4/15/06 DISC: NE/KS/IA

[Tim Vasquez]

A chaser just reported that there is horrendous traffic on I-80 between about halfway between Lincoln/Omaha to Lincoln. Any chasers coming from north/east are advised to avoid the Interstate through there. It appears it may have something to do with a football game (which in itself sounds like trouble as Lincoln is under the gun).

Tim

 

[JHadorn]

I can't confirm, but my brother called and told me that US 136 east of Beatrice has been closed due to tornado damage in that area.

The Gage County Sheriff's Department reported at 6:00 p.m. Saturday that Highway 77 south of Beatrice was closed. People in the area told KOLN/KGIN that storm debris was blocking the road. They also reported two overturned semi rigs lying in fields next to the highway.
[/b]

Don't know how long that will take.

 

[Kurt Silvey]

Saw the Beatrice supercell from near Adams. It was quite the big round barrel of an updraft when viewed to the ne. I tried to go ne with it but the stupid road was not good. I turned around and had to drive right into the bear's cage. As rain screams east I get a call from another chaser reporting he'd just see the tornado in there and some damage from it and it was extreme rain-wrapped at the time he saw it. I get out of there and head to the storm that moved nw of St. Joe. The Beatrice storm was much more impressive structurewise. But anyway, on the way back and thought I'd "confirm" that tornado through another chaser and note the impressive structure of the storm at that time.

EDIT: Holy crap!!!! I just had the most fear all day. I sent this and looked up and this object is RIGHT at my windshield. It took me a second before I realized it was a cat looking right at me. lol
[/b]

You could be right. After the cone tornado se of Beatrice, I was heading ene one hwy 136 and thought I could see a rope tornado in my mirrors. I pulled over and tried to see, but the wrapping rain was too heavy. At the time I think I was just west of Filley, this would be about 12 miles southwest of Adams.

 

[Mike Hollingshead]

You could be right. After the cone tornado se of Beatrice, I was heading ene one hwy 136 and thought I could see a rope tornado in my mirrors. I pulled over and tried to see, but the wrapping rain was too heavy. At the time I think I was just west of Filley, this would be about 12 miles southwest of Adams.[/b]

Well I wasn't clear. What he saw was likely what others saw closer to Beatrice but when he saw it it was very rain wrapped. He called and told me about this as I was turning back into the storm at Sterling.

 

[Larry J. Kosch]

There was a Nebraska Spring Football game that was played in Lincoln at 1230 on that day. A lot of Husker fans came down from Omaha to see the Huskers finish their Spring practice in grand style. With 57,415 fans in attendance, the Red squad rambled to a 35-7 victory. The Huskers fans then moved to Haymarket Park where they took in an afternoon baseball game between Nebraska and Texas A&M. The Huskers were victorious with a 6-0 shutout of the Aggies. The post game traffic would account for most of the heavy traffic on the I-80 interstate, especially if you were heading up to Omaha in the late afternoon hours.

 

[Todd Sprinkmann]

About that traffic issue on I-80. I got lucky and came upon it (heading west or southwest) probably 5 minutes after a rollover accident. I'm guessing, but I'm confident the time was 5 minutes either side of 3:15. I didn't know about the Huskers football game, but that makes sense cuz the traffic was very busy on the other side, heading back to Omaha.

I hit a brief slowdown and witnessed multiple squads and fire trucks attending to what appeared to be a single vehicle rollover. It was off to my right as I headed SW on 80. I imagine if I had come across it 5-10 minutes later, the slowdown would have been much worse. The gapers block with the eastbound traffic was a lot more pronounced.

 

[Aaron Kennedy]

CNN has video by storm chaser "Randy Hicks" which he shot apprently inside a tornado. (I'll let you decide) The "action" packed video includes all sorts of audio editing. Great.....


Aaron

 

[Mike Peregrine]

CNN has video by storm chaser "Randy Hicks" which he shot apprently inside a tornado. (I'll let you decide) The "action" packed video includes all sorts of audio editing. Great.....
Aaron
[/b]

OMG ... if I'm not mistaken, I think Randy Hicks may be one of the 'outlaw chasers,' a/k/a 'ozark chasers' (pretty sure those two are the same, right?) ... the guys who developed their own video probe and were interviewed on one of the recent NGC specials. They're the fellas who successfully probed the tor a couple years back but unfortunately the cam was out of focus. I met them in '04.

 

[Scott Olson]

CNN has video by storm chaser "Randy Hicks" which he shot apprently inside a tornado. (I'll let you decide) The "action" packed video includes all sorts of audio editing. Great.....
Aaron
[/b]

"Yeehaw! Were in the tornado!" Well, I guess thats one way to look at it. Almost seem like thats what he is trying to accomplish, I wonder if he gave up on the probe quest. I did meet Randy (Outlaw Chasers of the Ozarks) near the June 7th Badlands Supercell last year and we had a nice conversation and he seemed like a pretty nice guy.

