraft.
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A lightning bolt hits an oil and gas collection site just to my left, causing a fireball. (Exactly 2 miles southeast of Imperial, Texas at 5:45 pm.)
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Close view of an extraordinary sight.
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Quarter to golfball size hail and nearby CGs create a surreal experience.
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The intense updraft that is causing all the commotion.