My annual storm chasing trip with my boys started out as a bust for the first 6 days. But then on our last day of storm chasing...
SUCCESS!!!
Video link is at the end of this post (let's just say it was some of the best footage I've ever recorded).
I stayed overnight in Lubbock, TX due to the forecast from the morning before, and unfortunately missed the Ft Stockton tornado by about 30 minutes because I couldn't get down to it in time (event though Ft Stockton was my initial target the morning of Friday, June 2). But that turned out to just be the preview, because the real show was the Sanderson / Dryden tornado later in the evening.
I told my boys that southeast moving storms produce the largest tornados, but they're also the most difficult to chase because you're constantly repositioning to get out of the path of the tornado and oncoming hail. That was certainly true with this tornado as we had to reposition 3 times. In addition to the tornado, the storm was producing half inch hail, and I don't have a hail guard. To make matters worse, we were right up against the Mexico border, and there was no way to move further south. So our only option was to stay southeast of this southeast mover and keep repositioning further and further southeast down the road.
The tornado ended up staying on the ground for over 30 minutes, and at one point appeared to be about 1 mile wide (from my location about 8 miles away). Ultimately due to the rural area and lack of a damage path, the tornado was given and EF-Unknown rating.
We finished the day with some awesome mammatus clouds about 12 miles northwest of Del Rio.
Here's the full video for you:
