I'll tidy this blog up when I'm home. I'm sure there are sleep deprived typos to correct, a bit of reformatting to do, some content elaboration, perhaps a better choice of photos (1200 to sort through) and definitely some ultra cool video of tornadoes to upload.
I'll add some stats - for instance the total chasing mileage was a bottom numbing 3313.
Brian our tour director of 14 years chasing experience has reflected on our tornado (the #3) and stated that "it was probably the the most photogenic of the digital camera era, if not of all time and will be talked about for many years to come". And we were there to see it in all its glory.
Not a bad week really!
Sunday, 6 June 2010
Bricktown, home of Sonic Burger...
Day 10 - 6th June
A nice leisurely breakfast and at 12:00 we order a cab to take us into town. We're picked up (let's call the driver "Jose"), and following advice from the receptionist get dropped of at Walmart which is next to Pensquare Mall. We do a bit of shopping and call Jose who comes to pick us up and takes us to Bricktown. Jose is clearly running some sort of a scam as he gave us his mobile to call rather than dispatch and sheepishly asks us to be quiet while he is berated over the radio for not picking some poor women up from the hospital.
Bricktown is an old commercial area that has been renovated to provide shopping, eating and drinking and the roads have been replaced by canals. It's been well done and I would highly recommend it to recuperating storm chasers.
We find a nice bar and have a couple of pints of micro brewed ale (I have pale ale, Ratty some Belgium ale and Liam some Stella - Newcastle Brown is also on offer - Dawn isn't a beer drinker) and get some decent food for once at Jambo'z (?). I have a chicken salad and think I have burger withdrawal syndrome.
There are boats that do tours of the canal for $8 so we hop on and are treated to Dick van Dyke (the "driver") taking the mickey out of our English accents. We then pass the HQ of Sonic Burger. The driver asks where we think Sonic Burger is made; Ratty replies "hell". Dick van Dyke passes on his regards to the Queen Mother, and Ratty promises to dig her up...
We then hear the sound of live music and head to its source which is a bar called the Biting Sow. One of the guys playing looks like he is off duty fro ZZ Top.
While we are supping our drinks (Sierra Nevada Pale Ale at 5.6% ABV which was quite nice) a guy leaps up and asks "is there is a doctor in the bar?". A women has collapsed and nobody else seems interested. The band even take this opportunity to plead for tips...No doctor appears and Ratty jumps into the fray as the "next best thing" and elevates the womans legs on a stool. Another woman leaps up, and as she has a heart condition is carrying a blood pressure monitor. The woman has low blood pressure and eventually someone calls for an ambulance. Instead four firemen turn up and she appears to perk up...Paramedics finally turn up and after a while she walks out under her own steam.
The guy that asked for a doctor and the woman that had the blood pressure monitor are a couple (hey Scott and Tiffany if you're reading!) and sit with us and we're all pretty annoyed that nobody (including the band who actually restarted playing before the paramedics were finished, and the bar manager who said "if her time has come...") was interested in the fate of the ill woman.
We have a few more drinks and a good laugh with Scott and Tiffany who are impressed by our storm chasing antics. We have huge cahunas apparently...Scott is in the roofing business and has moved to Oklahoma from Michigan after finding out what damage can be done by giant hail. Tiffany is about to have an operation to cure her heart condition 13 years after being diagnosed - Scott has some choice words about the US medical provision.
We finish our drinks and head back to the Wingate. I'm not hungry but Ratty, Liam and Dawn head off for a...Sonic Burger. Perfectly reasonable says Ratty who is clearly not "thinking straight". Read between the lines on that one!
Tomorrow we have a bus booked for 10:30 to take us to the airport. I'm ready to come home but not relishing the long journey.
A nice leisurely breakfast and at 12:00 we order a cab to take us into town. We're picked up (let's call the driver "Jose"), and following advice from the receptionist get dropped of at Walmart which is next to Pensquare Mall. We do a bit of shopping and call Jose who comes to pick us up and takes us to Bricktown. Jose is clearly running some sort of a scam as he gave us his mobile to call rather than dispatch and sheepishly asks us to be quiet while he is berated over the radio for not picking some poor women up from the hospital.Bricktown is an old commercial area that has been renovated to provide shopping, eating and drinking and the roads have been replaced by canals. It's been well done and I would highly recommend it to recuperating storm chasers.
We find a nice bar and have a couple of pints of micro brewed ale (I have pale ale, Ratty some Belgium ale and Liam some Stella - Newcastle Brown is also on offer - Dawn isn't a beer drinker) and get some decent food for once at Jambo'z (?). I have a chicken salad and think I have burger withdrawal syndrome.
There are boats that do tours of the canal for $8 so we hop on and are treated to Dick van Dyke (the "driver") taking the mickey out of our English accents. We then pass the HQ of Sonic Burger. The driver asks where we think Sonic Burger is made; Ratty replies "hell". Dick van Dyke passes on his regards to the Queen Mother, and Ratty promises to dig her up...
We then hear the sound of live music and head to its source which is a bar called the Biting Sow. One of the guys playing looks like he is off duty fro ZZ Top.While we are supping our drinks (Sierra Nevada Pale Ale at 5.6% ABV which was quite nice) a guy leaps up and asks "is there is a doctor in the bar?". A women has collapsed and nobody else seems interested. The band even take this opportunity to plead for tips...No doctor appears and Ratty jumps into the fray as the "next best thing" and elevates the womans legs on a stool. Another woman leaps up, and as she has a heart condition is carrying a blood pressure monitor. The woman has low blood pressure and eventually someone calls for an ambulance. Instead four firemen turn up and she appears to perk up...Paramedics finally turn up and after a while she walks out under her own steam.
The guy that asked for a doctor and the woman that had the blood pressure monitor are a couple (hey Scott and Tiffany if you're reading!) and sit with us and we're all pretty annoyed that nobody (including the band who actually restarted playing before the paramedics were finished, and the bar manager who said "if her time has come...") was interested in the fate of the ill woman.We have a few more drinks and a good laugh with Scott and Tiffany who are impressed by our storm chasing antics. We have huge cahunas apparently...Scott is in the roofing business and has moved to Oklahoma from Michigan after finding out what damage can be done by giant hail. Tiffany is about to have an operation to cure her heart condition 13 years after being diagnosed - Scott has some choice words about the US medical provision.
