2012-04-13 Reports: OK/TX/KS
- Thread starter Dan Robinson
- Start date
bvassmer
EF1
I was at the NWC in Norman when the storm started to look interesting. I headed up to the observation deck to check it out. Here is a wide view of the storm. Overall, it looked very outflow dominant to me, but was kicking out some nice lightning.
As the storm approached Norman, the NWS issued the Tornado Warning, and when the sirens sounded and they made us go to shelter in the basement. Here is last photo I took was at 3:56pm (my EXIF shows 4:06PM, but I found my time on my camera to be 10 minutes fast when I got home and started comparing photos with my wife). This photo is looking WNW from the obs deck at the National Weather Center. I just missed the beginning of the tornado.
My wife was at Sarkeys Tower on the 7th floor at this time, and stayed in her office a little longer. She took this pic at 4:03PM looking WSW from the west side of the building. You can see the Physical Science Center on the left side of this photo. At this time, the tornado was about halfway between Lindsey/36th and Lindsey and I35. Sorry for the poor quality of this photo, the flash fired and reflected in the window and she had to go to the tornado shelter before she could take another photo. I heavily contrast enhanced the photo. Her camera's time was also off, I found when we got home, by about 20 minutes.
Overall an easy chase, as we traveled 0 miles. Wish I could have seen it from the obs deck (dont know if it was obscured by rain from the NWC).
As the storm approached Norman, the NWS issued the Tornado Warning, and when the sirens sounded and they made us go to shelter in the basement. Here is last photo I took was at 3:56pm (my EXIF shows 4:06PM, but I found my time on my camera to be 10 minutes fast when I got home and started comparing photos with my wife). This photo is looking WNW from the obs deck at the National Weather Center. I just missed the beginning of the tornado.
My wife was at Sarkeys Tower on the 7th floor at this time, and stayed in her office a little longer. She took this pic at 4:03PM looking WSW from the west side of the building. You can see the Physical Science Center on the left side of this photo. At this time, the tornado was about halfway between Lindsey/36th and Lindsey and I35. Sorry for the poor quality of this photo, the flash fired and reflected in the window and she had to go to the tornado shelter before she could take another photo. I heavily contrast enhanced the photo. Her camera's time was also off, I found when we got home, by about 20 minutes.
Overall an easy chase, as we traveled 0 miles. Wish I could have seen it from the obs deck (dont know if it was obscured by rain from the NWC).
Dan Robinson
EF5
Joe Pudlik
EF1
Ended up with a nice chase this day. We were on the Norman cell, but dropped off of it just before it produced. Eventually we ended up with the great looking supercell in the Wichita Mountains, and observed a brief tornado just south of Carnegie, OK.
Full chase log here: http://www.turbulentstorm.com/1/post/2012/04/april-13th-2012-cs-oklahoma.html
Full chase log here: http://www.turbulentstorm.com/1/post/2012/04/april-13th-2012-cs-oklahoma.html
Hank Schyma
EF1
I Got Hit :/
Bagged the Cooperton tornadoes... one bagged me. The First a small rain-wrapped briefy near the Tom Steed Reservoir. The second tornado (my 40th) ran my arse over... and the third, the giant wedge, almost wrote my obituary. Ive been chasing supercells since 2000... This was the stupidest thing I've ever done. Normally i'm cool in close proximity to tornadoes, however... i lost it... Big time! What went wrong was this: The roads ended in the Wichita Mountains just as the storm got interesting. None of the chasers wanted to leave just yet as it would take 30-45 minutes to intercept it on the other side... we stayed, we gambled, and our co-pilot Murphy put his laws in full effect. The tornadoes made a complete circle a mile or so in diameter crossing highway 54 three times. hence the mayhem. I'm not terribly proud of this video... especially the language, however feel obligated to post it. In the last 12 years I've watched more and more chasers get more and more brave... and sad to say the trend is influencing me. Just prior to the tornado striking my vehicle it leveled a silo. Had it strengthened instead of weakening, I'd probably be the first chaser to die chasing. After it intercepted me the circulation materialized into a giant wedge... Had it formed 1/4 mile West, I'd be dead. Here's the video... call me an asshole... i deserve it.
I'm also attaching a map of the tornadoes path created by my friend Evan Hatch who also almost got waxed.
Watch video >
Bagged the Cooperton tornadoes... one bagged me. The First a small rain-wrapped briefy near the Tom Steed Reservoir. The second tornado (my 40th) ran my arse over... and the third, the giant wedge, almost wrote my obituary. Ive been chasing supercells since 2000... This was the stupidest thing I've ever done. Normally i'm cool in close proximity to tornadoes, however... i lost it... Big time! What went wrong was this: The roads ended in the Wichita Mountains just as the storm got interesting. None of the chasers wanted to leave just yet as it would take 30-45 minutes to intercept it on the other side... we stayed, we gambled, and our co-pilot Murphy put his laws in full effect. The tornadoes made a complete circle a mile or so in diameter crossing highway 54 three times. hence the mayhem. I'm not terribly proud of this video... especially the language, however feel obligated to post it. In the last 12 years I've watched more and more chasers get more and more brave... and sad to say the trend is influencing me. Just prior to the tornado striking my vehicle it leveled a silo. Had it strengthened instead of weakening, I'd probably be the first chaser to die chasing. After it intercepted me the circulation materialized into a giant wedge... Had it formed 1/4 mile West, I'd be dead. Here's the video... call me an asshole... i deserve it.
I'm also attaching a map of the tornadoes path created by my friend Evan Hatch who also almost got waxed.
Watch video >
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Skip Talbot
EF5
I was finally able to salvage my video from this chase and render it out as a timelapse. Video starts up by Quartz Mountain State Park and ends in the Wichita Mountains (lots of mountains in Oklahoma), with a peak at the HP structure and RFD core that produced the Cooperton, OK tornado from just south of town.
Watch video >
Watch video >
Joshua Nall
EF4
Well, I’m glad the tornado doing circles!? 
on the seek and destroy mission missed me 
Never got inside on anything when it was wrapping up. First time seeing storms over a “mountain” range though.
on the seek and destroy mission missed me Never got inside on anything when it was wrapping up. First time seeing storms over a “mountain” range though.
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