What's been happening lately?WHAT'S THE LATEST? Take a Look at the Tropics ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Sunday, September 18 @ 1130 EDT: And once again, we have a trifecta of storms... Three areas of interest in the Atlantic. Go HERE for more details on each of them individually.  Sunday, September 18 @ 0100 EDT: Things have been much quieter in the tropical Atlantic lately, but now we have Invest 97L to watch. Of course it's way too early to know what's going to happen with it (as the computer models graphically show), but it's best to stay vigilant during hurricane season!  Thursday, September 8 @ 0800 EDT: And then there were three... Now we have Hurricane Katia, Tropical Storm Maria and Tropical Storm Nate. Wednesday, September 7 @ 0730 EDT: It would appear that Katia will steer clear of the U.S. east coast (although I will keep monitoring it), so now my main attention turns to Tropical Depression #14... which has now been named Maria...  Friday, September 2 @ 1630 EDT: Now we have Tropical Storm Lee in the Gulf of Mexico. Even though it's unlikely to become more than a minimal Cat 1 hurricane before making landfall, this one will probably dump a lot of rain and produce some flooding problems. I was hoping that it would make its way to Texas, where the rain is desperately needed... but it looks like it'll probably end up being a Louisiana landfall. *sigh* I sure hope I'm wrong... Saturday, September 3 @ 1030 EDT: Alas, I was not... Once again, Texas is left dry. Damn...  Wednesday, August 31 @ 2300 EDT: Katia is now a Cat 1 hurricane with sustained winds of 75 mph. All indications are that Katia will be taking the northerly option (see previous post on that). We'll just have to keep watching to see if the east coast of the U.S. will be affected. Stay tuned... Tuesday, August 30 @ 1100 EDT: And then there was Katia. As predicted, she is now a tropical storm. Computer models show her to be a major hurricane (Cat 3 or higher) by around Sunday. Katia is being steered by a ridge of high pressure to her north, and so far has managed to get organized while enduring 15-20 knot shear. That shear is forecast to decrease later today, though, which should allow Katia to intensify soon. If Katia shows a more southward trend in the next day or so, then the Lesser Antilles (and then Puerto Rico, Hispaniola and points beyond... like ME!) will need to consider the possibility of an unwelcome visitor. If not, then my knee jerk reaction is that Bermuda is a possible destination for her. (...although a New England landfall would not be outside the realm of possibility.) We'll just have to wait and see what she's gonna do...  Monday, August 29 @ 1130 EDT: Irene has now done her damage and has headed into Canada as as a tropical depression. Although I am sure things were dangerous in parts of the northeast as Irene passed through, my thoughts are with the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It's one of my favorite places on Earth, and I have no doubt that it looks far far different today than it did the last time I was there. My understanding is that quite a few people chose to ride out the storm there, so my concern is for them. I hope the loss of life was minimal, and that the damage along these beautiful barrier islands was not as awful as I am currently imagining... ...and now, we have yet another storm to watch... Tropical Depression #12... which will soon become Katia.  Sunday, August 21 @ 0900 EDT: ...and then there was Irene... This one could be trouble. Keep up with all of the activity in the tropical Atlantic by going HERE.   Saturday, August 13 @ 1145 EDT: Yep... it's mid-August now, and there's a lot of activity in the Atlantic at the moment. Nothing that will threaten any land mass any time soon, mind you, and probably only one that bears watching for the U.S. (Invest 93L), but it still LOOKS active when you look at the map! TAKE A LOOK AT THE CURRENT ATLANTIC ACTIVITY. (For other parts of the world, there are tabs for that, too.) Monday, August 1 @ 1950 EDT: Well, it's August now, and we have our first activity of serious interest in the Tropics: TS Emily... which has just passed the Windward Islands. Thus far, Emily's development has been impaired by the dry Saharan Air Layer, but strengthening is still expected. For those of us who live in south Florida, it's definitely worth keeping an eye on! Thursday, August 4 @ 2210 EDT: As it looks at the moment, Emily would seem to be a total non-entity. Personally, though, I'm not prepared to take my eye off of her just yet. Hey, call me paranoid... Thursday, June 9 @ 1230 EDT: I am actively working on a "Best of the 2011 Chase" slide show. It is a work in progress, so feel free to check back on occasion. I'm sure it will grow as the days and weeks pass. I have also uploaded a short video called "Nuts!" to YouTube. Just a little monkeying around with the Tour 2 folks. Enjoy! Congrats to Tour 3 for catching a short-lived multi-vortex tornado yesterday in Wisconsin! Yes, I said Wisconsin. Amazing how far storm chasers will go to see a tornado, huh? *lol* Wednesday, June 8 @ 0030 EDT: Oops! I almost forgot... Here's the compilation travel map for Tour 2:  Monday, June 6 @ 1145 EDT: While waiting for my dentist appointment (which will hopefully resolve the pain that I'm now in), I have been working on some of the shots that I took last Wednesday. Here are a few of them. Sunday, June 5 @ 2015 EDT: Back home now, exhausted and still a bit saddened that the chase is over for me for 2011. On top of that, I've got a killer toothache, too. Well, hopefully