2025-05-18 REPORTS: TX/OK/KS/CO

[Dan Robinson]

Updated my initial post with the full chase log describing the last-minute east-west shuffle as the tornado made some crazy-last second turns before it impacted Grinnell (per the damage survey). It turns out I was directly in the path of where it entered town just before scurrying out of the way to the east with maybe 60 seconds to spare. It started to occlude left, then hooked back to the right.

 

[John Farley]

I have now done a full report on my less-than-stellar chase day. Includes discussion of failures by the models/forecasts and by me, with a couple of diagrams, and a better version of the picture I posted earlier of my consolation prize, the LP supercell near Freedom, OK.

https://www.johnefarley.com/chase51825.htm

 

[Andy Wehrle]

It wasn't until I saw the DAT that I realized the nocturnal KS beast was actively producing an EF3 while I was on it north of US 54/400 between Cullison and Pratt shortly before 11 PM. The inflow was howling but the reflectivity signature looked messy from the merger and the velocity, while there was definite rotation, wasn't clear-cut "intense tornado in progress" like it had been back west of Haviland and again from Iuka to Plevna. Glad I didn't try to get any closer than I did.

Made yet another GoPro timelapse, this one set to music and zoomed in on the tornado.

 

[Andy Wehrle]

Remade the above timelapse to add the other timelapse sequences; the second tornado north of Arnett with the wild corkscrew rope-out, structure of the gradually weakening storm southwest of Freedom, and anvil crawlers with slo-mo replays from the nocturnal KS beast from northeast of Cullison as it was producing the EF3 that later went north of Iuka.

I then got back on 54/400 eastbound toward Pratt, the lightning didn't illuminate under the base much during the time I was recording. This is the best frame I found that gives some hint as to what was going on:

 

[Tony Laubach]

Recently uploaded an edit of the I-70 Grinnell EF-3 tornado intercept collaborating with my longtime chase partner, Ed Grubb who shot a longer clip as he was more sheltered from the debris on the passenger side unlike me who was being blasted by the surrounding corn fields.

This also includes the brief 9-1-1 call I made prior to us getting out to assist the semi driver. Neither of us shot any video until more formal crews arrived on scene, then we proceeded to get a few shots of the area before we moved on.