posted May 11, 2012 7:20 AM by Thad Bowling
0915 CDT:
Yesterday's chase was a great one! Essentially, we started chasing as
soon as we finished breakfast (around 11:00 CDT), heading toward a
nearby cell immediately, and continuing to chase until almost 9 pm! Two
tornadoes, lots of great structure, super lightning bolts and some hail,
too! Wooohoooo!!! We had a blast!
Today, however, looks to be a down day. For that matter, so does
tomorrow. We're back in San Antonio again, so it will be interesting to
see what we end up doing for entertainment, while still keeping in mind
where we need to be drifting toward for future chase opportunities. As
always, I will let you know when I know it!
Have a great day, everybody!
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posted May 10, 2012 6:52 AM by Thad Bowling
[
updated May 10, 2012 3:00 PM
]
0840 CDT:
It looks like we may have something to chase today! Wooohoooo!!! Okay
okay, so we're not exactly talking about an outbreak, but we've got a
chance, so let's do it! Here's the map, along with the text from the
Storm Prediction Center (SPC):
DAY 1 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0758 AM CDT THU MAY 10 2012
VALID 101300Z - 111200Z
...THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS PARTS OF SRN THROUGH SERN TX...
...SYNOPSIS...
A PROGRESSIVE SPLIT FLOW PATTERN WILL PREVAIL THIS PERIOD...WITH NRN
MEXICO UPR LOW CONTINUING E TO ENE INTO CNTRL TX AS LWR GRT LKS
TROUGH FURTHER AMPLIFIES UPON MOVING E INTO NEW ENGLAND AND THE MID
ATLANTIC. ELSEWHERE...POSITIVE-TILT PACIFIC NW/NRN RCKYS TROUGH
EXPECTED TO REACH THE NRN PLNS BY 12Z FRI.
AT THE SFC...FRONTAL ZONE THAT ENTERED THE LWR RIO GRANDE ON TUE
SHOULD STRENGTHEN AND REDEVELOP NWD INTO S TX LATER TODAY...WHILE
THE ERN PART OF THE SAME BOUNDARY CONTINUES SLOWLY SE ACROSS
CNTRL/SRN FL. THE BOUNDARY...AND ASSOCIATED WAA FIELD...WILL SERVE
AS A FOCUS FOR STRONG TO SVR TSTMS OVER PARTS OF TX TODAY THROUGH
EARLY FRI...AND ALSO MAY SUPPORT SCTD STRONG STORMS IN FL THIS AFTN.
...S CNTRL INTO S AND SE TX TODAY/TNGT...
COMBINATION OF VERY RICH MOISTURE /PW 1.25 TO 1.75 INCHES WITH UPR
60S TO LOW 70S F DEWPOINTS/...INCREASING WAA/UPR ASCENT WITH
APPROACHING UPR LOW...AND SFC HEATING EXPECTED TO SUPPORT SEVERAL
EPISODES OF STRONG TO SVR TSTMS OVER A LARGE PART OF SRN AND SERN TX
THIS PERIOD.
CURRENT BAND OF SCTD STORMS OVER THE LWR RIO GRANDE VLY LIKELY IS
BEING FOSTERED BY LOW LVL WAA/MOISTURE TRANSPORT ATOP AFOREMENTIONED
SFC FRONT. THE STORMS IN THE SRN PORTION OF THE BAND LIKELY WILL
BECOME MORE NEARLY SFC-BASED AS SFC HEATING DESTABILIZES REGION
LATER THIS MORNING. WITH AMPLE SHEAR ALREADY IN PLACE FOR
SUPERCELLS...SETUP MAY POSE A RISK FOR TORNADOES IN ADDITION TO
LARGE HAIL/LOCALLY DMGG WIND.
