Almost Home

It's been another good year out on the plains. Even though there were only a few storms that we got a chance to chase, there were still some great storms to see. We spent the entire chase part of the trip in OK and TX. On the way back we visited Lake of the Ozarks and Jefferson City, the capital of Missouri. We then came back through IL, IN, and OH, finally cutting through central PA. Surprisingly, there were no leaves at all on the trees in west central PA. And I thought upstate NY was cold!

Now it's back to grindstone and Shawn will be at Reservoir Inn as always. Come by and say hello if you get a chance.

Radio Interview!

Good News! Shawn and I were interviewed by Mark Bolger and Kimberly Kay of Star 93.3FM (Mid-Hudson market) and should be on the air Monday morning. So if you want to hear more about our chase and what this is all about, please tune in. We do not have any time information for when it will air.

Chasing vs rediculous

Saturday's stormy weather bore out what we expected a lot of rain and thunderstorms surrounded by low deck clouds with lots of watches and warnings and that might attract the desperate or foolhardy, but there really was nothing to chase. And after all the hype (although real and necessary for those living in the area and there were lots of storms with rain and hail and flash floods), only one tornado touched down in TX.

In contrast, what we look for are LP (low precipitation) supercells that allow for the safest, best viewing of the storms and are amazing structures in and of themselves. In this photo, notice the rain free base of the storm and the twisted appearance of the updraft (the part of the storm that sucks warm air from the surface to the upper atmosphere, which is how thunderstorms act to move heat from surface to the top of the troposhere). Although we ocassionally get supercells in the northeast, they are not LP and generally the supercells that do form do not last long and fall apart/merge with other storms rather quickly.

Instead, we worked our way to the northeast, avoiding all of the torrential rain and passing through the wooded country of northeast OK. As an added bonus, we were on the highway that allows 75mph driving at the furthest east spot in the nation (I-44 at the northeastern corner of OK). Much of OK is flooded with small rivers spilling over their banks and into the surrounding fields, forests and towns.

Today's weather puts the rain and messy tornadic secenaios in the deep south, which is not safe for chasing and the set up would be similar to yesterday. The cold from behind the rain has shut down the potential for server weather elsewhere and we are working our way home. Still, there is plenty to see and explore and in the nation, so we will be sure to add some other pieces of Americana to our trip.

Saturday ... Storms in all the wrong the places

The front that produced the nice storms on Friday has moved east and while it may set off storms later today, they will likely be in areas not condusive to chase and what might develop will likely me wrapped in rain and hail and part of lines of storms. As a result, we will probably not chase any of these storms, although we will keep an eye on them as the day progresses. Unfortunately, few storms are likely to develop in chasing territory over the next couple of days. For now, we are headed toward Oklahoma City and the beginning of the end of the 2009 chase trip.

Another Long Day, Good Chase

A trio of storms formed about an hour southwest of Wichita Falls, TX, and evolved into supercells with nice inflows and flanking lines. We had to race south along US 83 to try and catch the storms, and we made our way for the most southerly of the trio. Tornado warnings were issued on two of the cells just before 4pm, but we were not close enough to see the tornadoes themselves, merely the well-developed storm structures and their wide-spread anvils. As it turned out, these two tornadoes were the only confirmed daylight tornadoes to touchdwn in the area. A strong, nicely developed flanking line, including one twisted cumulus towers provided some great viewing and we looked forward to getting up close to the storm. Unfortunately by the time we approached the storms, they became outflow dominant and fizzled. In no time at all, the entire trio of storms dissapated and we watched the skies clear with only a few small updrafts to our west.


We watched the small updrafts build and even through conditions for new storms to form in did not seem all that favorable, we decided to watch. The storms quickly built into a series of impressive storms that received severe storm warnings and even a couple of radar-indicated tornado warnings. In the fading light, the storms loomed on the western horizon and expanded rapidly. The main attraction with these storms was the lightning, which we watched as we headed back toward Wichita Falls for the night.

The Chase is on!

Right now we are heading down US 83, just west of the TX-OK border. Our current goal is the area around Guthrie, TX. The NWS has already identified a storm as possibly producing a tornado south of us and we are heading to get into a safe viewing position behind it (west in this case). There is a moderate chance of severe weather identified for the area, especially that east of us and a tornado watch (meaning conditions that could lead to tornado formation are present) has been issued. Current conditions indicate that a blow up of a number of storms could create a difficult chase conditions for us, so safety is key.

Bust Day

We headed north from Amarillo, TX, along US 287 and then worked our way into OK along US 54, reaching Guymon in the early afternoon. After that, we spent most of the afternoon working our way east hoping that a weak cold front, outflow boundary and dryline might set off storms as rising air bumped into a cap at about 8,000 feet. Unfortunately, no storms developed during the day, so we had to enjoy the warm spring day and fields of spring wheat and windmills. As night set in, the low level jet added the extra ingredient needed for storms to fire up near the areas we had been waiting in during the day. A few of the storms even warranted tornado warnings, but we had settled in for the evening in Woodword, OK, by then.

Driving through OK

Right now we are heading though sunny western OK, hoping that storms will initiate on the outflow boundary from yesterday's activity and the dry line. Nothing has started up so far though. If the storms can get started, then they should grow explosively. The land is filled with center-point irrigators and the new greens of spring.

