1/28/2006 Reports: Central and Southern Plains

[Steve Miller TX]

I've come out of lurk mode for the sole purpose of vouching for Scott Currens here. Not that my own credibility would hold water around here anymore with a few folks. LOL!! As others have said, if Scott said he saw a tornado, then I'm totally convinced 100% that he did. I strongly concur with Shane Adams' comment too. Congrats to Scott for nailing a Kansas tornado in January!! Those are some great pics too by the way.

Back to lurk mode......

 

[Jeff Miller]

Congratulations

Congratulations Scott for nailing the tornado. Its great when experience and knowledge pays off. If you say there was a tornado, I have absolutely no reason to doubt you. Great work!!!

 

[John MacKay]

Nice catch Scott. I'm glad everyone posting here explained things as it might help us later. It looked like the end of the event and there is a wall cloud after the funnel dissipated.

I ended up starting my chase from Manhattan about the time Scott saw the tornado. I went north to Randolph after finding out I was 10 minutes behind the severe storm. I did a definite no-no if it wasn't a cold core day and that was intercept the storm from the north (nothing looked very threatening and I knew to be fairly cautious because of the reports of funnels in Clay County and the severe thunderstorm warning had expired). I found some pea-sized hail at a couple miles west and south of the junction of KS highways 13 and 16 (the road was covered with small dots before I definitely confirmed the hail). Saw a double rainbow after I returned to Manhattan.

It was certainly the first time I've been hit with hail in January.

 

[Tim Stoecklein]

LOL, John I HAD to have seen you at some point in all of this

I was about ten miles north of Manhattan spotting for the local EMD. As I've mentioned in the other thread, I did spot a distinct funnel to the NW of Manhattan, and a couple of occasions of low-level weak rotation on the backsides of a couple of cells as they passed over Hwy 77.

The cell that Scott was on seemed to show more strength than the small cells that I was seeing the above in, so I would have little doubt, if any at all, that what he saw was a tornado. Had I not been in the area, I may find it a bit hard to believe based on the conditions (not his credibility), but having seen how odd things were around here I wouldn't doubt it for a minute :wink:

 

[Mike Peregrine]

Excellent work, Scott ... wish I could have been out on Saturday - but in JANUARY (unlike May) I actually schedule other obligations that don't let me chase ... go figure.

So funny that we now have to quantify reports with video or photos ... Let me see ... it wasn't that long ago when a trained spotter's word was good enough to make a call on a ham radio that would initiate a warning and ultimately record the report as verified ... I wonder how it will be 20 years from now ... we'll probably be required to submit 3-D imaged holograms from all around the base of the tube before someone feels secure enough to trust that it was a tornado. Sometimes it almost seems like folks aren't satisfied until the day they will be able to prove that tornadoes actually do not exist at all, but they are just figments of our imagination and the results of camera trickery.

In your case, there's just no room for doubt - - - excellent. Just wish I was there to see it too!

 

[Joey Ketcham]

Me, Tyler Costantini (ST Member) his friend Matt, and Chis Wilburn (ST Member) stayed south of Wichita hoping we would get some intiation there. Didn't see anything, we watched a few towering cumulus go up but they quickly toppled over by the wind shear.

A bust, but was fun and got us out in the field.

Congrats Scott on seeing the tornado!

 

[Bill Tabor]

Originally posted by Amos Magliocco+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Amos Magliocco)</div>

I've chased with Scott for many years, as have others on this site. If he said he saw a tornado, he saw a tornado. Period. End of story. Frankly, given his experience over ten years in the field, I think it's more than reasonable to assume he knows what he's looking at, and has seen enough storms to understand the process he's witnessing. If he didn't produce a single image, the tradition in this hobby when dealing with somebody with a known reputation is to take their word for it.[/b]

Since as far as I can tell only Daniel and myself were critical in any way of this post - I'll reply - assuming you are to some degree referring to my post.

Please re-read my post. I never said he didn't see a tornado. I just stated the obvious pointing out I didn't see one in the photo - or at least for sure. I did mention I could see something. If this was pictures (frame grabs) of the tornado he was claiming - I suggested he show video which might show motion. Also mentioned I have a lot of torns that pictures are poor on - which indicates I believe him. Also suggestion to call it in. Nowhere did he mention it was an obvious elephant trunk earlier and that he was hassled with his report he called in.

Perhaps I didn't make this clear. I don't know Scott, but if he says he saw a tornado - I'll take his word for it.

<!--QuoteBegin-Amos Magliocco
Obviously when chasers post reports, they won't find the benefit of the doubt on Stormtrack anymore. Wow, have things ever changed.

I don't think those two posts are enough to assume everything's changed and Stormtrack's going down the tubes. Part of why we have Stormtrack and this forum is to inquire and learn about events. Obviously something didn't square with the photos, but now Scott has explained why that is. As for Daniel, I'm not sure what his post meant exactly. I think he was really just kind of joking and pulling Scott's leg more than saying he didn't believe him.

