05/16/10 NOW: OK, TX, AR

[Jeff Duda]

Tornado warning issued for a persistent storm that has become supercellular as it has cruised southeast across OK. It is currently headed more or less straight for the OKC metro. I'm sure it's southeasterly path has enabled it to ingest better storm-relative helicity, which would explain it going supercellular despite the environment.

 

[Andrew Francis]

If it holds together I am going to go outside in NW Edmond and see if I can get anything.


The storm has gone from cluttered mess to a decent supercell structure over about 2 hours. Moving rigght towards the OKC Metro

 

[Lane Pearman]

05/16/2010 NOW: OK

The southeast moving Cell in Kingfisher County has shown organized rotation for the past several minutes. Surface winds ahead of the cell are from the WSW however SFC-1km SRH values are around 50. There's a handful of lucky chasers currently on the storm.

***While writing this a tornado warning has been issued for Canadian and Kingfisher Counties.

 

[Jeff Duda]

After a more detailed look at satellite and radar, it seems there is a subtle boundary draped W-E across C OK. This storm just recently passed over that boundary. Perhaps that is giving the storm its supercellular character now. If that is the case, then it probably will not remain supercellular for long. Current VWP out of KTLX suggests pretty poor shear over OKC metro, so I'm betting the storm will not remain supercellular for long.

 

[Rebekah LaBar]

Hmm...that does look interesting. Provided that it holds together, I will be heading out within the next 30 minutes to intercept. Should be streaming shortly after getting on the road.

Even if it doesn't hold together, I don't have far to go...

 

[Jeff Duda]

Storm looks to be going outflow dominant (based on radar). The weak surface westerlies are probably keeping this storm from containing its outflow.

 

[Andrew Francis]

Huge hail storm now. Live streams across OKC show hail covered ground in golfballs and baseballs. The stations live on the air right now are bringing in golfball and bigger sized hailstones into the live pictures.

 

[Andrew Francis]

Lake Hefner Parkway and around Britton rd has broken windows all across the city.

Skylight just broke out in one of the TV stations live on the air.


Looks like majorly expensive hailstorm is destroying downtown OKC right now. Insurance companies are cringing right now!

 

[Pete Smith]

Lake Hefner Parkway and around Britton rd has broken windows all across the city.

Skylight just broke out in one of the TV stations live on the air.


Looks like majorly expensive hailstorm is destroying downtown OKC right now. Insurance companies are cringing right now!

The KFOR met just called this one of the worst hail storms in the history of OKC, which is saying a lot for that area!

Still a great updraft hook on this storm that is keeping the hail up in the cloud for a long enough time to create this hail, though it is weakening a bit now. So no tornadoes, but the damage has to be incredible!

 

[Willoughby Owen]

Cell just SW of El Reno really getting it's act on with an over-shooting top now evident from our position in Lawton.

 

[Brian McKibben]

2+ inches of hail

KOCO just showed a shot from there chopper over Nichols Hills. There was likely 2+ inches of hail on the ground. It completely cover the ground just like a snowstorm.

 

[Michael Riedl]

Tornado warnings for Pratt and Stafford County Kansas. Has a nice little appendage on it.

 

[Bobby Lang]

At 9:25 a storm chaser reported a funnel cloud northwest of Preston in Pratt County Kansas.

UPDATE: The warning text is saying a tornado has been spotted to the southeast of Preston.

 

[Fred Dearborn]

Missouri should be added as NWS issued a torn warning for McDonald county in southwest Mo. with spotters reporting a wallcloud as of 9:40pm

The line storms were moving east and the bottom split off and moved to the southeast and was torn warned within minutes..