LATER TODAY ANOTHER ROUND OF SVR STORMS IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP INVOF
THE FRONT AND IN EXIT REGION OF STRENGTHENED S/SSELY LLJ IN THE SRN
HILL COUNTRY AND/OR THE AREA NEAR DEL RIO. WITH DIURNAL
HEATING...STEEP MID LVL LAPSE RATES...AND CONTINUED LOW LVL MOISTURE
INFLOW...STRONG INSTABILITY WILL EXIST ACROSS REGION...WITH SBCAPE
ON THE ORDER OF 2000-2500 J/KG. COUPLED WITH 50+ KT WSWLY DEEP
SHEAR AND INCREASED FORCING FOR ASCENT E OF APPROACHING UPR
LOW...SETUP COULD YIELD A FAIRLY CONCENTRATED AREA OF STRONG TO SVR
SUSTAINED STORMS/SUPERCELLS. THESE COULD PRODUCE VERY LARGE
HAIL...DMGG WIND...AND TORNADOES. OTHER SVR STORMS MAY FORM ON THE
NRN MEXICAN MOUNTAINS AND MOVE E INTO S TX. ALL OF THIS ACTIVITY
COULD EVOLVE INTO A SIZABLE MCS...WITH EMBEDDED FORWARD-PROPAGATING
SEGMENTS EXTENDING A RISK FOR SVR WIND...HAIL...AND POSSIBLY ISOLD
TORNADOES TO THE TX CSTL PLN THIS EVE. PARTS OF S CNTRL TX TO THE
CNTRL TX GULF CST MAY REQUIRE UPGRADE TO MDT RISK AS THE MOST LIKELY
STORM MODE AND AREA OF AFTN STORM DEVELOPMENT BECOME MORE APPARENT.
ADDITIONAL STRONG TO SVR STORMS MAY AFFECT PARTS OF DEEP S TX AND
THE MIDDLE/UPR TX CSTL PLN THROUGH FRI AS LOW LVL MOISTURE CONTINUES
TO FLOW INTO REGION BENEATH FAVORABLE UPR DIFLUENCE. 1150 CDT:
Sorry for the delay with this morning's chase update... I was having
some problems with my laptop. Hopefully they're resolved now. *crosses
fingers* Anyway, we're chasing a storm south of San Antonio at the moment.
Hopefully just a precursor to our day in general! *once again crosses
fingers*1645 CDT:
It has been a busy day so far --- having seen two tornadoes already ---
and we haven't even gotten to our original target location... Laredo,
TX. We're on our way there now, so perhaps the main course is yet to
come! Regardless, it has already been a great chase day!
Here's a low contrast shot of the first tornado that we saw. (Sorry, but the second one was blocked by trees.)
 (Click on the picture for a larger version.)
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posted May 9, 2012 6:01 AM by Thad Bowling
[
updated May 9, 2012 8:08 PM
]
0800 CDT: Well,
having just looked at the updated weather information this morning, I
can say that the forecast for Cloud 9 chasing for the next few days
looks... craptastic. My guess (which is usually wrong, mind you) is that
we will drift farther south. I'll let you know for sure later this
morning, after we get the official word from Charles in the morning
briefing.
1130 CDT:
We're leaving Dallas now, headed to San Antonio. Just a travel day (no
surprise), to better position ourselves for the possibility of a chase
tomorrow in deep south Texas. Keep your fingers crossed for that!
2200 CDT:
We had an enjoyable travel day today. After we made it to San Antonio,
we visited the Alamo, and then headed over to Riverwalk for a scenic
walk and some dinner. Now it's time for some shuteye. Hopefully tomorrow
will bring us some luck, heading in from Mexico. Here's what the
probabilistic outlook looks like at the moment:
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posted May 8, 2012 6:05 AM by Thad Bowling
[
updated May 8, 2012 1:38 PM
]
0800 CDT: Yesterday's chase ended up being pretty much a bust. It
reminded me, once again, why we usually try to avoid chasing through
Arkansas. It's beautiful country, mind you... but the road network
certainly doesn't lend itself towards getting anywhere quickly. Then
there's the fact that it's almost like chasing in a tunnel, because you
can't see the sky for all of the mountains and trees.
Anyway, we got some pea-sized hail, some gusty winds, a little lightning
and LOTS of rain... and mostly a tour of western Arkansas. Oh well...
That was more than what we are likely to chase for the next couple of
days. Things are looking pretty bleak for the near future. There's a
chance that we will head north, towards the Dakotas, for the slim chance
of chase conditions later in the week. I'll let you know more later,
after I find out what the plan is...