We finish our drinks and head back to the Wingate. I'm not hungry but Ratty, Liam and Dawn head off for a...Sonic Burger. Perfectly reasonable says Ratty who is clearly not "thinking straight". Read between the lines on that one!
Tomorrow we have a bus booked for 10:30 to take us to the airport. I'm ready to come home but not relishing the long journey.
The long drive home...
Day 9 - June 5th
Today there is a moderate risk in Iowa/Missouri showing a 10% tornado risk and some potential in eastern Colorado, however bearing in mind it is our last chase day, these locations are just too far away so today we will be driving back to Oklahoma City.
On the small print, Tempest instructs guests not to book flights before 14:00 on the day after the last chase day just in case we are a long way from Oklahoma City. Dutifully, Liam, Dawn, Mark and I followed this instruction, and as our daily flight to Manchester is before this time, we booked an extra day in Oklahoma City at $90 per room and would now be flying back on the Monday rather than the Sunday. Two of the guests chose not to follow this instruction and booked their flights for 10:00. If there was something to chase on the last day this could have meant we would have missed the opportunity as we would have had to have been back in Oklahoma City on the Saturday night. As there was nothing to chase this proved academic; if there had been these two guests would have been made to understand my frustration...
We head east along the I80 and stop at Elm Creek (yet again), then lunch at York. I have a KFC with horrible tinned green beans and a biscuit, which to the uninitiated, is a doughy scone, which suffice to say, remained uneaten.
We head south on the 81 and as we pass through Concordia at 14:00 it is 94f.
We pass through Salina and Ratty comically gets yet another network text message on his Virgin phone welcoming him to the Isle of Man. I on the other hand have no mobile coverage anywhere other than Chicago and Oklahoma City. Liam and Dawn have no problems on 02. If you come storm chasing, leave your Orange mobile at home. Skype has been moderately successful; most hotels have wifi, but the iPhone needs a stronger signal than a laptop to get reception, so frequently I need to go to reception to make a call; one one day I couldn't log in and on another it wouldn't connect to Liane's mobile. Overall, not bad for 1.4p/minute to landlines and 16p to mobiles - I've only used £6 on the trip.
We stop at McPherson and Ratty insists on buying some beef jerky, sweetened, flavoured cured strips of cow. A had a nibble just to remind myself not to personally invest any money in such a purchase, Ratty on the other hand describes it as "infinitely preferable to a Sonic Burger".
We stop at Wakita in northern Oklahoma for the Twister Museum which pays tribute to the 1995 movie. It is also home to my 2008 fashion faux pas (see 2008 entry) where I have received some grief regarding my, now retired, Chippie shorts. Determined to erase this from history, I get Ratty to photograph my rather sober ensemble.
We phone the elderly lady proprietor who comes and lets us in. It's 18:00 and 97f. I buy some souvenirs and we head of south again.
We get back to Oklahoma City at 20:30 and head over the road to Pearls and I have some Catfish. Liam, Ratty and I get spruced up and head down to Brewsky's Bar for a few beers. We needn't have bothered making the effort; the bar is somewhat "parochial" if you know what I mean. I feel overdressed and don't have a shaved head and 6" goaty beard...bed by 01:30.
Tomorrow we're taking it easy and going into Bricktown for shopping and a meal.
Total miles 636
Today there is a moderate risk in Iowa/Missouri showing a 10% tornado risk and some potential in eastern Colorado, however bearing in mind it is our last chase day, these locations are just too far away so today we will be driving back to Oklahoma City.
On the small print, Tempest instructs guests not to book flights before 14:00 on the day after the last chase day just in case we are a long way from Oklahoma City. Dutifully, Liam, Dawn, Mark and I followed this instruction, and as our daily flight to Manchester is before this time, we booked an extra day in Oklahoma City at $90 per room and would now be flying back on the Monday rather than the Sunday. Two of the guests chose not to follow this instruction and booked their flights for 10:00. If there was something to chase on the last day this could have meant we would have missed the opportunity as we would have had to have been back in Oklahoma City on the Saturday night. As there was nothing to chase this proved academic; if there had been these two guests would have been made to understand my frustration...
We head east along the I80 and stop at Elm Creek (yet again), then lunch at York. I have a KFC with horrible tinned green beans and a biscuit, which to the uninitiated, is a doughy scone, which suffice to say, remained uneaten.
We head south on the 81 and as we pass through Concordia at 14:00 it is 94f.
We pass through Salina and Ratty comically gets yet another network text message on his Virgin phone welcoming him to the Isle of Man. I on the other hand have no mobile coverage anywhere other than Chicago and Oklahoma City. Liam and Dawn have no problems on 02. If you come storm chasing, leave your Orange mobile at home. Skype has been moderately successful; most hotels have wifi, but the iPhone needs a stronger signal than a laptop to get reception, so frequently I need to go to reception to make a call; one one day I couldn't log in and on another it wouldn't connect to Liane's mobile. Overall, not bad for 1.4p/minute to landlines and 16p to mobiles - I've only used £6 on the trip.
We stop at McPherson and Ratty insists on buying some beef jerky, sweetened, flavoured cured strips of cow. A had a nibble just to remind myself not to personally invest any money in such a purchase, Ratty on the other hand describes it as "infinitely preferable to a Sonic Burger".
We stop at Wakita in northern Oklahoma for the Twister Museum which pays tribute to the 1995 movie. It is also home to my 2008 fashion faux pas (see 2008 entry) where I have received some grief regarding my, now retired, Chippie shorts. Determined to erase this from history, I get Ratty to photograph my rather sober ensemble.We phone the elderly lady proprietor who comes and lets us in. It's 18:00 and 97f. I buy some souvenirs and we head of south again.
We get back to Oklahoma City at 20:30 and head over the road to Pearls and I have some Catfish. Liam, Ratty and I get spruced up and head down to Brewsky's Bar for a few beers. We needn't have bothered making the effort; the bar is somewhat "parochial" if you know what I mean. I feel overdressed and don't have a shaved head and 6" goaty beard...bed by 01:30.Tomorrow we're taking it easy and going into Bricktown for shopping and a meal.
Total miles 636
Friday, 4 June 2010
Bust...
Day 8 - 4th June
Today's target is south east South Dakota/north east Nebraska. Storms may initiate in Missouri but due to the chase unfriendly topography we won't be going there.