I can watch a Miami Heat victory over the Dallas Mavericks. THAT would help my attitude a lot! For a few shots from today's trip back from Norman, OK, GO HERE. Sunday, June 5 @ 1000 CDT: Well, that'll pretty much do it! We had the group dinner last night and we met many of the Tour 3 chasers. Now all that's left is to head back home. I'm at Will Rogers Airport now, waiting for my flight. As always, it's been a blast and I'm sad to be leaving... but there's always 2012! I'll look forward to it as I do every year. Best of luck to Tour 3 and I hope they get to see some awesome storms! Saturday, June 4 @ 2300 CDT: Well, that'll pretty much do it! We've had the group dinner and met many of the Tour 3 chasers, and now all that's left is to get a decent night's sleep and head back home. As always, it's been a blast and I'm sad to be leaving... but there's always 2012! I'll look forward to it as I do every year. Best of luck to Tour 3 and I hope they get to see some awesome storms! For a few shots from the day, GO HERE. Oh, and here's today's travel map:  Saturday, June 4 @ 1330 CDT: Here are the states that we chased in, split up for each of the 2011 tours:   Saturday, June 4 @ 1130 CDT: We have left Amarillo and are on our way back to Norman, OK. This year's chase is all but over...  Saturday, June 4 @ 0830 CDT: After an aborted chase yesterday (Dewpoints were ridiculous, so storms simply weren't going to happen.) and a visit to Monument Rocks (See pictures here.), we headed to Amarillo, TX and the Big Texan for a great steak dinner. Now it looks like any chances of tornadoes today (and only 2% at that) are simply too far from Norman, OK for us to reasonably chase and then still be able to get back in time for early flights tomorrow morning. As a result, I'm guessing that we'll have a leisurely breakfast here in Amarillo, TX and then head back to Norman.  Here's yesterday's travel map:  Friday, June 3 @ 1500 CDT: Chase cancelled... Dewpoints are horrendous! Instead, we are diverting to the Big Texan. A late dinner for this crew, and probably a group photo there, too!  Friday, June 3 @ 1145 CDT: We're preparing to leave Hays, KS and will head west, for a marginal storm chance. Friday, June 3 @ 0915 CDT: Damn... Damn damn damn!  Thursday, June 2 @ 2330 CDT: Today was fun, and we introduced some newbies to the "Large and Bizarre" world that is called Central Kansas. A visit here just doesn't seem complete unless we visit the World's Largest Ball of Sisal Twine (on top of which, George planked) and the Garden of Eden. (See pictures here.) Here's the day's travel map:  Thursday, June 2 @ 1300 CDT: We now shift to the "Large and Bizarre" version of Cloud 9 Tours. Since we don't have anything reasonable to chase for the day, it looks like we'll be touring the local points of interest... which will likely be Lucas, KS, and the Garden of Eden. Tomorrow might give us something to chase (crossing my fingers), and then Saturday will probably just be the drive back to Norman, OK. Thursday, June 2 @ 1000 CDT: Yesterday was a GREAT chase day, even though we didn't see any (verifiable) tornadoes. We did see several potential tornadoes, but simply couldn't verify that they were on the ground. Otherwise, we saw excellent structure, lots of hail and were able to witness (and photograph) lots of great lightning. See pictures here. (...with more to follow, as I wade my way through all of 'em!) So now I'm down to my last three days of chasing... and things look pretty marginal, to say the least. Still, things could change, and half the fun is the chase itself... so we shall see!  And here's yesterday's travel map:  Wednesday, June 1 @ 1145 CDT: The 1630z is out... and it looks like we'll probably need to move a bit farther to the west than originally anticipated.  Wednesday, June 1 @ 1115 CDT: We've headed out of O'Neill, NE and are bound (initially) for Ogallala, NE for whatever Mother Nature provides us. Whatever happens, it will be better than yesterday! Wednesday, June 1 @ 0900 CDT: Congratulations to the Heat for a Game 1 victory! Woohoooo!!! Now it's back to the chase! ...and here's yesterday's travel map... all seven miles of it! *lol* :  Tuesday, May 31 @ 2315 CDT: GO HEAT!!!  Tuesday, May 31 @ 1230 CDT: Yep... We're just figuring out a way to spend the day today, biding our time for storms around here tomorrow. Perhaps a movie or something? Oh yeah! There's Game 1 of the NBA finals tonight! Tuesday, May 31 @ 0845 CDT: Today's SPC forecast is of a Moderate Risk, but it's primarily for Michigan, and that would be a L-O-N-G haul. Given that we would have to make that trip again to get back to this neck of the woods (Nebraska) again tomorrow, I strongly suspect that today will be a down day. Here's yesterday's travel map:  Monday, May 30 @ 2300 CDT: We had a great chase day --- nice structure, large hail (up to 4"), a little mammatus, a gustnado and possibly also a landspout --- but no tornado. All in all, though, we had a blast! For some pictures from the day, GO HERE. Now I need SLEEEEEEEEEP! Monday, May 30 @ 1300 CDT: The updated SPC forecast is out. DAY 1 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 1121 AM CDT MON MAY 30 2011 VALID 301630Z - 311200Z ...THERE IS A MDT RISK OF SVR TSTMS THIS AFTERNOON INTO EARLY TONIGHT FROM CENTRAL NEB TO ERN SD...WRN MN...AND EXTREME SE ND... ...THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS FROM NORTHWEST OK NORTHWARD ACROSS MUCH OF THE CENTRAL/NORTHERN PLAINS... A BROAD UPPER TROUGH IS PRESENT TODAY OVER THE WESTERN STATES...WITH A SHORTWAVE TROUGH EVIDENT IN