2024-05-23 EVENT: OK/KS/TX/NE/AR

[Matt Hunt]

Today could be the nail in the coffin for me. The day that finally makes me quit chasing. 25 years of mediocrity and failures, and today hurts more than I can remember. Started the day in Childress, not far from all the action. Went to Arnett, hung out there for 90 minutes, then doubled-down on a northern target and continued into SW KS. Had an attitude where I just refused to backtrack and deal with the inconvenience of intercepting ongoing storms from the north. Even when I saw the tornado watch did not extend to the north (despite an earlier MSD up into SW KS) I held out hope of some nice structure on a lone storm instead of what I feared would be yet another HP mess. Senseless anchoring bias, wanted to stick to the plan I formulated this morning to chase in SW KS and stay put there for a down day tomorrow so I could catch up on work and be positioned for Saturday, which I thought might be good in KS but now I’m not so sure that is even a good plan anymore. Feel terrible that I can’t seem to get a good tornado for my son. Feeling like a complete failure and absolutely miserable right now.

Same for me, man. I've done nothing but make wrong decisions this whole week: staying in Kansas when the Hays storm fired (was on my way to OK), sitting out Iowa, getting caught up on the first storm yesterday and not sticking with my plan to stay west on the dryline and watch for outflow from that first storm, and then today...

Last night I had told a fellow chaser I'd go to Altus today. But that's not what I did. I thought there could be potential in SW KS, I prefer the terrain there, and I figured almost everyone would be in OK, and I really don't like to be around the chaser circus. Got to I-40 and decided to head east to Sayre. Sat there for a bit, saw aggravated Cu popping in the NE TX panhandle, and went up to Arnett. Stayed there for a bit while towers kept dying, and finally decided to head south, but stopped on the storm in Erick. It did go tornado warned, had some broad rotation that would start to tighten up, then fall apart, then tighten up, then fall apart, etc. Ugh, if it could've done it, it would've been a VERY photogenic tornado, and I was right on it, just to to the west. Would've been a bright white tornado from my position had it happened. The storm died once it hit Sayre. I was a bit indecisive, but ultimately decided to race down to Altus. At the time I started heading down, it was just starting to wrap up on velocity. I watched in agony as it occluded right as I got to Altus. Figured my only shot would be if it could recycle, but outflow took over.

At this point, I think I'm going to cut my losses and head home so that I can go mountain biking on Sunday & Monday (honestly a much bigger hobby of mine at this point). I haven't had a truly successful season since 2016, though I didn't take a chasecation in 2018, 2020, or 2023. The last two I've taken I've only seen 1 tornado on each. Feels like I'm really wasting PTO and money out here.

 

[Andy Wehrle]

Today could be the nail in the coffin for me. The day that finally makes me quit chasing. 25 years of mediocrity and failures, and today hurts more than I can remember. Started the day in Childress, not far from all the action. Went to Arnett, hung out there for 90 minutes, then doubled-down on a northern target and continued into SW KS. Had an attitude where I just refused to backtrack and deal with the inconvenience of intercepting ongoing storms from the north. Even when I saw the tornado watch did not extend to the north (despite an earlier MSD up into SW KS) I held out hope of some nice structure on a lone storm instead of what I feared would be yet another HP mess. Senseless anchoring bias, wanted to stick to the plan I formulated this morning to chase in SW KS and stay put there for a down day tomorrow so I could catch up on work and be positioned for Saturday, which I thought might be good in KS but now I’m not so sure that is even a good plan anymore. Feel terrible that I can’t seem to get a good tornado for my son. Feeling like a complete failure and absolutely miserable right now.

Sorry to hear that, James. That's the nature of chasing though. It's often a frustrating exercise in futility, what feels like many wasted hours behind the wheel, burning gas and putting miles on your car. When it's not though, it can be pure magic. I'm 0/3 on Iowa chases this year despite being on tornado-warned supercells each time.

 

[Todd Lemery]

I was going to just cut and paste what Matt Hunt wrote, because that’s exactly how my day went too. I must have had a tow strap attached to Matt’s vehicle. The only saving grace was that it wasn’t a two hour drive to a hotel at the end of the day. I’m mentally beat right now and am wavering on tomorrow’s set up.

James, you’ll still have those days where it feels like you’re fishing with dynamite and tomorrow might be it!

 

[Dan Robinson]

I'm sitting here in the grunge of St. Louis storms that have panned out just as I'd expected. I've been on both sides (boom/bust) of the type of events like yesterday many times, you just have to keep going while the opportunities are there. The odds are in your favor if you keep at it. There aren't many seasons or opportunities like this one, you're always on the brink of a big day.