04/29/05: REPORTS: AR/TN/MS

[Skip Talbot]

Initial target was Memphis but broke off to chase the early afternoon cells in the blue box in ne AR. We intercepted a small non-severe cell but it did exhibit some structure for awhile: a rfb and beaver's tail.




We broke off the cell to intercept a svr warned cell further west that had 3.25 inch hail indicated on gibson ridge. The storm fizzled by the time we got there and was embedded in this grey misting crap we've been seeing all day.

We ran south to play the tornado watch, setting up in Forrest City. After eating dinner and checking the radar/obs for one last desparate hope, we called it a bust. Still driving home, almost to Missouri....

 

[Amos Magliocco]

Scott Currens and I buzzed around east central and eastern Arkansas looking for the warm sector, the outflow boundary, the warm front, or anything that could help us lift some parcels in our cool, cloud-covered Arkansas target area east and southeast of Little Rock. We're still not sure why storms fired where they did around Pine Bluff, but we suspect that the earliest returns were associated with the cloud deck. They took off after that but were never very impressive, little more than semi-organized showers with a surprising amount of lightning. We saw no features of interest and I never touched a camera.

We broke off around 0z and had dinner in Helena, on the Mississippi.

I considered beginning a longer chase trip with today, but since I'm having some a vehicle issue and the pattern looks weak at best for next week, I'm heading back to Indiana until the Great Canadian Pinwheel buys a calendar and gets out of our lives.

In Scott's defense, he was headed for Ohio to visit family and was chasing on the way.

 

[nickgrillo]

I'll have a more defined log on my website within a few days or so....

My chase ended much better than others that were out this way it seems, as me and Kurt Hulst performed the unthinkable... Which is chasing in Mississipi. After nearly declaring the day a bust, I begin to see a decent, isolated storm (with supercelluar appearance both visually/and on radar) to the west - and it then goes severe-warned. We let the storm nearly pass right on top of us, with plenty of dust and some severe winds. Another supercell turns severe in SE AR (the storm that later produced the only tornadoes of the day...) and we were just east of it. We position ourselves east of it for a bit, and then we pack up and head south on 82, towards Mississipi. By the time we entered the state, we now had a very large and developed HP supercell beggining to show an appendage on radar. We stopped in a field to view the lightning-lit, rotating wall cloud just north of us. We walk back to the car for a second (after thinking of calling it quits) and we see a TORNADO WARNING for our storm. About the time when we were in that field, spotters reported a TORNADO ON THE GROUND, and we were in perfect position to see this... So I still have to review the video. We continued on US 82 and heard reports of "debries" on the road on 82 (?) and we briefly stop on the side of the road again to take a look at the monstrous wall cloud.

ANOTHER 'funnel' was reported by spotters in our location... So I'm gonna have to examine video when I get access to a television ( :lol: )

So we were on a long-lived, tornadic HP supercell from it's initation to it's maturity... And tracked it from SE AR to NC MS! I have a ton more stills and video captures to upload, which will soon be on my site... But here's a few now...

[Broken External Image]:http://www.midwestchase.com/tn_IMG_0126.JPG
(outflow dominant - supercell #1 - SE AR)
[Broken External Image]:http://www.midwestchase.com/tn_IMG_0203.JPG
(HP supercell/rotating wall cloud - supercell #2 - NW MS)


..Nick..

 

[Scott Blair]

April 29, 2005 - Dermott, AR Supercell



Jason Politte and I departed Little Rock, AR by mid afternoon targeting portions of southeast Arkansas. Surface heating and moisture were maximized across the three southeastern-most counties and we hoped that prefrontal convection developing in south-central Arkansas would intensify and organize as it shifted into this region. A quick radar stop in Star City, AR revealed a developing supercell in Bradley County and a severe warning was issued for the storm. We continued along Hwy65 and stopped west of Dermott, AR at 7:30pm. The storm was highly electrified with numerous bolts leaping from the storm. In addition, the storm contained a persistent wall cloud with broad rotation the entire time observed. Severe warnings continued to be issued as we followed the storm to the Mississippi River. As darkness set in, we took an unpaved road along the MS River levy and paralleled the water continuing to observe the storm and associated active lightning show. Within 30 minutes of crossing the MS River, the storm was placed under a tornado warning with reportedly two tornadoes spawned. Overall, a rather satisfying chase day across extreme southeastern Arkansas.


Supercell and wall cloud with nice lightning show west of Dermott, AR at 7:45pm.
http://www.targetarea.net/pic15/apr2905sup1.JPG
http://www.targetarea.net/pic15/apr2905sup2.JPG
http://www.targetarea.net/pic15/apr2905sup3.JPG

Additional photos can be found on my site.

Scott Blair
http://www.targetarea.net

 

[David Schuttler]

Left Tulsa shorthly after 9 am made it to Crossett, Ar. around 3:30. The plan was to wait from there to Bastrop,Ms. After getting anxious I drove on west to Eldorado for the heck of it then went back northeast to Warren,Ar. arrived around 6:30 as this was coming in

[Broken External Image]:http://www.stormdriven.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/.pond/img7957.jpg.w180h135.jpg

Then decided to drive on east to Monticello for one last chance something might happen. :roll: On the way there the warning came out for cell 9 miles west of Hermitage in central Bradely county.( a town I had just gone through 30 minutes or so earlier) it was moving east at 45 mph. Once at Monticello I headed back south to Fountain Hill to get south of the warned storm. I then went back west on 160 or 8
[Broken External Image]:http://www.stormdriven.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/.pond/img7962.jpg.w180h135.jpg
then back to 425 then home. To many trees where I was and getting dark and not much in road networks and not impressed with the situation , it wasn't a hard decision to end the day.
It was a nice trip and upper 70's for the day versus a cold 50's back home wasn't bad experiance either.

Heres a few grabs
7:30ish from west of Fountain Hill
[Broken External Image]:http://stormdriven.web.aplus.net/si...tures/.pond/4292005732pm0001.jpg.w300h225.jpg

My main view
[Broken External Image]:http://stormdriven.web.aplus.net/si...tures/.pond/4292005732pm0004.jpg.w300h225.jpg

last pic of the night as it booked to the east
7:40 [Broken External Image]:http://www.stormdriven.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/.pond/img7969.jpg.w180h135.jpg

2 minute video showing the terrain in this area click here

 

[Kurt Hulst]

Well David Im glad Nick and I decided not to go to Monticello. We started out in Stuttgrat and then to Pine Bluff. Storm formed right over us then we headed south and intercepted a supercell that was outflow dominat at the time. Terrain was very good considering i was expecting pines all over. whoo hoo just a few ranges of trees with lots of open farm fields. The MS delta is pretty descent. We caught another Super cell to the south well north of Lake village i think it was called. took 82 south and across MS river into MS and caught a huge wall cloud and possibly a funnel or two, Well were shooting lightning. Dude the lightning was bombastic. spectacular not non stop but spectacualr. Ill have to find time tomorrow to devlope them well here in OKC so if any one is around send a PM i would love to meet ya. Ill post a full report on my website in a few days if possible.

Short clip of the storm 2N of Tallar Ar. it had some nice structure then gusted out but kept its credibility going into MS later that night.

http://midwestchasers.com/2005/April/29/42905.wmv

Shane Sorry we couldnt meet up on Sat.