John Farley
Supporter
Manchester, Illinois tornado
Until Rozel last year, I considered this chase five years ago today my best-ever chase. Not peak climatology for tornadoes in Illinois by any means, but an excellent combination of instability and shear ahead of a MCV left over from overnight the night before led to several long-track tornadoes across central Illinois. I caught this one at tornadogenesis southwest of Manchester before it moved through the northwest part of the town. This tornado was on the ground for 18 miles through 3 counties. However, my chase of it ended after it went through the town as I stopped to help clear debris from roads and alert EMS to some power poles down across a railroad. Later as I tried to catch back up with the storm I crossed the path at the southern edge of Springfield near the location where it fortunately lifted before again moving in to more populated areas.
My full chase account can be found at http://www.johnefarley.com/chase81909.htm