There is ample moisture and if storms do initiate they will appear in the evening. Supercells are possible and isolated tornadoes are also possible (2% chance) with an overall slight risk.
We drive south on the 81 over the Missouri river and stop in Columbus, Nebraska at Runza for a bacon cheese burger, which to be honest wasn't bad and goes to no. 1 in the burger hit parade.
I had a milk chocolate Hershey Bar and soon regret it. My memories of it tasting like sick prove to be correct, but feel free to disagree! We continue south on the 30 through Grand Island onto the I80 west.
We end up back in Elm Creek and wait around for a while deciding what to do. As predicted storms fire up in Kansas City Missouri but we won't be chasing them. We speculatively head west on the I80 towards North Platte (Liam's second home) hoping for something to break the CAP, a warm inverted layer set on top of cold air. If the CAP breaks, storms will be explosive. If it doesn't the day will end in a bust - we'll give it to 19:30 for something to happen.
We head north on the 83 and the temperature is 91f. We keep going on the 97 and although a few clouds bubble up there is no lift (no wind) and the CAP proves unmovable. That's storm chasing, you have to take the rough with the smooth. We do an about turn back to North Platte and I have a brisket sandwich at a BBQ place which is ok. We source some beer (Dark Side Vanilla Porter brewed in Lincoln Nebraska) which is pretty good and Mark, Liam and Dawn and I retire to my room to fight over this laptop and internet connection.
Total mile TBC
No photos worthy of uploading
Today's target is south east South Dakota/north east Nebraska. Storms may initiate in Missouri but due to the chase unfriendly topography we won't be going there.
There is ample moisture and if storms do initiate they will appear in the evening. Supercells are possible and isolated tornadoes are also possible (2% chance) with an overall slight risk.
We drive south on the 81 over the Missouri river and stop in Columbus, Nebraska at Runza for a bacon cheese burger, which to be honest wasn't bad and goes to no. 1 in the burger hit parade.
I had a milk chocolate Hershey Bar and soon regret it. My memories of it tasting like sick prove to be correct, but feel free to disagree! We continue south on the 30 through Grand Island onto the I80 west.
We end up back in Elm Creek and wait around for a while deciding what to do. As predicted storms fire up in Kansas City Missouri but we won't be chasing them. We speculatively head west on the I80 towards North Platte (Liam's second home) hoping for something to break the CAP, a warm inverted layer set on top of cold air. If the CAP breaks, storms will be explosive. If it doesn't the day will end in a bust - we'll give it to 19:30 for something to happen.
We head north on the 83 and the temperature is 91f. We keep going on the 97 and although a few clouds bubble up there is no lift (no wind) and the CAP proves unmovable. That's storm chasing, you have to take the rough with the smooth. We do an about turn back to North Platte and I have a brisket sandwich at a BBQ place which is ok. We source some beer (Dark Side Vanilla Porter brewed in Lincoln Nebraska) which is pretty good and Mark, Liam and Dawn and I retire to my room to fight over this laptop and internet connection.
Total mile TBC
No photos worthy of uploading
Thursday, 3 June 2010
Long chase north...
Day 7 - 3rd June
Today's target is South Central South Dakota with a good chance of seeing supercell storms, but it will be a long drive from Kansas.
We head north on the 183 through Stockton and on into Nebraska and I chomp on banana hoping it will mitigate the worst excesses of the fast food diet. We stop near the I80 at Elm Creek and I share a pepperoni pizza with Ratty which makes a change from the usual burger. We continue north and stop at Bassett towards the South Dakota border where I have a Good Humour ice cream and an iced coffee drink not realising that the drink alone contains 340 calories...Crap!
We set off and are flagged down by a Swiss chaser (I believe to be Olivier Staiger http://www.klipsi.ch) who wants to say hello. We then stop in Gregory and resist the temptation to visit the "Historic Downtown Gregory".
We continue north and cross the Missouri then go east on the 44. An isolated storm has bubbled up and is a likely supercell. We stop and take some photographs and move on. The next stop is by a small cemetery filled with generations of Scandinavian settlers and chat to a couple who are visiting. I'm sure they already have their plots booked.
The storm we were on starts to recede but there is another one 30 miles behind it coming our way which looks promising and sure enough, at 19:00 as we pass through Armour the supercell becomes tornado warned.
We head East, but this is fraught with disappointment because the road system is not great and the storm is tracking along the Missouri and bridges are in short supply.
We head south on the 37 and cross back over the Missouri then turn east on the 12 and eventually get ahead of the storm. By now it had split into two and we were chasing the right hand part. We charge to higher ground and get some great structure shots, then move on and get some more across a field of cows who seam none plussed by our presence.
The light is closing in so we head north to Yankton on the 81 through torrential rain and lightning. We pass a nice looking steak house and drive right in...to Burger King. I don't eat this stuff at home and can't face any more burgers so have ribs instead. We finish eating and go outside to watch some frenetic lightning before heading off to the Super 8 for the night. Yet again, by coincidence, I stayed in Yankton on the 2008 trip on the same Thursday.
It's an early finish - it's only 00:15 as I finish writing this up and we won't be setting off until after 10:30 tomorrow. I suspect we'll be chasing not far away tomorrow. I'm looking forward to a decent sleep.
Total miles 525
Today's target is South Central South Dakota with a good chance of seeing supercell storms, but it will be a long drive from Kansas.
We head north on the 183 through Stockton and on into Nebraska and I chomp on banana hoping it will mitigate the worst excesses of the fast food diet. We stop near the I80 at Elm Creek and I share a pepperoni pizza with Ratty which makes a change from the usual burger. We continue north and stop at Bassett towards the South Dakota border where I have a Good Humour ice cream and an iced coffee drink not realising that the drink alone contains 340 calories...Crap!
We set off and are flagged down by a Swiss chaser (I believe to be Olivier Staiger http://www.klipsi.ch) who wants to say hello. We then stop in Gregory and resist the temptation to visit the "Historic Downtown Gregory".
We continue north and cross the Missouri then go east on the 44. An isolated storm has bubbled up and is a likely supercell. We stop and take some photographs and move on. The next stop is by a small cemetery filled with generations of Scandinavian settlers and chat to a couple who are visiting. I'm sure they already have their plots booked.