This was Randy's response to critcism on another message board:

So you dont like me think im crazy well gess what I am I dont claim to be somebody special but ive been this game 14 years I dont know much about seience charts and graphs I taught myself how to chase oh I tried to seek help from these so called professionals which I have a great deal of respect for most of them dont get me wrong but my personal experence was with one very famous from oklahoma because I respected how close he got and thought he might help me to learn how to safely approach tornados you know impart some wisdom but no instead all I got was his arragance acting like I was just some kind of uneducated hillbilly scum who was just wasting his " PROFESSIONAL" time. Well needless to say that upset me extremely but after a few days I came to this conclusion so they think im nobody well I'll show them who needs them and at that point I built my video probe not a pressure probe as you thought I could care less about seientific measurements I know their windy I just want to see the eye of the tornado and one doesent have to be a pro to get it done and I feel the public wants to see it to and I plan to bring it to them even if it kills me to do it I dont have alot to loose anyway. Its so easy for people like you to judge someone like me who you know nothing about I videoed 43 twisters in last 3 years and you cant find one in ten give me a break or call me and I will show you how to find them that is if your balls are big anough to stare down an f3 comeing straight at you looking to eat you up well mine are i've been their 4 times already and im going back tell I get the shot im after so come join me or shut up like I say show me the puddin and if you cant I dont have the time to waste on an armchair chaser OUTLAW CHASERS 06 [/b]

 

[Mike Peregrine]

how funny ... that post inspired me to forever alter my ST signature below ...

Back to last night - - - again I'm on my never ending search of radar captures. Ever since NIDS went offline it seems like I'm continually looking for radar after-the-fact. If anyone has any from 7:30-8:45 p.m. last night in NW Missouri, I'd enjoy seeing the cell east of STJ. And if you have a source for archived radar on the internet, please share how you're doing it these days. Thanks a bunch -

 

[rdale]

http://has.ncdc.noaa.gov has radar (Level II and Level III) and all NWS text products archived.

 

[Scott Olson]

TORNADO ASSESSMENT:

F2- GAGE AND JOHNSON COUNTIES 1/2 mile wide 34mile path length

 

[fplowman]

TORNADO ASSESSMENT:

F2- GAGE AND JOHNSON COUNTIES 1/2 mile wide 34mile path length
[/b]

I didnt see any damage on the footage and the tornado I was on that may have been over F0 - F1.. Heading east out of Beatrice I did see a roof damaged on a metal building.. that may have been possibly F1 damage.. Otherwise just some sheet metal and limbs is the most of what I seen.. All homes and outbuildings seemed "still standing" No serious damage I could see..

Now what was most interesting was the strong unmistakable smell of "fresh earth" in the air after it had passed

 

[Scott Olson]

I didnt see any damage on the footage and the tornado I was on that may have been over F0 - F1.. Heading east out of Beatrice I did see a roof damaged on a metal building.. that may have been possibly F1 damage.. Otherwise just some sheet metal and limbs is the most of what I seen.. All homes and outbuildings seemed "still standing" No serious damage I could see..

Now what was most interesting was the strong unmistakable smell of "fresh earth" in the air after it had passed
[/b]

Did you see the tornado dissipate? The damage survey shows only a single tornado (it only notes F2 damage E of the Beatrice area.)

 

[Mike Hollingshead]

TORNADO ASSESSMENT:

F2- GAGE AND JOHNSON COUNTIES 1/2 mile wide 34mile path length
[/b]

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/crnews/display_sto...d=2253&source=0

A STORM SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED TODAY IN GAGE AND JOHNSON COUNTIES FOR
A TORNADO THAT OCCURRED SATURDAY AFTERNOON. A TORNADO STARTED IN
GAGE COUNTY ABOUT 6 MILES WEST OF WYMORE. IT TRACKED NORTHEAST TO
ABOUT 4 MILES EAST OF DOWNTOWN BEATRICE...THEN CONTINUED NORTHEAST
INTO JOHNSON COUNTY. THE TORNADO LIFTED IN NORTHWEST JOHNSON COUNTY...3 MILES NORTH OF STERLING ...ABOUT 1 MILE SOUTH OF THE JOHNSON/OTOE COUNTY LINE.[/b]

Well that is interesting. I gave up on my north road about 5 north of Sterling and drove back south into the storm(the east gravel options on my gps were never there!...and the road was looking worse and worse...one should be very careful in that area of NE as they really do suck). Part of me has a hard time believing it was on the ground in there all the way to 3 north of Sterling.