We noted with interest that Mineral Wells had the dearest petrol so far on our USA trip...we couldn't figure out why that is the case....however it appeared to be the State headquarters for the current campaign fighting fires in west Texas and this might have had something to do with it. The town was filled with emergency vehicles of all sorts. After studying the synoptic weather setup, we decide to do a bit of local touring, and then head west to meet up with a frontal boundary expected to trigger off significant storms between Jacksboro and Abilene. We park for a while at a gas station (service station) in Decatur, where we spend a couple of pleasant hours watching the local cop pull offenders over. I just love the sound of a roaring Hemi 5.7ltr V8 !(that's what the cops' Dodge Chargers have).

With things hotting up convection is starting to show its head and the first echoes show up near Abilene - we point the nose of our Chevy Traverse west and we're on our way! By late afternoon we encounter the first leading edge of a significant storm near Moran, Texas. But the roads are rather dodgy with a number of closed accesses. It grows dark as we drive closer to the core of the supercell...Around the core area, fierce lightning can be found, thunder is ungodly!! It is often one single booming crack with nothing else - great for the heart!! We pass close to a wallcloud near Moran which rotates sporadically...we come to the conclusion that these storms are having some difficulty with outflow..they are also riding NE close to a cold frontal boundary moving SE. The potent RFD's of discrete cells are mixing with the frontal boundary and pretty soon, the lineup of storms from Abilene to Jacksboro become outflow dominant and produce a line segment squall line racing eastward.

We struggle to keep ahead of the squall line and eventually end up back at Mineral Wells as the squall passes over the town. Two things seem to happen when these large supercells get their act together..one - they tap into stronger winds aloft and they accelerate which means that a jet aircraft would come in handy, or two...they develop into a large outflow squall. Another aspect of these massive supercells is their ability to block out the sun and create something similar to a full on solar eclipse. We found ourselves driving with our headlights on high beam on some of the back roads. We watch a section of the squall line break away to the SE with its own separate cell. We attempt to chase as it grows in intensity....unfortunately, we end up mixing with heavy Sunday afternoon Easter traffic between Denton and McKinney...we give up the chase and head to Sherman to overnight.

Quality furnishing establishment, Weatherford, TX

Spectacular Town Hall, Weatherford

Weatherford is a town of contrasts

A windmill cluster on the road to Jacksboro (has only taken me 3 years of going past this location to finally get the shot I was after...JON)

We like Texas architecture and their use of local stone, Graham, TX

Ragged supercell wallcloud being spoilt by outflow near Moran, TX

Supercell, Moran, TX

Unfortunately, these large supercells were distorted by outflow and interaction with the cold front.

Behind the outflow boundary, NE of Moran

Outflow guster overtakes Mineral Wells, TX