The storm we were on starts to recede but there is another one 30 miles behind it coming our way which looks promising and sure enough, at 19:00 as we pass through Armour the supercell becomes tornado warned.We head East, but this is fraught with disappointment because the road system is not great and the storm is tracking along the Missouri and bridges are in short supply.
We head south on the 37 and cross back over the Missouri then turn east on the 12 and eventually get ahead of the storm. By now it had split into two and we were chasing the right hand part. We charge to higher ground and get some great structure shots, then move on and get some more across a field of cows who seam none plussed by our presence.
The light is closing in so we head north to Yankton on the 81 through torrential rain and lightning. We pass a nice looking steak house and drive right in...to Burger King. I don't eat this stuff at home and can't face any more burgers so have ribs instead. We finish eating and go outside to watch some frenetic lightning before heading off to the Super 8 for the night. Yet again, by coincidence, I stayed in Yankton on the 2008 trip on the same Thursday.It's an early finish - it's only 00:15 as I finish writing this up and we won't be setting off until after 10:30 tomorrow. I suspect we'll be chasing not far away tomorrow. I'm looking forward to a decent sleep.
Total miles 525
Wednesday, 2 June 2010
Play it cool son, play it cool...
Day 6 - 2nd June
Another fantastic day on the Plains, two supercell thunderstorms and more.
The initial target is around north east Colorado, the Oklahoma Pan Handle or possibly into Texas. The tornado potential for today is 2% but who knows what we'll get.
We head off west on the I70 and stop at Colby for provisions and by coincidence Vortex 2 are have stopped there as well. Vortex 2 is the biggest tornado research project ever comprising over 40 vehicles (including doppler radar trucks, probe teams and other weather recording vans) and 0ver 100 scientists. As we pull in I spot Tim Marshall, one of the team filling up with gas.
I wonder into the main shop and there is Herb Stein, driver of DOW 7 at the check out. I turn round and there is Dr Josh Wurman, project leader of Vortex 2, and then in walks Karen Kosiba, part of the DOW 7 team. I'm trying to buy some lunch but am so distracted (mostly by Karen...) that I end up with 5 bananas and 3 fibre bars. I'm paying for that selection as I type...
We wander back to the van and Dawn insists I get my photo taken with some of the Vortex 2 team. Self consciously we chase after Josh and Karen who are walking back to DOW 7.
Thankfully they are quite happy to have their photos taken with the idiot with the bag of bananas...I told them I'd last seen them in Woodward Oklahoma in 2006 and promise to meet them again in another 4 years. I then have to suffer my leg being pulled for the rest of the day. Not sure I played it cool!
We then set of and end up in Goodland and stop at Wendy's for yet another burger. Ratty reckons it's the best yet and then launches into another diatribe about Sonic Burger. The models have been updated and our original target doesn't look too good any more and we head off towards Nebraska.
We head north on the 61 through Imperial and near to Madrid then charge down dirt roads after a newly formed supercell. We are treated to a number of gustnadoes including one which buffets the van with corn stalk debris.
The supercell soon loses its way as other storms fire to form a line so we head south on the 23 then on the 83 through McCook as another supercell is initiating. We're now in Kansas and stop on the 29 to take some photos. The supercell has a classic form of rain curtain and precipitation free base and is producing a wall cloud. We keep moving and stopping to keep ahead of the storm which is tracking south east at 20mph.
We park up and elements of Vortex 2 turn up. Tim Marshall walks past the van and doesn't acknowledge my exuberant "Hiya Tim!".Although the supercell doesn't drop a tornado, the structure is amazing. It eventually falls apart as we drive down the I70. We spot Storm Chasing Adventure Tours parked up, the previous crew I chased with.
To celebrate our ongoing success we have a steak and beer at Oakley (home town of Buffalo Bill) and then we're back at the Super 8 at WaKeeney at 23:00 where we started the chase 14 hours earlier.
A great day, two supercells and I got my photo taken with Karen Kosiba ;o)
Total miles 519
Another fantastic day on the Plains, two supercell thunderstorms and more.
The initial target is around north east Colorado, the Oklahoma Pan Handle or possibly into Texas. The tornado potential for today is 2% but who knows what we'll get.
We head off west on the I70 and stop at Colby for provisions and by coincidence Vortex 2 are have stopped there as well. Vortex 2 is the biggest tornado research project ever comprising over 40 vehicles (including doppler radar trucks, probe teams and other weather recording vans) and 0ver 100 scientists. As we pull in I spot Tim Marshall, one of the team filling up with gas.
I wonder into the main shop and there is Herb Stein, driver of DOW 7 at the check out. I turn round and there is Dr Josh Wurman, project leader of Vortex 2, and then in walks Karen Kosiba, part of the DOW 7 team. I'm trying to buy some lunch but am so distracted (mostly by Karen...) that I end up with 5 bananas and 3 fibre bars. I'm paying for that selection as I type...
We wander back to the van and Dawn insists I get my photo taken with some of the Vortex 2 team. Self consciously we chase after Josh and Karen who are walking back to DOW 7.
Thankfully they are quite happy to have their photos taken with the idiot with the bag of bananas...I told them I'd last seen them in Woodward Oklahoma in 2006 and promise to meet them again in another 4 years. I then have to suffer my leg being pulled for the rest of the day. Not sure I played it cool!We then set of and end up in Goodland and stop at Wendy's for yet another burger. Ratty reckons it's the best yet and then launches into another diatribe about Sonic Burger. The models have been updated and our original target doesn't look too good any more and we head off towards Nebraska.
We head north on the 61 through Imperial and near to Madrid then charge down dirt roads after a newly formed supercell. We are treated to a number of gustnadoes including one which buffets the van with corn stalk debris.
The supercell soon loses its way as other storms fire to form a line so we head south on the 23 then on the 83 through McCook as another supercell is initiating. We're now in Kansas and stop on the 29 to take some photos. The supercell has a classic form of rain curtain and precipitation free base and is producing a wall cloud. We keep moving and stopping to keep ahead of the storm which is tracking south east at 20mph.
We park up and elements of Vortex 2 turn up. Tim Marshall walks past the van and doesn't acknowledge my exuberant "Hiya Tim!".Although the supercell doesn't drop a tornado, the structure is amazing. It eventually falls apart as we drive down the I70. We spot Storm Chasing Adventure Tours parked up, the previous crew I chased with.To celebrate our ongoing success we have a steak and beer at Oakley (home town of Buffalo Bill) and then we're back at the Super 8 at WaKeeney at 23:00 where we started the chase 14 hours earlier.