WATER VAPOR IMAGERY ROUNDING THE BASE OF THE TROUGH OVER NM. THIS FEATURE WILL LIFT NORTHWARD ACROSS THE HIGH PLAINS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...LEADING TO AN ACTIVE ZONE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM CENTRAL KS INTO THE DAKOTAS AND WESTERN MN. ...NEB/DAKOTAS/MN... A WEAK SURFACE COLD FRONT CURRENTLY EXTENDS FROM SOUTHEAST ND INTO NORTH CENTRAL NEB. THIS FRONT WILL MOVE ONLY SLOWLY SOUTHEASTWARD TODAY...AND WILL LIKELY RETREAT NORTHWARD LATER TODAY OVER ND/MN AS CYCLOGENESIS OCCURS OVER THE REGION. THE FRONT WILL SERVE AS THE PRIMARY FOCUS FOR THUNDERSTORM INITIATION THIS AFTERNOON AS FULL SUNSHINE OCCURS IN THE WARM SECTOR. AFTERNOON MLCAPE VALUES OF 3000+ J/KG ARE EXPECTED...ALONG WITH A NARROW AXIS OF WEAK CINH ALONG THE FRONT. PRESENT INDICATIONS ARE THAT STORMS WILL FORM ON THE FRONT AROUND 21Z FROM THE TRIPLE POINT OVER CENTRAL NEB NORTHWARD INTO THE EASTERN DAKOTAS. STRONG WINDS THROUGH THE TROPOSPHERE WILL PROMOTE SUPERCELL STORM STRUCTURES. HOWEVER...ORIENTATION OF FRONT TO UPPER WINDS MAKE STORM-MODE FORECASTS COMPLEX. INITIAL STORMS MAY POSE A RISK OF TORNADOES. BUT A RATHER QUICK EVOLUTION TO A SQUALL LINE APPEARS LIKELY WITH EMBEDDED BOWS POSSIBLE. THROUGH THE EVENING...LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE EXPECTED ALONG THE SQUALL LINE AS IT MOVES INTO WESTERN NEB AND NORTHWEST IA. Monday, May 30 @ 1130 CDT: We have left Sioux Falls, SD and are tentatively headed towards Bassett, NE... Monday, May 30 @ 0915 CDT: Today's SPC prediction is a bit different from last night. I think we'll probably shift southwest before things start bubbling up... Sunday, May 29 @ 2200 CDT: We have moved to Sioux Falls, SD now and are looking forward to a great chase day tomorrow. The SPC has already made it a MODERATE RISK day, and conditions look... well... I don't want to jinx it. Anyway, here's today's travel map:  Sunday, May 29 @ 1245 CDT: Well, our chase once again became a non-chase day... *frown* The conditions were simply not conducive to tornadoes, so instead, we're hanging around Norfolk, NE at the moment. A few folks are taking care of some laundry needs, and then we'll head to Sioux Falls, SD for the night. In all probability, that should put us in a good position for what appears to be a VERY good chase day tomorrow. *crosses fingers* Here's the updated map for tomorrow:  Sunday, May 29 @ 1000 CDT: SOMEBODY has been VERY bad!!! Sunday, May 29 @ 0900 CDT: Here's a time-lapse of last Monday's chase. As you will see, sometimes the chase is more interesting than the tornado! Sunday, May 29 @ 0815 CDT: The setup for today doesn't look quite as good this morning as it did last night before I went to bed. It will be very interesting to see what Charles has in mind for us as a result. Tomorrow, though, looks to be a GREAT chase day! Hopefully today will end up being a good one as well. Saturday, May 28 @ 2300 CDT: We made the drive to Norfolk, NE today, looking forward to (hopefully) good chase conditions for the next few days. We took the opportunity to visit a favorite restaurant of ours --- Whiskey Creek --- and eat a delicious steak there (while also scaring the locals, as often happens whenever we show up). Not much else to report, so I'll give you the travel map of the day and go grab some shuteye...  Saturday, May 28 @ 1120 CDT: Given the nuclear-grade CAP, today's chase has become a travel day instead. We're leaving Wichita, KS now and are moving north to Nebraska, in hopes of better chase conditions for the next two days (at least). Saturday, May 28 @ 0900 CDT: Looks like we might be headed east today, given the updated forecast by the SPC. We're in Wichita, KS now, so I guess we'll just have to wait and see what Charles thinks. Here are a few shots from yesterday's busted chase... ...and here's yesterday's travel map:  Friday, May 27 @ 2230 CDT: After a busted chase, we're heading north to spend the night in Wichita, KS. Tomorrow's prognostications look like we'll be chasing in Kansas, so we should be positioned nicely. For now, though, here are some shots from the day. Friday, May 27 @ 1845 CDT: BUST!!! Today, the CAP won. Nothing to chase. Friday, May 27 @ 1745 CDT: We're sitting around a convenience store store / service station in Perkins, OK... waiting for initiation at some point between 6 and 7 local time. *crosses fingers* Friday, May 27 @ 1500 CDT: With a little time to kill, we decided to drop by the beauty salon in Shawnee and surprise Lori. Friday, May 27 @ 1115 CDT: We're leaving Arkansas now, heading into Oklahoma. Looks like we're initially targeting a spot just north of Oklahoma City... Friday, May 27 @ 0900 CDT: There's only a slight chance of tornadoes today, but we'll go for it anyway! We're in Van Buren, AR now, but we'll be heading into Oklahoma after we grab some breakfast. Wish us luck, 'cause I'm riding shotgun today! If anything happens, I should get really good pictures and video! Thursday, May 26 @ 2330 CDT: We made our way west today, ending up in Van Buren, AR (just outside Fort Smith). Hopefully that will be a good spot for any activity that might happen tomorrow. Overall, a quiet day, and a distinct change from the first four days of Tour 2. During the respite, I have attempted to catch up on my pictures so I can share them with you. For yesterday's selection, GO HERE. For today's shots, GO HERE. Here's today's travel map:  Thursday, May 26 @ 1300 CDT: We've left Memphis and are headed back to Oklahoma now --- most likely Henryetta, OK --- and hope to be well-situated for a chase tomorrow. Thursday, May 