26 April 2025 | Monahans, Texas, USA | Supercell

I was conflicted on what to target this day. SPC had a 5% tornado risk plotted across eastern New Mexico and HRRR convection had supercells forming there, but I didn’t like what forecast sounding capping looked like. So I opted for further south where an outflow boundary was draped south of New Mexico.

As I made my way east of Kermit, Texas, a cell south of Pecos split and sent a left mover rocketing north toward a right mover north of Mentone.

Interested to find out what happens after this left split/right mover interaction works itself out between Mentone & Kermit. Pretty interesting driving under the vault of a left moving cell with things mirrored. #txwx — Interested to find out what happens after this left split/right mover interaction works itself out between Mentone & Kermit. Pretty interesting driving under the vault of a left moving cell with things mirrored.

I tried to thread between the intersecting paths of both storms and see what would happen with that interaction. I didn’t have much hope for the right moving storm after that, since it was going to head straight through the other cell’s outflow. I got caught nickel & quarter hail from the left mover and then had to hustle back east to stay out of the right mover’s core. Kind of a fun dodging game with commercial traffic trying to stay out of it too.

Smeared updraft of left split and inbound right mover east of Mentone, Texas — 2331-2343Z

Cell that birthed the left-mover, 50 miles to the south approaching Fort Stockton — 2344Z

After turning south, I was surprised to see that the right moving cell was holding together nicely. I’m still not sure how it survived that interaction. I plotted the precip path of the left mover and honestly the right mover sported its best structure while it was moving through the other’s outflow trail.

Diagram showing path of the right moving storm passing unharmed through the outflow trail of the left moving cell.

So who was I to look a gift horse of a supercell in the mouth? I got to spend the next hour with some excellent, rotating structure from Wink to Pyote to Royalty.