A great day, two supercells and I got my photo taken with Karen Kosiba ;o)
Total miles 519
Tuesday, 1 June 2010
Bust...head
Day 5 - 1st June
I haven't go time to write this up, but today was promising but ended up as a bust with nothing materialising. I did however manage to slice my head open getting into the van and it bled like a bitch. Fortunately, guest Dr Murphy was on hand to clean me up and thankfully it stopped bleeding. A pretty anti climatic day, but that's storm chasing.
We're at the Super 8 in WaKeeney, Kansas, where by coincidence I stayed on the same Tuesday 2 years ago. It's 01:30 and I'm taking my sore head to bed
and looking forward to going back to Colorado tomorrow which is the likely bet.
Total miles TBC
I haven't go time to write this up, but today was promising but ended up as a bust with nothing materialising. I did however manage to slice my head open getting into the van and it bled like a bitch. Fortunately, guest Dr Murphy was on hand to clean me up and thankfully it stopped bleeding. A pretty anti climatic day, but that's storm chasing.
We're at the Super 8 in WaKeeney, Kansas, where by coincidence I stayed on the same Tuesday 2 years ago. It's 01:30 and I'm taking my sore head to bed
and looking forward to going back to Colorado tomorrow which is the likely bet.
Total miles TBC
Monday, 31 May 2010
TORNADO
Day 4 - 31st May 2010
An absolutely incredible day with a once in a lifetime tornado, one of the greatest days of my life. I'm in the Blue Spruce Motel in Lamar Colorado and it's 01:30 and I'm too shattered to do the full write up.
Short Version:
A "low risk day" gives us a chase target of SE Colorado and we end up around Campo. A supercell thunderstorm has already initiated and is moving at only 5mph; basically we sat andwatched it from mid afternoon until 21:00, and initially we were the only crew on it until word got around - it was the only storm within 200 miles. In late afternoon it dropped a funnel, we were about 10 miles away and had a great view - my first tornado.
Then we got closer and closer. The storm was rotating and threatening to put down a tornado over and over until it eventually put down a stunner and we were only a quarter of a mile away. The forecast for the rest of the week is promising - stay tuned!
Longer version
Today was all about Mother Nature. Despite all man's wisdom, knowledge, experience and technology, what happened yesterday just happened, when really it just shouldn't have. But it did!
The day started with a comprehensive forecast from Brian. This was really informative as Brian went through the models and explained how he arrived at his chase target. Predicting severe weather requires balancing many factors - location A may have better shear, location B better CAPE (energy) and location C may have a better road system and so on. You pull together the pieces of the puzzle to get the best combination. I'm really enjoying this part.
We started retreating as the storm speeded up slightly and we started to receive precipitation - time to put on the waterproofs. We headed south, back through Campo and took up a good position to watch yet another rotating wall cloud. I've dreamed about seeing tornadoes and screwing up the photography, so I was determined to get it right. I had the D700 mounted with the 16-35mm ultra wide and the D90 with the 70-300 telephoto at the ready with Ratty acting as photo assistant. I was also videoing this wall cloud rotating with a compact camera (not HD I'm afraid) when it happened.
The tornado had been on the ground for 20-25minutes (most are a minute or two) when we lost sight of it. We sped through Keyes, Oklahoma to get out of the precipitation and stopped by a field full of cows - and there was tornado #4 in the distance! We moved on and were able to see the full supercell structure and took some more photos. Incredibly, a white, low contrast, rain wrapped tornado was observed - #5! We also saw some of the guys from Tornadovideos.net (I think this was Dave Holder) but there were no sign of any of the TV celebratory chasers or Vortex 2.
Further accounts can be read here, so don't just take my word for it:
http://www.stormtrack.org/forum/showthread.php?t=24309
http://www.stormeffects.com/recent_events.htm
It won't be possible to assign a rating to the main tornado as it didn't damage anything being out in fields. It automatically gets an EF0 rating, but it is likely to be around the EF2 mark, but that is really only speculation. It did behave as a "right mover" starting north east, then east before heading south east.
An absolutely incredible day with a once in a lifetime tornado, one of the greatest days of my life. I'm in the Blue Spruce Motel in Lamar Colorado and it's 01:30 and I'm too shattered to do the full write up.
Short Version:
A "low risk day" gives us a chase target of SE Colorado and we end up around Campo. A supercell thunderstorm has already initiated and is moving at only 5mph; basically we sat andwatched it from mid afternoon until 21:00, and initially we were the only crew on it until word got around - it was the only storm within 200 miles. In late afternoon it dropped a funnel, we were about 10 miles away and had a great view - my first tornado.
Then we got closer and closer. The storm was rotating and threatening to put down a tornado over and over until it eventually put down a stunner and we were only a quarter of a mile away. The forecast for the rest of the week is promising - stay tuned!
Longer version
Well, as I couldn't sleep due to all the excitement (even some beer failed to have the soporific effect) I'm up at 07:30 and have just forced down the worst motel breakfast I have ever eaten. For the folks back home, writing this blog takes time as and when opportunities arise, so it may not always be bang up to date. Take last night: we got to the hotel at around 23:30, apart from all the usual stuff you have to do, I have to back up all the photos to a hard drive, battle to get a wifi signal and find the code to log in, do the blog, find some photos worthy of uploading, update the facebook status and charge 2 camera batteries, phone and laptop with only 2 adapters which I'm now sharing with the other 3 as they have contrived to have only one between them. Anyway, I digress!
Today was all about Mother Nature. Despite all man's wisdom, knowledge, experience and technology, what happened yesterday just happened, when really it just shouldn't have. But it did!
The day started with a comprehensive forecast from Brian. This was really informative as Brian went through the models and explained how he arrived at his chase target. Predicting severe weather requires balancing many factors - location A may have better shear, location B better CAPE (energy) and location C may have a better road system and so on. You pull together the pieces of the puzzle to get the best combination. I'm really enjoying this part.
Today was another slight risk day with a 2% tornado risk (haha!) and Brian picked chase targets in SE Colorado/SW Kansas and NW Kansas with the latter the preferred option. We headed west and Brian would review the models later and refine the target area while I tried to digest the breakfast...Liam and I said "it'll be the same as yesterday"as the wind shear wasn't that strong. Shows what we know!