26 @ 1020 CDT: Today will just be a travel day, positioning ourselves for a possible chase tomorrow. We can all use a day to rest up a bit! Thursday, May 26 @ 0830 CDT: Yesterday's chase took us into uncharted territory for Cloud 9 Tours... all the way across Arkansas and into Tennessee! Storms were moving so fast that we were flying, just trying to keep up with them. After finally giving up on a cell in northeastern Arkansas that we simply couldn't keep up with (due to its speed and the difficulties of the road network), we finally chased a cell across the Mississippi River into Memphis, TN. Just before crossing the river, though, we paused long enough to witness this sight just a few hundred yards from us to the south. INCREDIBLE!!! Here's a shot that I got while we followed the same cell across the river into Memphis, TN:  So after the events of the last four days, most of us will welcome a short respite. (I don't know about everybody else on Tour 2, but personally, I'm exhausted!) Since there's really nothing to chase that's within a reasonable distance, today will be a travel day. We'll reposition ourselves for whatever may come tomorrow. Here's yesterday's travel map:  Wednesday, May 25 @ 1300 CDT: I'm trying to catch up on processing some of the pictures and video from the last few days while we're driving to northeastern Arkansas... I just finished uploading a short video from yesterday's Fairview, OK tornado, so here's the link to that. Wednesday, May 25 @ 1115 CDT: Leaving Oklahoma, headed for northeastern Arkansas. Oh, and here's yesterday's travel map:  Wednesday, May 25 @ 0900 CDT: For the second day in a row, Fairview, OK was the location of a nice, non-destructive tornado. (See pictures HERE.) A welcome change after we witnessed events in Jopin, MO on Sunday. Unfortunately, after we saw this tornado, many areas to our south were pummeled by VERY destructive tornadoes... especially Piedmont, OK, where many of our chase friends and their families live. We were relieved to hear that none of them were injured... though several of them DID lose their homes. The storms this year are killers, folks, so be careful out there!!! So today we will likely head into non-traditional territory for Cloud 9 Tours: Arkansas. With a moderate risk for tornadoes there and a likely down day (i.e., non-chase day) tomorrow, it's just too good and too close to pass up. Tuesday, May 24, @ 1500 CDT: We're tracking another cell in the same area where we saw the Okeene/Fairview tornado yesterday, so my updates will likely be sporadic after this.  Oh, and before I forget it, here's yesterday's travel map:  Tuesday, May 24 @ 1200 CDT: We're leaving Norman, OK now, headed for somewhere near the Oklahoma/Kansas border... probably somewhere around the I-35 corridor. We'll reassess as we get closer, but it may be somewhat more difficult than usual: Multiple computer failures today... most importantly, Charles' AND John's laptops. We'll have to make do with whatever data sources we can muster. Tuesday, May 24 @ 0830 CDT: TORNADO!!!  No, it wasn't at all photogenic, and no, it didn't last long... but who cares? It counts! (See more shots HERE.) As far as I know, this one affected no one and nothing, so it's FAR better than the situation that we saw on Sunday. (See video here for more on Sunday's devastation in Joplin, MO.) And today has already been set as a high risk day by the SPC, so things could be very active once again. Of course, high risk or "outbreak" prediction days are typically a complete jinx, so we'll just have to wait and see how it plays out. I just hope Joplin isn't involved... Monday, May 23 @ 1430 CDT: Looks like the CAP is gonna stay pretty strong down here, so we're moving north a bit. Leaving OKC now... While I've got a few seconds to spare, let me give you the composite plot of the travel map for Tour 1. It comprised travel to eight states, and covered a total of 5010 miles.  Monday, May 23 @ 1200 CDT: Leaving Tulsa now, bound for the Oklahoma City area. Today's setup doesn't look quite as good as yesterday, but it still has been listed as a "Moderate Risk" day by the SPC for much of Oklahoma. For a few pictures from yesterday (No shots of the storm itself, though... Sorry!), click HERE. And here's yesterday's travel map:  Monday, May 23 @ 0915 CDT: Just a quick update for now because my time is short. Yesterday was amazing... and devastating as the same time. I didn't get any still shots of the situation in Joplin, but I was shooting video. Hopefully I will be able to process some of the footage and upload it to YouTube some time today/tonight. For now, though, here's today's SPC graphic: Sunday, May 22 @ 2345 CDT: For those of you who aren't already aware, yes, we were in Joplin, MO on Sunday... just moments after the tornado(es) hit and did unbelievable damage. We were some of the first on the scene for around a dozen tractor trailers that had been blown over near Exit 11 on Highway 44. Several of our group are emergency responders and lent assistance to a few of the injured truckers there... including transport to the hospital for a couple of them. The devastation there was unfathomable, and my thoughts are with this devastated community... Now I need sleep.................................. Sunday, May 22 @ 1600 CDT: We're headed for a tornado-warned cell in Kansas.  