1100 CDT:
Well, forget what I said about the Dakotas. The "slim chance"
apparently decreased to "no chance," so we're going to stay south. We're
headed to Dallas (Pappadeaux, here we come!!! Woooohooooo!!!), but
first we'll drop by Paris, TX... for one of our "incredibly cheesy
tourist stops." Photos, of course, will come later... *lol*
1530 CDT:
We are now approaching the outskirts of Dallas and will likely head to
the Sixth Floor Museum and the "grassy knoll," covering the JFK
assassination. Then, it's PAPPADEAUX!!!
For all of today's pictures (so far), GO HERE.
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posted May 7, 2012 6:36 AM by Thad Bowling
[
updated May 7, 2012 3:40 PM
]
0830 CDT:
Good morning to all! We ended up getting to experience some strong
winds, heavy rain, powerful lightning and some small hail... Not a
crappy day at all! We ended up grabbing some dinner, checked into the
hotel in Lenexa, KS and called it a day. No tornadoes for us, but a good
"chase indoctrination day" for the newbies in the group.
For today, things look marginal at best. I will be interested in hearing
what the plan is, because what marginal chance there is for us looks to
be way down in Texas. Will we go for it? I'll find out in a while...
1050 CDT: We're heading out of Lenexa now, headed for...
...wait for it... wait for it...
ARKANSAS. Yep. Apparently we have a chance for a light show tonight in SW Arkansas, so that's where we're headed.
1400 CDT:
We just took a drive through the demolition zone of Joplin, MO, which
was my first look since being here for the EF-5 of May 22, 2011. It was a
sobering thing for me, to say the least. On the one hand, it's hard to
fathom how much destruction one tornado can wreak... and believe me,
there was a lot... but it's also hard to fathom how quickly they appear
to be rebuilding. These are strong people, and they are working hard to
return to normalcy. Incredible.
1555 CDT: Now we're just north of Fort Smith, AR... targeting a severe-warned cell that is presently near Mena, AR.
1730 CDT: Looks like we might have to core punch this sucker in order to get to the south side of it... Gonna get busy pretty soon, so I'll check in with you guys later. Ta ta for now!
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posted May 6, 2012 5:44 AM by Thad Bowling
[
updated May 6, 2012 4:39 PM
]
0740 CDT: Well,
it looks like the probability of tornadoes today is pretty bleak, but
I'm sure we'll go for it nonetheless. More likely we'll get into a
little hail, and perhaps a nice light show later. On the plus side as
well is the fact that we won't have to drive quite as far to get to it!
More later, as the day progresses...
1130 CDT: After a quick stop in Shawnee, OK, we're on the road now, bound for the vicinity of NE Oklahoma / SE Kansas... 1645 CDT: As often happens, we're all standing around at a convenience store --- this time, in Chanute, KS --- waiting for storms to bubble up. It's still mostly a chance for hail and thunderstorms, rather than tornadoes, but a tornado or two *could* happen!
1800 CDT: We're moving to intercept a cell north of Emporia...
1820 CDT:
Although the cell looks pretty good right now, the cold front is going
to beat us there, and it will squelch any chance of the cell
strengthening. Abort! Instead, we're diverting to another cell to our
northeast...
1835 CDT: New target cell... which we are bustin' ass to get to...
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posted May 5, 2012 1:07 PM by Thad Bowling
1450 CDT: United Airlines was right on schedule for both of my flights, and after a totally uneventful trip (with the exception of no sleep beforehand), I safely arrived in Oklahoma City just before 10:30 CDT. Now I'm in the Guest Inn and have made my requisite visit to WalMart for "stuff". I'm always on the lookout for material for the "People of WalMart" web site, too... *lol* Nothing of particular interest today, however.
The plan for now is for everybody that has already arrived to meet at 6 pm for dinner. Orientation will wait until tomorrow morning, though, since we have several people who won't get here until pretty late. As it stands now, it looks like we might have something to chase tomorrow in the vicinity of the Kansas/Missouri state line... though that could change overnight...
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posted Jun 9, 2011 9:40 AM by Thad Bowling
[
updated May 4, 2012 6:18 PM
]
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*
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posted Jun 7, 2011 9:35 PM by Thad Bowling
0030 EDT: Oops! I almost forgot... Here's the compilation travel map for Tour 2:
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posted Jun 6, 2011 8:57 AM by Thad Bowling
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.
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