We continue to head west through the Oklahoma Pan Handle to Guymon where we stopped for a Sonic Burger. I had a chicken burger on a brown bun, so I'm not sure how my body will react to the fibre. Mark describes the menu as "toxic waste" and the food "even worse than Braums" which I think was a little unkind.
We keep heading west into Baca County, Colorado; the last time I was here in 2006 Liam almost had a mega crash as the van he was in ended up on 2 wheels. We hear that there is some wind shear as a mesoscale discussion is issued for the area - this is quickly upgraded as we pass through Boise City and the storm we are looking at becomes tornado warned. Yay! Then reports of a funnel come in. We head north on the 385(?) and park up after heading through Campo.
The supercell is practically stationary so we get out to take photos. Just as we get back in the van, Liam (I think this was Dawn really) spots a lowering and we all get back out. Funnel cloud! We all get back out and start taking photos as it keeps lowering - Tornado #1 and my first confirmed ever. Shortly after a second elephants trunk tornado starts to form at the same time - Tornado #2! Two tornadoes on theground simultaneously!
The supercell is practically stationary so we get out to take photos. Just as we get back in the van, Liam (I think this was Dawn really) spots a lowering and we all get back out. Funnel cloud! We all get back out and start taking photos as it keeps lowering - Tornado #1 and my first confirmed ever. Shortly after a second elephants trunk tornado starts to form at the same time - Tornado #2! Two tornadoes on theground simultaneously!
This supercell was amazing in that it was barely moving and there were no other storms for 200 miles. We didn't have to move for over an hour just watching it and taking photos. It did get a bit disorganised at one point with precipitation falling into the updraft and I felt that would be that as it looked like there was insufficient shear.
I needn't have worried as it regained its composure and produced a series of rotating wall clouds, one after the other, teasing us with the prospect of a tornado; one had to be close as funnels were forming that would then dissipate. By this time, around 18:00, many other chase teams were on station including Cloud 9 and Silverlining Tours - haha we were there first.
We started retreating as the storm speeded up slightly and we started to receive precipitation - time to put on the waterproofs. We headed south, back through Campo and took up a good position to watch yet another rotating wall cloud. I've dreamed about seeing tornadoes and screwing up the photography, so I was determined to get it right. I had the D700 mounted with the 16-35mm ultra wide and the D90 with the 70-300 telephoto at the ready with Ratty acting as photo assistant. I was also videoing this wall cloud rotating with a compact camera (not HD I'm afraid) when it happened.
I could here Liam saying "it's definitely forming a funnel" and sure enough it did, and it started lowering from a high cloud base to form an absolutely beautiful stove pipe - tornado #3 - but this one was the daddy. It was close by, just over a quarter of a mile away and stunningly photogenic. It wasn't moving left or right but it was gettingbigger - it was heading towards our position on collision course!
We ran back to the van and headed for a safer vantage point squealing with delight. The wind was amazing and the van was hit by a powerful inflow jet. We were now being hit by large hail up to golf ball size as we retreated to a better position filming as we went. Dawn's battery went and I
handed her mine - "keep filming!"
The tornado had been on the ground for 20-25minutes (most are a minute or two) when we lost sight of it. We sped through Keyes, Oklahoma to get out of the precipitation and stopped by a field full of cows - and there was tornado #4 in the distance! We moved on and were able to see the full supercell structure and took some more photos. Incredibly, a white, low contrast, rain wrapped tornado was observed - #5! We also saw some of the guys from Tornadovideos.net (I think this was Dave Holder) but there were no sign of any of the TV celebratory chasers or Vortex 2.
Both Tank and Woody say it was the best tornado they had ever seen as did Liam ("by a country mile"). Brian, who has chased for 14 years puts it in his top 5 and says it is the closest he has been to a tornado. I don't think the other guests realised how lucky they were - 5 tornadoes on their first full day including an absolute beauty. It's easy this storm chasing, it really is just like the film Twister!
Further accounts can be read here, so don't just take my word for it:
http://www.stormtrack.org/forum/showthread.php?t=24309
http://www.stormeffects.com/recent_events.htm
It won't be possible to assign a rating to the main tornado as it didn't damage anything being out in fields. It automatically gets an EF0 rating, but it is likely to be around the EF2 mark, but that is really only speculation. It did behave as a "right mover" starting north east, then east before heading south east.
We were all shattered but buzzing and head to Boise City for a Subway sandwich then drive North and eventually end up in the Blue Spruce Motel in Lamar, Colorado.
What an absolutely incredible day. So much for a "slight risk".
What an absolutely incredible day. So much for a "slight risk".
Total miles 415
Sunday, 30 May 2010
Uncertainty...
Day 3 - Sunday 30th May
At 12:00 we had our induction with Brian Morganti which was very thorough and he also took us through some forecasting; this would be a standard start to each chase day which was something I was glad to see. We also met our drivers, Tank and Woody and the balance of the guests, a Spanish couple and seven Americans.
Despite my earlier reservations about an unpromising week Brian is quite optimistic. Today, Monday and Tuesday all show a slight risk of severe weather all within reasonable distance of our current location, in Oklahoma and north into Kansas. "Slight Risk" would appear to imply "not much luck" but actually its a lot better than that. Storms that did fire would be slow moving, easier to photograph and be more photogenic. There would also be fewer chasers out clogging up the roads. Today would be a bonus chase day; in previous tours day 1 was induction followed by a leisurely dinner.
Although wind sheer was too low to form supercells, we did see some rotation, some decent lightning and plenty of mammatus clouds, the best I have seen, hanging under the anvil like giant furry bubblewrap. I got some decent photos and Ratty snapped a few as well although he has some issues (where's the long list..?) with horizons i.e. consistently wonky. It will help figure out who took what when I get home.
As I type up the blog the ever useful iPhone tells me it's “Liane Cotterill's wedding anniversary”. Ooops! I'd better ring her later, using Skype in the unlikely event I can find a wifi signal. With consummate spousal timing she texts me to remind me of what day it is. It's really down to a lack of forward planning on my part; I should NEVER have got married during tornado season as this is the 3rd anniversary I've missed. I'm starting to realise I can't blame Ratty for everything and must take my share of the responsibility. But hang on, he was my best man and he didn't think to warn me? Normal service is resumed!