Sunday, May 22 @ 1230 CDT: We've gotten our "lost child" from the airport (who was stranded yesterday due to power problems in Minneapolis) and now we're headed towards Tulsa, OK. Conditions look pretty good for us for at least the first few days of Tour 2, so we're hopeful and we'll see how it goes. As for looking back at Tour 1, here's the data for the tour:  ...and here's yesterday's travel map:  Sunday, May 22 @ 0830 CDT: MADDENING!!! We hung around Coffeyville, KS yesterday, waiting for the CAP to break... and then when we realized we needed to be SE of OKC, we just couldn't get there in time. By the time we reached the cell, it was falling apart. Looks like many of our friends got to see the Ada, OK tornado, though, so congrats to them! Now we start Tour 2, saying a fond farewell to our Tour 1 friends... Here's today's tornado outlook: Saturday, May 21 @ 1730 CDT: Okay, so the CAP is just too strong today... We give up. We're gonna head back to Norman, OK now. We'll stop somewhere along the way and grab some dinner. Saturday, May 21 @ 1700 CDT: Still sitting around a convenience store in Coffeyville, KS... and no cells are popping up yet. *yawn* It WAS good getting to see Mark and Rebecca, though! You guys be safe out there! I feel sure we'll be bumping into you once or twice during the next couple of weeks! Saturday, May 21 @ 1110 CDT: We're leaving Wichita now, headed for our initial target, Coffeyville, KS. Saturday, May 21 @ 0900 CDT: Yesterday's chase was fantastic! No, we didn't get to see a tornado, but there was lightning, hail, great structure and an opportunity for some nighttime lightning photography. All in all, the only way it could've been better would've been if was HAD seen a tornado! For pictures, go HERE. For now, though, it's the last chase day for Tour 1. Here are the graphics for today and tomorrow... ...and here's yesterday's travel map:  Friday, May 20 @ 1600 CDT: We're tracking a cell east of Greensburg, KS... along with about a million other chasers.  Friday, May 20 @ 1137 CDT: Abort! Abort! Change of plan... The latest forecast just came out, and now we're headed right back to Pratt. U-turn!!! Friday, May 20 @ 1130 CDT: We're leaving Pratt, KS, initially targeting Wichita, KS... or perhaps just a bit north of there. Friday, May 20 @ 0900 CDT: Yesterday's chase didn't produce any tornadoes for us, but at least we had a proper chase and got to see some structure. (See some pictures HERE.) We still have a couple of days to chase before we have to head back to Norman, OK to drop off the Tour 1 folks and pick up the Tour 2 folks, so we're not giving up yet! Here's the travel map for yesterday:  ...and here are the SPC graphics for today and tomorrow: Thursday, May 19 @ 1240 CDT: An MCD has been issued for our vicinity...  MESOSCALE DISCUSSION 0810 NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 1230 PM CDT THU MAY 19 2011 AREAS AFFECTED...NWRN TX AND WRN OK CONCERNING...SEVERE POTENTIAL...TORNADO WATCH LIKELY VALID 191730Z - 191800Z A TORNADO WATCH WILL BE COORDINATED SOON FOR PARTS OF NWRN TX THROUGH WRN OK. EARLY AFTERNOON SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWED AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE OVER WEST CENTRAL KS WITH A DRY LINE EXTENDING SWD ALONG AND INVOF THE WRN OK/TX PANHANDLE BORDER AND THEN THROUGH CDS TO WEST CENTRAL TX. ONGOING STRONG SURFACE HEATING ALONG AND WEST OF THE DRY LINE COMBINED WITH AN ENHANCED AREA OF LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE FROM KING TO CHILDRESS COUNTIES TX ARE SUPPORTING DEEPER CU DEVELOPMENT. OBJECTIVE ANALYSES INDICATED THE ENVIRONMENT ALONG THE DRY LINE NWD INTO SOUTH CENTRAL KS IS UNCAPPED WITH MLCAPE OF 2000-3000 J/KG. THIS COMBINED WITH STEEP LAPSE RATES AND EFFECTIVE BULK SHEAR OF 35-50 KT WILL SUPPORT SUPERCELLS. GIVEN EXPECTED BACKING OF MID-UPPER LEVEL WINDS...STORM MOTION SHOULD BE TOWARD THE NNE WITH TORNADOES BECOMING LIKELY AS CELLS MOVE INTO CORRIDOR OF GREATER LOW LEVEL MOISTURE AND HIGHER VALUES OF EFFECTIVE SRH LOCATED ALONG AND E OF THE DRY LINE. ..PETERS.. 05/19/2011 Thursday, May 19 @ 1130 CDT: It appears that there are two areas of interest, with one to the north and one to the south. We're probably going to head toward Greensburg, KS and keep an eye on both spots, waiting to see which one we will eventually commit ourselves to. For now, here's yesterday's travel map:  ...and for those of you who are interested, shots from yesterday can be found HERE. Thursday, May 19 @ 0830 CDT: Well, yesterday was a total bust. Nothing ever happened. We sat in the middle of a tornado-warned area, watching skies that simply refused to produce a thunderstorm... much less a mesocyclone. And this morning's look at conditions don't look nearly as good for today as I had hoped, either. Well, I guess all you can do is go for it and hope for the best, right? Here are the SPC graphics for the final three days for Tour 1. We REALLY need something to pan out for us... ASAP!  Wednesday, May 18 @ 1910 CDT: We haven't officially given up on today's chase, but pretty darn close. We still need to put some miles behind us to position ourselves for tomorrow's chase, and that means making it to Wichita tonight. We've left Watonga and are headed in that direction. Wednesday, May 18 @ 1800 CDT: Well, we've been hanging around the thriving metropolis of Watonga, OK all afternoon, and just about all that's happened so far is that we've scared and/or entertained the locals. We've even had a CBS news reporter interview several of our crew and tag along on our... umm... chase. So far they've taken video of us bugging out of the parking lot of the convenience store on our way to the public library (in need of better WiFi). Mother Nature is --- again --- being a bitch. *heavy sigh* Wednesday, May 18 @ 1200 CDT: We're headed out of