 

[Bill Tabor]

Originally posted by Scott Currens

I gave her my full report will all the important details and mentioned that I am a trained spotter and asked her to relay it to the NWS.

911: "I can't do that unless a trained spotter calls it in."
Scott: "I said I am a trained spotter, and I am calling it in."
911: "You have to have taken the spotter class."
Scott: "I have."
911: "OK, I'll send someone out."
Scott: "silence"

She then sent a sheriff out to meet me. Of course the tornado was long gone by the time the sheriff found me. In the mean time I called NWS Topeka with my report. While the NWS Met. was friendly and polite I could sense a hint of skepticism in his voice.

When I made it home I emailed my report to Jennifer Stark, the WCM at NWS Topeka and used my espotter account to send in the report and images.

On another note: Wow! It's amazing Scott had this kind of difficulty. Reminds me of what I hear Shane talking about sometimes. I haven't really had these types of problems per se - but I can remember calling some in that never got logged so perhaps I really have experienced it too, but just haven't thought about it much.

I imagine the task was made more difficult for Scott given there was no tornado or severe watch in progress. Not sure if there was any type of warning active.

 

[Bill Tabor]

Originally posted by Shane Adams
Be interesting to see how this exact same thread would be developing if it was Tim Marshall and May 28.

Not sure which May 28th you're talking about, but if similar to this situation - honestly as far as my part of this thread, I think I would have probably said the same thing. Pictures are pictures and they either show and tell a story or they don't. IMO that's part of the challenge and heartbreak of chasing. I for one see stuff all the time that I never capture on photo or video, or was just too late getting the camera up, can't pull over, or it was too dark, etc. I can name a few off the top of my head like Tulsa a couple of years ago (tornado), Spur at night last year (landspout), my first tornado in Colorado, a year or two ago a tornado the day of the Hearne, Tx flood.

Here's a pic of one:
http://www.tornadoxtreme.com/2004_Chases/A...th/DSCF0004.JPG

We all kick ourselves when we see something good, but are unable to get the shot. I usually try and put some type of disclaimer on such a shot. If not, I'm not surprised to get criticism about the shot. At the same time if my shot doesn't show something I'll probably be the first to admit it, though you can bet I'll be pissed that I screwed up.

 

[GPhillips]

Originally posted by jketcham
Does anyone have any radar captures from this storm you can email me?

Thanks

Radar images from around 4 PM near Waterville:

http://members.cox.net/gdp416/ktwx_0.5_SRM...060128_2153.png
http://members.cox.net/gdp416/ktwx_0.5_SRM...060128_2157.png
http://members.cox.net/gdp416/ktwx_0.5_SRM...060128_2201.png
http://members.cox.net/gdp416/ktwx_0.5_SRM...060128_2206.png
http://members.cox.net/gdp416/ktwx_0.5_SRM...060128_2210.png

Upper left quadrant 0.5 REF, upper right 0.5 SRM, lower left 0.9 SRM, lower right 1.3 SRM. Storm is 50 nm NNW of the radar. "X" associated with the "Home" location on the image is placed 4 miles north of Waterville.

The tornado will be entered into the NCDC Storm Data database.

 

[Jeff Snyder]

Nice to see you on here George... For those that don't know, he's the SOO at the Topeka NWSFO. At any rate, did you guys find any damage associated with this event? I know it's hard to find much for short-lived tornadoes that aren't in areas where there can be much damage.

 

[GPhillips]

Jennifer talked to Scott this afternoon. He now thinks the tornado was in southeast Washington county (near Barnes) instead of north of Waterville in Marshall county. Which is good since this makes more sense conceptually based on the radar. We have a call into Washington county about whether they have heard anything from the southeast part of their county, but haven't heard back yet. Scott said he would likely be going back out there Tuesday to look around.

 

[Glen Romine]

Thanks for the location update George - I was looking at those images you posted scratching my head over that one. The first few frames at least gives some indication of a shear signature closer to Barnes. It hasn't been noted that I've seen - but was Scott's viewing location the major N-S road going north out of Blue Rapids, and his view toward the southwest?

Thanks,
Glen

 

[Scott Currens]

It hasn't been noted that I've seen - but was Scott's viewing location the major N-S road going north out of Blue Rapids, and his view toward the southwest?

Yes I was.



Scott Currens Wrote:

So what do I expect to come of this report? Nothing. If Jon Davies can't get his LT supercell tornado reports counted, I doubt mine will be.

I should not have made this statement. I was venting my anger toward TWX when it was the 911 operator that I was really mad at. I talked to Jennifer Stark today because she wanted me to help narrow down the time and location of the tornado. As always she was very helpful, friendly and gracious.

SC

 

[Dick McGowan]

No tornadoes :cry: but beautiful low topped sups once again in the same area. I wrote a brief summary here:

http://www.stormchasers.org/forum/viewtopi...php?p=2025#2025