At 12:00 we had our induction with Brian Morganti which was very thorough and he also took us through some forecasting; this would be a standard start to each chase day which was something I was glad to see. We also met our drivers, Tank and Woody and the balance of the guests, a Spanish couple and seven Americans.
Despite my earlier reservations about an unpromising week Brian is quite optimistic. Today, Monday and Tuesday all show a slight risk of severe weather all within reasonable distance of our current location, in Oklahoma and north into Kansas. "Slight Risk" would appear to imply "not much luck" but actually its a lot better than that. Storms that did fire would be slow moving, easier to photograph and be more photogenic. There would also be fewer chasers out clogging up the roads. Today would be a bonus chase day; in previous tours day 1 was induction followed by a leisurely dinner.
By early afternoon we were on the road with a chase target of Enid, just north of Oklahoma City.We grab a disgusting truck stop sandwich, and our route takes us up to the Kansas border, east towards the I35 then back through Enid for "dinner" at Braums (burger and ice cream joint) and onto Woodward to the LaQuinta Hotel. The storms were slow and easy to photograph as promised drifting north east then south east at 5mph.
Although wind sheer was too low to form supercells, we did see some rotation, some decent lightning and plenty of mammatus clouds, the best I have seen, hanging under the anvil like giant furry bubblewrap. I got some decent photos and Ratty snapped a few as well although he has some issues (where's the long list..?) with horizons i.e. consistently wonky. It will help figure out who took what when I get home.By some lucky chance I managed to get a snap of some daytime lightning using a 2 second exposure. We were also treated to an excellent gustnado which looks even better now that I've fixed the horizon...
Total miles: 338
The longest day...
Day 2 Saturday 29th May
Unsurprisingly the Rat factor rears its head again as the taxi Mark has booked for 05:20 fails to turn up. Frantic phone calls eventually elicit “its on its way mate...” and we somehow get the train to Manchester Airport where we meet up with Liam and Dawn and check in.
I thought that I'd do some of the blog and find the world's supply of wifi signals, which is great if you could actually log onto any of them. No such thing as a free lunch. But ha! The iPhone comes with free BT Openzone and...I'm in! Which is great until I find out, that while I can type in the post title it won't let me enter the box where you actually type in the post. Bloody marvelous! I try and think how the Rat factor may have come into play, but can't rationalise how. I blame him anyway 'cos it makes me feel better!
Don't you just love waiting around at airports! Mark, Dawn and Liam at O'Hare.
We get on the plane and set off on the 8.5 hour flight to Chicago and O'Hare Airport. We spend 2 hours standing in queues and eventually get checked in for the 2 hour flight to Oklahoma City. With a big chunk of the 6.5 hours wait for the connection already having been killed going through the various checks, we find a bar and have some beer and a chicken burger. An uneventful flight on a 50 seater to Will Rogers Airport follows (nice and roomy if you're a pygmy) and have course there is no sign of any of our checked luggage. Ratty!!!
We eventually find it chained up in a corner, it had clearly been smuggled across on an earlier flight. We get checked in to the Wingate Inn, convince ourselves we are feeling “perky” and set off to walk to the Rodeo Club 2 minutes down the road.
You're required to show your passport, to get in (don't ask me why) and of course Mark has brought his driving license. After some lengthy “negotiation” (they have guns and we had followed the instructions on the door that said “strictly no weapons”) we get in to find we had missed the 25 cent on bottles offer by 2 minutes. I'm feeling charitable and choose not to kick a Rat when he's down. We all get stamped in with an invisible stamp and have some beer and play some pool.
The last time I was here was in 2006 and it is still the same – a big cavernous building, with a dance floor with girls doing some unfathomable synchronised dancing and of course the full size rodeo cage...I don't think Mark was too impressed but a couple of beers and watching cowboys trying to kill themselves on giant psychotic bulls cheered him up. Yeehaa!
Memories of 6'”4 cowboys in Stetsons and little blond gals is short miniskirts proved to be only partially correct. They have their fair share of biffas and we saw the black guy from Blazing Saddles. It REALLY was him. Probably.
Bed by 12:30 hoping that 26 hours without sleep has kick started our systems onto Central Time (GMT -6), but as I'm typing this at 05:30 it clearly hasn't worked. And I'm typing it up off line as do you think the “high speed broadband wired and wireless internet” actually works? RATTY!!!
Unsurprisingly the Rat factor rears its head again as the taxi Mark has booked for 05:20 fails to turn up. Frantic phone calls eventually elicit “its on its way mate...” and we somehow get the train to Manchester Airport where we meet up with Liam and Dawn and check in.
I thought that I'd do some of the blog and find the world's supply of wifi signals, which is great if you could actually log onto any of them. No such thing as a free lunch. But ha! The iPhone comes with free BT Openzone and...I'm in! Which is great until I find out, that while I can type in the post title it won't let me enter the box where you actually type in the post. Bloody marvelous! I try and think how the Rat factor may have come into play, but can't rationalise how. I blame him anyway 'cos it makes me feel better!
Don't you just love waiting around at airports! Mark, Dawn and Liam at O'Hare.We get on the plane and set off on the 8.5 hour flight to Chicago and O'Hare Airport. We spend 2 hours standing in queues and eventually get checked in for the 2 hour flight to Oklahoma City. With a big chunk of the 6.5 hours wait for the connection already having been killed going through the various checks, we find a bar and have some beer and a chicken burger. An uneventful flight on a 50 seater to Will Rogers Airport follows (nice and roomy if you're a pygmy) and have course there is no sign of any of our checked luggage. Ratty!!!
We eventually find it chained up in a corner, it had clearly been smuggled across on an earlier flight. We get checked in to the Wingate Inn, convince ourselves we are feeling “perky” and set off to walk to the Rodeo Club 2 minutes down the road.
You're required to show your passport, to get in (don't ask me why) and of course Mark has brought his driving license. After some lengthy “negotiation” (they have guns and we had followed the instructions on the door that said “strictly no weapons”) we get in to find we had missed the 25 cent on bottles offer by 2 minutes. I'm feeling charitable and choose not to kick a Rat when he's down. We all get stamped in with an invisible stamp and have some beer and play some pool.