Woodward, OK, bound for Watonga, OK... to likely stand around for a while, hoping for all hell to break loose! Wednesday, May 18 @ 0810 CDT: It would appear that we have a couple of REAL chase days now... FINALLY! Let's just hope they pan out, because time is quickly running out for the Tour 1 folks. Here are the SPC forecast graphics for today and tomorrow: ...and here's yesterday's travel map:  Tuesday, May 17 @ 2215 CDT: Our chase day never even came close to materializing today, so after hitting four different states (Texas, Colorado, Kansas and Oklahoma), we realized the futility of the conditions --- essentially a lack of sufficient moisture to generate anything of interest --- and headed back to the east to try to position ourselves for tomorrow's chase. Days are running out for Tour 1, so we're really hoping that conditions will improve... and FAST. Here's the link for a few random shots from the day. Tuesday, May 17 @ 1120 CDT: We're heading out of Amarillo, TX now, initially targeting southeastern Colorado for the marginal (2%) tornado possibilities there. Tuesday, May 17 @ 0800 CDT: We all had a great time at the Big Texan last night. Although none of our crew attempted the 72-oz. steak, we got to see a little girl give it a go (mostly for show), and there was also a guy who was serious about it... and, for my first time, I actually witnessed someone who was able to finish it off! Wow!!! Pictures of that, and other tomfoolery, can be seen HERE. So now we're back to chase mode (YAY!!!), with conditions looking far better over the next few days. Here are the SPC prognostications:  And for those of you who are keeping up, here's yesterday's travel map:  Monday, May 16, 2011 @ 1810 CDT: We have reservations for the Big Texan at 7 pm (8 pm EDT), and the limos will come and pick us up at the hotel a bit before that. At this point it doesn't appear that any of our group will be attempting the 72-oz. steak, but that could potentially change at the last second. For those of you who would like to witness any such attempts, use this link. On that page, you can select which camera pointed at the stage table that you would prefer to watch.  Monday, May 16, 2011 @ 1015 CDT: As expected, today's weather isn't good for storm chasers. (For "regular folks," though, it's gorgeous! *lol* ) So... given that, we'll head to Amarillo and take in a few sights there... including a visit to the Big Texan. I'll try to give you an update later in the day, too, to let you know if any of our crew will be attempting the 72-oz. steak! If so, you should be able to watch on the Big Texan's live streaming video feed! More on all that later... For now, though, here's yesterday's travel map.  And here's a look-ahead to Wednesday, which appears to be our next best chance for a good chase.  Sunday, May 15, 2011 @ 2315 CDT: We left Hutchinson, KS and returned to "home base," Norman, OK. We got laundry duties out of the way and had dinner (and quite a few drinks!) at Mark and Mike's favorite place: Olive Garden. Now for a good night's sleep and a quick trip tomorrow to Amarillo, TX... and a visit to the Big Texan. Will any of our crew try for the 72-oz. steak? We shall see! For now, though, here are some pictures from the day. Sunday, May 15, 2011 @ 1130 CDT: We're headed out of Hutchinson, KS, bound for the Guest Inn in Norman, OK. Sunday, May 15, 2011 @ 0845 CDT: Once again, today's tornado probability looks craptastic... as does tomorrow's probabilistic forecast. After that, things look like they will begin shifting back to "normal" in the Plains, but how soon that translates into a good chase day remains in question. My guess is that we will head back to Norman, OK today, and then after that, where we go tomorrow will be dependent upon how quickly things are developing, and where. It's entirely possible that we'll head down to Amarillo, TX for a trip to the Big Texan (and other local haunts of ours) if things look to be developing slowly. We shall see... For now, though, here's yesterday's travel map... all 3.4 miles of it! Hahahahaha!!!  Saturday, May 14, 2011 @ 2130 CDT: For a non-chase day, we all had a pretty good day here in Hutchinson, KS, I must admit. We spent pretty much all day at the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center, touring the facility and watching two IMAX features, "Tornado Alley" and "Hubble"... both of which, very enjoyable. See? Even if we don't have tornadoes to chase, we STILL find a way to catch a tornado or two! *lol* Pictures from the day's activities? Sure! Here are a few. Saturday, May 14, 2011 @ 0830 CDT: Today's tornado probability looks craptastic. Tomorrow's probabilistic forecast looks craptastic. Monday's outlook looks craptastic. So... we'll spend our time doing fun stuff! (...and perhaps we'll do a laundry run, too.) Today, for example, it's a trip to the Kansas Cosmosphere & Space Center to catch the IMAX film, "Tornado Alley"... and possibly the "Hubble 3D" feature as well. As a result, I probably won't be doing many updates during the course of the day, so I'll try to get caught up tonight. Have a GREAT day, everybody! Friday, May 13, 2011 @2245 CDT: We got into Hutchinson and I had an EXCELLENT pulled pork sandwich at Hog Wild Pit BBQ. Mmmmmmmm!!! We'll sleep late and then go see "Tornado Alley" at the IMAX theater here. (Some of us also plan to catch the other feature that's playing... "Hubble 3D") Anyway, for now here are a few shots from the "Large and Bizarre Tour" day... Click HERE for those. And here's today's travel map, too:  Friday, May 13, 2011 @1830 CDT: CORRECTION: