4/23/08 DISC: TX/OK/KS/CO/NE/MO

[Bill Tabor]

Interestingly I see a tornado logged 4 miles sw of Anson. I was definitely there, but didn't determine a definite tornado at this location. I was running south a lot, but I was also stopping and taking pictures / video taping as often as possible. I do recall an area that was suspicious that I videotaped, but it was so angry and wrapped up it was difficult to tell anything for sure, but at the time I wondered.

Later, when I was near Hawley I was amazed at how the entire storm was wrapped up and rotating cyclonically. I could visually see this. It was seriously cool to watch. It appeared a possible large tornado in progress which might be possible as I recall looking at SRV and seeing a huge area of rotation associated with it within the cell. With damage on the north side of Anson, I wonder if there was a tornado that passed through the rural part of that area. There wouldn't be a spotter or chaser in that location or locals because everyone would be taking cover from this.

This was a really cool storm to watch, with so much power, but it's always a bit disappointing when the storm continually chases you and you don't have a lot of viewing opps because you are too busy running. Also tough to see what's going on with the storm when you have your back to it.

Anyone else near this area of Anson / Hawley at this time?

 

[Chris Lott]

Last night between 9:30 and 10 I went out as the storms were approaching Hill Co. I set up on the southern end of Hill Co. where I had a good few of the approaching storm through an open field to my NW. In between the hundreds of lightning flashes the storm was spitting out, there appeared to be a descent lowering with the storm, with small touchdowns, but nothing I could confirm. I looked on the SPC storm report page and saw some barns were blown down in western Hill Co. near Covington. My camera takes crappy night shots so I didn't bother grabbing it, and the battery on the vid cam was dead, so needless to say I have no proof of what I saw, but GRLevel 3 was throwing up shear markers along the leading edge of the storm as it approached, but there was never a tornado warning.

 

[Matthew Crowther]

I noticed that the tornado that at least a fair number of chasers saw in southern Dawson County, TX never mad any sort of LSR that I can find. Did anyone call this in to the NWS? I would hate to see this evidently fairly significant tube not get into the official database...

 

[Kiel Ortega]

I noticed that the tornado that at least a fair number of chasers saw in southern Dawson County, TX never mad any sort of LSR that I can find. Did anyone call this in to the NWS? I would hate to see this evidently fairly significant tube not get into the official database...

(this doesn't belong here, but...)
FYI: just because an LSR wasn't issued doesn't mean the report won't make it into the database. As long as an office doesn't straight up ignore a report, it'll be in Storm Data. Take my word for it...going from report (LSR or not) to Storm Data is a complicated process that isn't that transparent. For anyone concerned whether or not a report makes it into the database, check the NCDC online storm event pagehttp://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwEvent~Storms

after 3 months from the event day...it should be in there. If not, get a hold of the local office (and have proof!) if you have a report that didn't make it. You have 18 months from the time the day gets into the database to try and get a change (so about 21 months from the actual day). After about 18 months it's a lot more difficult.

 

[Matthew Crowther]

A moot point now- new LSR summary has:

0353 PM TORNADO 14 S LAMESA 32.53N 101.96W
04/23/2008 DAWSON TX TRAINED SPOTTER

TORNADO REPORTED ON HWY 137 BTW ACKERLY AND PATRICIA.

0357 PM TORNADO 14 SE LAMESA 32.59N 101.79W
04/23/2008 DAWSON TX BROADCAST MEDIA

REPORTED BY GREG MORGAN CH7 357-401PM CDT

 

[Bill Tabor]

Update: I toured the road north of Anson today in the daylight. It runs from Anson to Stamford. There were I'd guess at least 30 poles down. They were on both sides of the divided hwy. From what I can tell they were all down in the same direction though I'm not positive. It's about a 2 to 3 mile stretch of hwy.

My Mom watched the local news also and they mentioned that they believe and EF0 tornado went through Anson and caused minor tree damage. I went through Anson though and it doesn't look to bad. The worst damage is on the north side of town. I saw the building with the roof damage. Half of the roof was gone from a business. I also noticed on the way in from the west to the intersection I was describing earlier that there is a structure which appears to be a roof way out in the middle of the field a mile or more away from town. Perhaps it was a collapsed building, but my Dad said it was new and doesn't belong there. If it got blown there it was blown from pretty far away.

If the tornado near / in Anson was ranked EF0 where would we be able to find it? I didn't see a link on the San Angelo NWS office.

 

[cedwards]

They may still be doing damage surveys. I spoke briefly to Hector Guerrero from the San Angelo NWS Office. He mentioned the poles down as well. Hopefully, they will post the information when they get it all completed.

 

[N. Shaw]

Was anyone close to this tornado in Crowley?

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/fwd/productview.php?pil=FWDPNSFWD&version=1

This one was never TOR-warned. I remember that is when the storms began to go more linear, so I suppose it was just embedded in the line.

 

[Jon Gacke]

I was heading into Anson just as the wall-cloud/gust-front was ingesting the town, (misjudged its direction of travel a bit, thinking I was on more of a parallel track). I v-quickly turned around at the edge of town and went back the way I came, but not before snapping a few pics. A couple connected funnels - still trying to determine if they were true TN's, multi-V or gustnadoes…I'll post those pics soon. The inflow was so intense, even with the Jeep floored - it was all it could do to keep going forward. Then the outflow gave me an abrupt push and imo, those straight-line winds/outflow are probably what knocked all the poles down. What a beast! As soon as the storm past, I picked my way back around downed poles and wires to the town. In my rough estimate, there were poles intermittently down for 2-3 miles. The downtown area sustained slight damages, looking more like the effects of a minor tornado though not sure. I then proceeded west to the second cell and though picturesque, it didn't seem to produce anything. I'll be curious to read an official damage assessment.

Just got in the door from last night's Hill City, KS chase (although I only showed up after dark and others were already on it) - thus this late post.

 

[Jon Gacke]

pics update

Here are the pics as the storm "passed" through & south of Anson.

 

[Bill Tabor]

Hey Rocky / Charles...pretty cool video. Looks like an exciting time. Rocky I heard you saying you didn't feel good about this before the tornado, and I think I would have felt the same way. From the looks of it I think my instincts would have been screaming at me that something wasn't right. The question though when you feel that and you are in the thick is do you turn around or continue? Either choice could be a mistake. Actually on the video I believe I can see the tornado developing and coming down to the front left of the vehicle in the distance as you are driving. You actually appear to be driving under some type of heavy precip wallcloud with several lowerings along the edge. The biggest lowering is the one I mentioned and the timing is about right that as it disappears from view in the video a few moments later it is just north of the vehicle as you all identify a tornado. Actually you can see the heavy / possibly atomized rain increase as you continue under the wallcloud. I wonder if had you noticed this feature earlier if you would have made the right choice? If you had seen it when I can see it on video would you have stopped, turned around, or continued? Probably the choice you made was correct...to continue. Had you stopped when I first saw it then likely it was already coming toward you in a diagonal across the road. Had you stopped you might not of had enough clearance time. This stuff just happens when we chase a lot. I nearly drove into a tornado or gustnado also same day. If we are close, long enough this stuff just happens.

 

[Bill Tabor]

I've determined after reviewing video that what I nearly drove into was a weak, developing tornado. I then drove under the area of rotation. It's nothing as strong or developed as what Rocky/Charles encountered. Regardless I will be posting video and stills soon.