The last time I was here was in 2006 and it is still the same – a big cavernous building, with a dance floor with girls doing some unfathomable synchronised dancing and of course the full size rodeo cage...I don't think Mark was too impressed but a couple of beers and watching cowboys trying to kill themselves on giant psychotic bulls cheered him up. Yeehaa!
Memories of 6'”4 cowboys in Stetsons and little blond gals is short miniskirts proved to be only partially correct. They have their fair share of biffas and we saw the black guy from Blazing Saddles. It REALLY was him. Probably.
Bed by 12:30 hoping that 26 hours without sleep has kick started our systems onto Central Time (GMT -6), but as I'm typing this at 05:30 it clearly hasn't worked. And I'm typing it up off line as do you think the “high speed broadband wired and wireless internet” actually works? RATTY!!!
Best laid plans of Rats and Men...
Day 1 - 28th May 2010
Despite months of military style planning there was one thing I hadn't thought about – the Rat factor.
I got the train to Leeds expecting to be picked up by Mark in his shiny new BMW Z4, but no, he turns up in his girlfriends elderly Mazda, which is “very reliable” and “got us all round Belgium” but appears to have developed a “couple of problems” since he last drove it. The brakes have stopped working and the engine revs itself independently of the accelerator pedal. Somehow we limp to his place where he realises that he has left his house key at his girlfriends house. She kindly brings the key round and we get in. A few beers, a nice curry (which involved eating some stupidly hot chillies) and off to bed by 12:30 with a 04:30 start. Terrible nights sleep due to the epileptic otter which is now living in my gut.
Despite months of military style planning there was one thing I hadn't thought about – the Rat factor.
I got the train to Leeds expecting to be picked up by Mark in his shiny new BMW Z4, but no, he turns up in his girlfriends elderly Mazda, which is “very reliable” and “got us all round Belgium” but appears to have developed a “couple of problems” since he last drove it. The brakes have stopped working and the engine revs itself independently of the accelerator pedal. Somehow we limp to his place where he realises that he has left his house key at his girlfriends house. She kindly brings the key round and we get in. A few beers, a nice curry (which involved eating some stupidly hot chillies) and off to bed by 12:30 with a 04:30 start. Terrible nights sleep due to the epileptic otter which is now living in my gut.
Friday, 28 May 2010
Return to Tornado Alley - 2010
Well I can't believe it's 2 years since I was last on the Plains, and tour #3 starts tomorrow! May has been a fantastic month for storms and tornadoes, but as my endowment company likes to say, "past performance is no guarantee of future results". We'll have to wait and see what next week brings and I've yet to see any comments on future weather models. Right now it is quiet - the nerves are starting to set in!
This year I'm not going by myself; I've managed to persuade Mark "Ratty" Hetherington to come with me, and we'll be joined by Liam Smith (who I met on the Plains in 2006) and his friend Dawn Cundy.
Previously, I'd booked with Storm Chasing Adventure Tours, http://www.stormchasing.com/ (that was my tour on their front page) however this year I fancied a change and following Liam's recommendation have chosen to go with Tempest Tours http://www.tempesttours.com/ led by Brian Morganti. Brian's blog is here:http://www.stormeffects.com/recent_events.htm
We're meeting up with Tempest Tours in Oklahoma City on Sunday, so we need to set off on Saturday. I'll have a couple of pints (and no doubt a curry) with Mark in Leeds tonight followed by an early morning train to Manchester Airport, meet up with Liam and Dawn then fly out on American Airlines to Oklahoma City via Chicago. Door to door takes an exhausting 21 hours, then Liam reckons that we are off to the Rodeo Club (a night club with a real live rodeo inside) for a few beers. We shall see!
Storm Chasing is measured in the '000s - Thousands of miles to travel across the pond, around 3000 miles through several states of the US during the tour (so far I've been to Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming and South Dakota) and around £2500 for the week. And as for the beers...
I'm packed and ready to go. I've been planning on what to take for some time so this has been the easy bit. I've got plenty of tech to keep me going:
Nikon D90 & D700 with 16-85, 16-35, 28-105 and 70-300 lenses (no f2.8s - too heavy) plus tripod, GPS, compact camera, piles of filters, batteries and flash cards, laptop and of course the iPhone. If Mark behaves he may get to borrow a camera...The mobile coverage for us UK roamers is hopeless so I'll be using Skype to talk to the folks back home.
I'll try and get the next post out when we reach Oklahoma City. It all depends on getting a wifi signal and having enough time to load up photos etc.
In anticipation!
This year I'm not going by myself; I've managed to persuade Mark "Ratty" Hetherington to come with me, and we'll be joined by Liam Smith (who I met on the Plains in 2006) and his friend Dawn Cundy.
Previously, I'd booked with Storm Chasing Adventure Tours, http://www.stormchasing.com/ (that was my tour on their front page) however this year I fancied a change and following Liam's recommendation have chosen to go with Tempest Tours http://www.tempesttours.com/ led by Brian Morganti. Brian's blog is here:http://www.stormeffects.com/recent_events.htm
We're meeting up with Tempest Tours in Oklahoma City on Sunday, so we need to set off on Saturday. I'll have a couple of pints (and no doubt a curry) with Mark in Leeds tonight followed by an early morning train to Manchester Airport, meet up with Liam and Dawn then fly out on American Airlines to Oklahoma City via Chicago. Door to door takes an exhausting 21 hours, then Liam reckons that we are off to the Rodeo Club (a night club with a real live rodeo inside) for a few beers. We shall see!
Storm Chasing is measured in the '000s - Thousands of miles to travel across the pond, around 3000 miles through several states of the US during the tour (so far I've been to Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming and South Dakota) and around £2500 for the week. And as for the beers...
I'm packed and ready to go. I've been planning on what to take for some time so this has been the easy bit. I've got plenty of tech to keep me going:
Nikon D90 & D700 with 16-85, 16-35, 28-105 and 70-300 lenses (no f2.8s - too heavy) plus tripod, GPS, compact camera, piles of filters, batteries and flash cards, laptop and of course the iPhone. If Mark behaves he may get to borrow a camera...The mobile coverage for us UK roamers is hopeless so I'll be using Skype to talk to the folks back home.
I'll try and get the next post out when we reach Oklahoma City. It all depends on getting a wifi signal and having enough time to load up photos etc.
In anticipation!
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