We're heading to Hutchinson to spend the night tonight instead of Salina. Friday, May 13, 2011 @ 1730 CDT: We've finished with the "World's Largest Ball of Sisal Twine" and the "Garden of Eden" and are proceeding to Salina, KS where we'll spend the night. Not a whole lot of pictures today, but I'll post a few later. Friday, May 13, 2011 @ 1400 CDT: Looks like today will see us doing the "Large and Bizarre Tour." I believe we're headed for Cawker City, KS ("World's Largest Ball of Twine") and Lucas, KS ("Garden of Eden"). Goose bumps ensue... *lol* Friday, May 13, 2011 @ 1145 CDT: We've left Lincoln, NE and are headed for Salina, KS for tonight. (Damn, it was cold this morning in Lincoln! BRRRRR!!!) Anyway, there's nothing to chase, so we'll probably do some touristy stuff today. Then tomorrow, we're going to Hutchinson, KS to see the IMAX movie "Tornado Alley." Should be good! Friday, May 13, 2011 @ 0900 CDT: Our chase yesterday was fun, and we got to see some good action and experience a nice hail storm, but no funnel clouds. Individual cells looked somewhat promising, and then they would turn into mush. Oh well... Mother Nature just works that way sometimes. Photos from the day can be found HERE. And on top of that, things don't look terribly promising (chasing-wise) for the next couple of days. Most of the activity has moved far to our east (into very very difficult chase territory), so it will be interesting to see what Charles has planned for us. More as I hear it, of course! So here's yesterday's travel map:  ...and here's the SPC's version of what things look like for today and tomorrow:  Thursday, May 12, 2011 @ 1530 CDT: So much for our visit to Missouri... Now we're headed for Nebraska! Thursday, May 12, 2011 @ 1330 CDT: We've made it into Missouri now... Heading through Kansas City and then we'll head a little farther southeast. Then we will reassess the conditions.  Thursday, May 12, 2011 @ 1230 CDT: Here's the latest update from the SPC... Thursday, May 12, 2011 @ 0930 CDT: We're heading east out of Hays, KS, bound for the interior regions of Missouri. In the meantime, here's a panorama of a supercell that we tracked yesterday in Colorado.  Thursday, May 12, 2011 @ 0700 CDT: Sorry for the delay with my updates! After we got into Colorado on yesterday's chase, I had some power-related problems and lost my Internet access. Then, after we saw some nice development on a cell north of Burlington, CO (including lots of pea-size to nickel-size hail... and Van 1 getting stuck in the mud), we headed back east. We needed to position ourselves for today's chase, and that looked to be somewhere along the eastern side of Kansas/Oklahoma, so we had to put some miles behind us. We ended up spending the night in Hays, KS, and are up early this morning to continue heading east. For some pictures from the day, go to THIS LINK. And here's the SPC graphic for tornado probabilities today:  ...and yesterday's travel map:  More updates as time (and Internet connectivity) permits... Wednesday, May 11, 2011 @ 1430 CDT: Things are looking better and better! We're approaching Dodge City and will continue moving into position for when the cells start popping up.  Wednesday, May 11, 2011 @ 1130 CDT: We're headed out of Great Bend, KS, initially heading for Kinsley, KS...  Wednesday, May 11, 2011 @ 0830 CDT: Today could be a VERY good chase day... and I'm riding shotgun as well. Whatever happens, I should get some great photos and video! And for those of you who are interested, here are a few pictures from yesterday's travel day. The travel map is shown below.  Tuesday, May 10, 2011 @ 1800 CDT: Correction: We're going to spend the night in Great Bend, KS. I must have wax in my ears. *blush* Tuesday, May 10, 2011 @ 1500 CDT: Now we're headed to Grand Island, NE for the night. Apparently the prognostications for tomorrow have shifted somewhat to the northeast, so I guess Monument Rocks is out (at least for today). Tuesday, May 10, 2011 @ 1145 CDT: We've left Valentine, NE, and are headed south. Rumor has it that we might stop at Monument Rocks for some sunset shots. That would be AWESOME! For now, though, here's a post-brunch group shot for today.  Tuesday, May 10, 2011 @ 0830 CDT: Good morning, all! A quick look at the SPC outlooks would appear to support last night's thoughts: Today will probably just be a travel day, looking for better chase opportunities farther south tomorrow (and then possibly on Thursday as well, farther east). Here are the graphics, for reference: Monday, May 9, 2011 @ 1820 CDT: Game over! Today was not meant to bring us storms --- at least not any during daylight hours --- so we just called it a day and are heading to Valentine, NE for the night. Tomorrow looks to be a travel day, too, to set up for possible storms in Kansas on Wednesday. For a small selection of shots from the day, click on THIS LINK. Monday, May 9, 2011 @ 1445 CDT: Welcome to South Dakota!  Monday, May 9, 2011 @ 1335 CDT: Some of the restaurants are starting to figure out how to deal with our crew...  We're not too far from the Nebraska / South Dakota state line now. It's likely that we will stop for a photo op. Monday, May 9, 2011 @ 1230 CDT: We've left O'Neill, NE and are headed (at least initially) for Murdo, SD. There's only a 2% chance of tornadoes today, according to the SPC, but we've had great 2% chance days before! Monday, May 9, 2011 @ 0900 CDT: Ahhhhhh... Finally a good night's sleep! I have now recovered from preps for the trip and the trip itself, so hopefully today's chase will be a big improvement as well. A quick look at the SPC reports (see below) don't exactly predict an outbreak today, but conditions look somewhat more promising than yesterday, so that's somewhat encouraging. Anyway, more info as I know more to report. Have a great Monday, everybody!  