2016-04-16 REPORTS: KS/OK/TX

[Tom Dulong]

David Brookshier and I headed up Highway 287 from Dallas toward the "promised land", stopping in Childress about noon for lunch and data analysis. We were looking at two possible targets; (1) eastern TX panhandle just east of the triple point and (2) further south in the area ahead of the forecast dry line bulge. Surface dewpoints were about 5 degrees higher in the latter area...where partial clearing skies suggested better heating. Not wanting to commit too strongly to the southern target at this point, we drove down to Paducah and waited.

After an hour or so, we decided to retreat northward and then head westward to meet the line of storms developing southward along I-27. We positioned ourselves on a bluff just south of Turkey, TX as the "tail-end charlie" separated itself from the line and took on the typical flying eagle appearance.

For the next few hours, we paralleled this storm via Texas Hwy 70 through the caprock country as it rendered several rotating wall clouds and at least one funnel. We gave up on the storm after it passed 287 north of Memphis, TX.

Time lapse of wall cloud/funnel taken from an overlook picnic area on TX 70.

If surface inflow had been a little warmer, this storm might have produced a tornado. Oh well, it was still a fun chase.

 

[Manuel Salgado]

left College Station with another TAMU grad student at about 10am and we headed out to Abilene with the intention to get there and look over the situation and decided whether to continue on down toward Midland or head up to Lubbock. When we arrived, convection had fired to the NW and although it looked ragged nothing was going to the SW to we headed in that direction. We chose the southernmost storm at the time out of the two, and this storm produced a tornado which we were able to get a great view on. Unfortunately, I had technical issues with my camera and wasn't able to capture video but I do have some shots.

I



We stuck with this cell for a while but eventually ran out of roads. The roads in this area are pretty damn poor. We instead switched over to the cell that was trailing this one and got a brief funnel and some structure. This storm dropped a decent amount of hail on Spur, TX but it seemed to have trouble getting fresh inflow as the storms ahead of it had stabilized a lot of the area. Eventually called it a night and headed back to BCS. Happy to be on the scoreboard already in 2016!


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[Sean Bargmann]

I headed up from Austin targeting the Sweetwater area and ended up on a cell N of Robert Lee around 3:30. Storm speed was slow and with a pretty good dirt road network I was able to stay on it until it started to dissipate around 7:00. It had many phases of rotation with amazing structure, a few wall clouds, and really looked like it wanted to produce. Overall it was a great opportunity to work on my positioning and storm photography and well worth the 600 mile drive.

 

[StephenHenry]

Finally got out for the first time this season. Chased around the eastern TX panhandle and saw some decent structure, better than I thought we'd get given the orientation of the winds to the dryline. Came pretty close to a tornado near Hedley, TX, but just couldn't quite get it done.

Wildorado, TX - Looking east at the building dryline towers accompanied by a bullet-riddled 1960 Buick LeSabre.


Washburn, TX - Some weak supercellular structure as an RFD arc punched in from the south.


Washburn, TX - RFD wraps up further


Panhandle, TX - Storm chase tour vans are getting sweeter and sweeter


Hedley, TX - Tail end Charlie wraps up in a field next to us



Full chase account with radar and more pics: http://www.wxlog.com/events/apr16_2016.html