An Exciting Wednesday

Wednesday provided us a long chase, north of Amarillo in the Lake Meredith area. We worked our way north on US 287 and crossed the dam holding Lake Meredith by Sanford. A line of storms set up along a dry line, which also spurred storms in KS and down toward Lubbock. A couple of those storms spawned tornadoes that were reported on the ground, and the storms we chased also received tornado warnings. We did see a small funnel cloud, but it never developed into anything more impressive. The most intense action of the day was located in the triangle between Sanford, Borger and Fitch, TX. The supercells we were looking at were more HP (high precipitation) in character and had a good deal of hail with them as well. Many of the updrafts showed some rotation and the cell moved slowly providing ample time to watch it. The precipitation made photography a bit more challenging. We were able to stay with the storm for almost 6 hours, watching wall clouds, rotation, supercell structure, flanking lines, hail cores, lightning, and even rainbows. As the storms dissipated, we headed back to Amarillo for the night.

Texas Panhandle, short chase

Today we started out in Branson, MO, and headed to Oklahoma City to meet up with Jay and begin our chase. Heading through AK, there was some nice scenery along the US 65 and I-540 corridors. By mid afternoon, we were working our way down I-44 toward Lawton, OK. Soon we were in TX, and while a couple of radar-indicated tornadic storms appeared in northeastern NM, there was no way for us to reach them. A small storm did develop about halfway between Amarillo and Lubbock and we headed for it. Despite a low cloud deck and temperatures in the 50s and low 60s, we worked our way up to the storm's base and got a quick look at it before having to head east.

Another highlight of the day was our dinner at The Big Texan, where if you can eat their 72oz. steak dinner an hour, the meal is free. They even have a special table set up where you get to eat the steak.

We settled down for the night on the west side of Amarillo and expect to be chasing in the same areas or up into southwest KS, tomorrow.

Soggy but not stormy

Today was a long day. To make up for lost time, we drive through the night passing through the impressive tunnels along the PA turnpike, before cutting into MD along I-70 and I-68. We moved through WV in the small hours of the morning, convinced that to save money, the state uses the same backdrops and road alignments time and time again. By sunrise, we were in KY, heading past the Marathon/Speedway refinery (and learning they were the same company). We crossed KY on a long diagonal and did it early enough that there was no chance to eat at a KFC in KY, always a trip sidelight highlight. As KY had recently upped the speed limit to 70, we made good time except around Lexington. We left KY by the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers (see photo) and stopped to take photographs at Fort Defiance Park in IL. The park is an amazing point of U.S. geography, but so poorly maintained and under appreciated that it is appalling. Trash litters the banks of both rivers as they merge and the degraded habitats are not particularly appealing to people or wildlife.

In the afternoon, we hoped to find some storms in southwestern MO, but except for showers that became heavier as we headed toward Springfield, nothing chasible developed. Even the National Weather Service's (NWS) server watch for the area was cancelled. Some storms in TX were more severe, but we were no where near enough to consider trying to observe them.

For the evening, we headed to Branson, MO. Neither of us had been there, so we decided to check out this tourist mecca. The rolling hills and thick forests provide a beautiful backdrop, especially in the early yellow-green of spring. The town is very commercial and filled with chains and franchises of every sort. The place is clean and well organized and is the epitomy of American consumerism.

For Tuesday we will head to TX, where the set up for storms in the panhandle seems good.

Driving west

Well, we are finally out on the road. We left New York on a 95 degree day with record warmth. According to Shawn, this is typical of shifting from a weak La Nina to an El Nino pattern. In addition, these could be among the warmest temperatures on the year, as El Nino patterns tend to lead to cool summers in the northeastern U.S. Our current plan is to drive through the night and work our way through West Virgina and Kentucky before hoping to encounter the severe weather that should set up in Missouri and the surrounding area for Monday afternoon and evening. Ed is quite pleased the Orioles won the ealier in the day. Shawn is not as pleased about the 4-1 deficit the Yankees find themselves in.

What we look for

When most people think of storm chasing, they think "tornado." While tornadoes are a prime target of storm chasing, they are not the only think we look for. On top of that, anyone that knows either or both of us know that we are not exact typical. America provides many incredible sites and curiosities and we try to see and enjoy as much as we can as we travel through the nation's heartland. As for chasing actual storms, it is supercells that are the main target. These well-organized self-sustaining systems are both beautiful and awe inspiring. As a picture is worth a thousand words, here are two from the 2008 storm chase. These Kansas storms raced northwest at 60mph and did spawn some tornadoes later in the day. The photo with the telephone pools shows a funnel cloud just north of Scott, KS.

Welcome to Storm Chase 2009

Shawn and I are constantly asked about what is like chasing and for updates as we go on our storm chasing adventures. To this end for 2009, we have decided to put together this blog as record of our adventures. We will add photos as well. So whether you have known us for years, break bread with us at the Reservoir Inn, or just have a passing interest in storm chasing, we hope you enjoy this site and share your thoughts as well. As befitting this year's chase, as I write this, the first thunderstorm of the year is rolling through the Bashakill.