Sunday, May 8, 2011 @ 2300 CDT: After a long day of travel, covering a total of 578 miles, we got to see a few small clouds and about six drops of rain... oh, and a couple of puffs of mammatus. Well, that's just the way it goes sometimes. Here's the travel map for the day:  The good part is that we're in position for whatever is going to happen tomorrow, so at least we'll get to sleep in tomorrow morning! Woohoooo!!! I'm looking forward to that! Here's the current probabilistic outlook for tomorrow:  ...and a couple of notable sights for the day... for what it's worth. For additional shots from the day, just CLICK HERE.   Sunday, May 8, 2011 @ 0815 CDT: Looks to me like conditions deteriorated somewhat overnight, but Nebraska still looks to be our best bet. Our target area now is farther south, probably somewhere along the I-80 corridor. (Kearney, perhaps? That's been a lucky location for us before!) Anyway, we've set out and are heading north. Lots of miles to put behind us today... HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, EVERYBODY!!! Saturday, May 7, 2011 @ 2200 CDT: Here's a link to a few shots that I took during this evening's orientation. Looks like it's going to be a good group of people to chase with. Roughly half of the group I've chased with before... and half that I haven't. The fun starts tomorrow! Saturday, May 7, 2011 @ 1900 CDT: I just got word that we are going to make it an early start tomorrow. We're having our group orientation tonight at 9 pm and then we're meeting at 8 am to load up and boogie north. Looks like our best chance will be up in Nebraska (not unlike how it worked out for my first day of chasing in 2004)... so we will have a LONG drive ahead of us. In addition, there's a possibility that Tuesday may find us in Minnesota, of all places! There's lots of time for that to change, though... Saturday, May 7, 2011: I made it to Oklahoma with relative ease, and look forward to seeing everybody as they fly in from various locations all over the world. Will there be something to chase tomorrow? Perhaps... so we'll see what Charles has to say about it! Here's what the SPC shows for their Probabilistic Forecast...  Friday, May 6, 2011: I leave TOMORROW, and then my 2011 chase season starts on Sunday. Can't wait to get started! Tuesday, April 26, 2011: Just a few more days until the 2011 chase season starts again for me. As I am certain you are aware, the tornado activity has been extremely active so far in April, and unfortunately there have been way too many fatalities and injuries thus far... not to mention the extent of home, business and property damage. My thoughts and best wishes go out to all who have been affected by these storms. And before you say it, yes, it is my sincere hope that we will get to see lots of beautiful, photogenic storms during the chase, but we do *NOT* want to see anything other than great storms out in the middle of nowhere, churning up dirt! No self-respecting storm chaser wants to see death and destruction! If you hear anyone say otherwise, then they're not true chasers and are not welcome within our close-knit group of weirdos! 'Nuff said... Anyway, that's about it for now. I still have many preparations to make prior to catching my flight to Oklahoma City on Saturday, May 7th. More updates to follow as that date approaches............. Monday, Feb. 28, 2011: Well, hurricane season was pretty much a non-event for us here in south Florida, and we are all thankful for that... even though there are a few of us who enjoy seeing some "energetic" weather. Nonetheless, tornado season officially starts tomorrow, and that means I need to start getting prepared for this year's chase! I will once again be chasing with Cloud 9 Tours, and will be in Tornado Alley from Saturday, May 7th until Sunday, June 5th. It's always a lot of fun, and I can't wait to see my "other family" once again! More details, of course, as time gets closer... FOR EARLIER BLOGS AND PICTURE LINKS, PLEASE REFER TO "CHASE NOTES" and/or "CHASE DATA" PAGES.  Psychological signals: * chasing storms as a way to forget problems or to relax * withdrawal or keeping secrets from family and friends * loss of interest in activities that used to be important * problems with schoolwork, such as slipping grades or absences * changes in friendships, such as hanging out only with friends who chase storms * spending a lot of time figuring out how to get to the good storms * stealing or selling belongings to be able to afford to chase * failed attempts to stop chasing * anxiety, anger, or depression * a severe craving for Krispy Kreme doughnuts  * changes in sleeping habits * feeling shaky or sick when trying to stop chasing * needing to chase more frequently to get the same effect * changes in eating habits, including weight loss or gain  Supercell Deprivation Syndrome (SDS) This is a particularly debilitating disease for Weatheraholics. For more information on it, GO HERE.
Getting Help It requires the help of professionals. Seek them out, and heed their advice. Here is one of those professionals...If you think you're addicted to the weather, recognizing that you have a problem is the first step in getting help. A lot of people think they can kick the problem on their own, but that doesn't work for most people. |
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