4/25/09 REPORTS: OK/KS

[Cris Schroeder]

Well, I threw in the towel a little while ago so I might as well start a REPORTS thread for the day.

I intended to work the cold front somewhere between Alva and Enid, OK this afternoon. I got a late start and headed SW from the Wichita area before checking data, and realized the front was farther SE than I expected. I had to double back in Harper and managed to head south from Wellington, KS to catch a nice cell moving NE from Caldwell. The storm didn't look overly impressive on radar but it had a lot of motion on the updraft base and occasionally showed a ragged wall cloud.

I kept changing my mind between staying on this storm or heading farther south into Oklahoma. I drove through South Haven, KS at least a dozen times trying to decide what to do. Anyway, I finally watched the wall cloud move across US81 and east towards the Winfield, KS area. I jumped on US166 to Ark City and blew north to intercept the storm again on US160 just west of Winfield.

The storm had developed a beautiful wall cloud between US81 and Winfield. I was too far south to see any rotation but it looked like a big bell hanging from the updraft base. It went TOR-warned around this time.

In the end, I managed to photograph the same cell over the course of three hours or so, but never saw anything that could potentially lead to a tornado. I had fun but it was a little frustrating given the environment. I expected better rotation this afternoon. I'll have to check the pics and video tomorrow, and add them to the post.

 

[Glenn Dixon]

Today was a long day. Caught the first cell NW of Shamrock, but eventually had to decide whether or not to stay on it or go east for the cell approaching Elk City, OK. The TX cell was very high-based, we went east. Once we got on I-40 we never left. The best action occurred just east of Clinton when one cell developed massive scud which turned into an odd wall cloud, then eventually tightened up into a meso with broad rotation. Lots of attempts at developing a lowering, none succeeded.

And was anyone else tired of hearing about the potential tennis-ball sized hail while experiencing nothing larger than pea-sized? And is Canute still there? I swear I hear them mentioned in at least ten warnings.

Pics tomorrow before I check out of Motel 6, but none will be anything exciting.

 

[Mike Peregrine]

Scott Currens, Amos Magliocco and I chased together today in western Oklahoma/eastern TX panhandle. Can't say that it feels too fun to have driven 750 miles only to have the tornado of the day occur 20 minutes from your house back in Kansas ... but it's not the first time this has happened and it won't be the last. In the meantime, we did see a couple of decent funnels today. Certainly nothing to get excited about. To see the best tornado footage so far this year, take a look at KMBC in KC.

This was a funnel on the back side of a dying meso near Hammon, OK ... Scott just happened to look above the car in time to see it ...

 

[markstauss]

This had to be the shortest chase of my life. Storm Number 1 snuck up on me while we were looking for Morel mushrooms near Smithville Lake. I got home just in time to hear about the tor warned cells in far western KC. Shortly after I pulled in the garage I noticed a lowering just south of my house. It did not appear to be rotating at the lower levels. Everything a couple thousand -10K feet up was moving in different directions, but nothing was near the ground. Some interesting scud but that's about it, no pics as I didn't feel like running from the garage to my office to grab my camera for scud. A beautiful rainbow followed that I also didn't get a picture of.

Storm #2 I was watching on grlevel3, it was just north of the cell that produced in Leavenworth county, KS. It showed decent size hail and slight rotation every now and then. I wanted to go out to get some pics but there was some pretty decent rain falling and the lightning was actually too close to go outside.

Storm #3 had to be the most interesting one. First, Trimble, MO the town I live about 1/2 mile west of is not exactly a Storm Ready community. When the tor warning was issued the volunteer fire dept. came through our neighborhood a few times with sirens and lights blazing. I appreciate that since there are no sirens in Trimble, MO. Sometimes when I'm out watching storms I can hear the sirens from Smithville, about 5 miles south but I never hear sirens sound in Trimble. This was the only photogenic storm of the evening as it was tor warned and passed just two miles north of my house. I got this picture that I can't honestly tell if it's a wall cloud or just the base of the storm. I can't tell if it is rotating because I could only see it during lightning strikes.

OK, so it wasn't a great chase and I did miss the tornado in the KC area but the chase was only a couple hundred feet. Back of the house, front of the house, repeat several times.

 

[Skip Talbot]

Just a quick post for now and will follow up with pics and video.

Intercepted severe warned cell near Elk City, OK. Saw what at first appeared to be a scud finger, but I noted rotation and it persisted for several minutes so I believe was in fact a funnel. I had photogenic Foss Lake as a back drop for it too, so I hope the photos turn out. I met up with Brandon Sullivan, Mike Brady, Adam Lucio, and Matt Fischer where we then got slammed with the biggest hail I have ever been in. I can't believe I didn't lose any glass. It sounded like someone took a sledgehammer to my car. There are huge dents all over it. Stones were at least two inches, but haven't measured the photos we took yet. After that encounter we ran north to a tor warned cell near Leedey. Saw some rising scud condensing under the base but that was about it. Then finally dropped south of Weatherford after dark to watch some nice lightning backlit supercell structure. No tornadoes, but a fun day with some excitement.

 

[Brandon Sullivan]

Couldn't find the naders today. But we sure found the hail.

Got the hail below from northeast of Elk City. There was some lake or state park in the area, it was crazy to watch the hail fall in the lake. Overall, was happy with the day, ya gotta do what ya can with what ya got.. Data coverage is slow and sucky with Verizon for us... ugh!!!

 

[Jay Cazel]

I got a late start today and headed south in OK and stopped in Tonkawa to get gas. Then I noticed the storms going up by Pond Creek and Medford so I headed back north. Followed that cell back into KS and started to see some broad rotion southeast of Wellington Ks.

So I headed back to the north and east towards Oxford just missing the hail and saw this lowered wall cloud just southwest of Oxford.

After getting thru all the rain, hail and locals out in Oxford checking out the storm this was a pretty large lowering right over Oxford.

By the time I got into Winfeild the storm had moved northeast and never got to see any of the funnel clouds, but lots of rotaion and hail. So all in all not too bad of a day.

 

[Dick McGowan]

Darin Brunin and I intercepted 4 supercells this evening in a triangle from Sayre, OK to Butler to Hobart, OK. Incredible structure was seen on 3 of the supercells including some large hail up to tennis balls. Like Skip said earlier, I'm not sure how we didn't lose our windshield with the HUGE hail we encountered in each one. And....as Mike P stated, it's always fun to drive 500 miles for structure, when I could have just driven a few miles from home to see a significant tornado.

Below is a picture of a supercell near Hobart, OK. It was funny to listen to some "professional chasers" on the radio near this storm who overhyped the situation!

 

[brandongreen]

i started chasing the cell near wheeler and ended up just south of arnett.

these next 3 pics are shot straight up into a huge rotation.

 

[Michael O'Keeffe]

Got on the cell near Wheeler and watched the base lower for a couple hours before it really got cranking in Roger Mills county, OK and produced a nice rapidly rotating funnel/wall cloud that came very close to producing but just couldn't get the job done. Watched another nice white funnel from an occluding meso, same as Mike P., before ditching that storm for the cell near Cordell. That's where we took the lightning pics just east of town. Not exactly the big day we were expecting but we saw some pretty storms.

Rapidly rotating funnel/wall cloud in Roger Mills county, OK.

Some lightning pics taken near Corn, OK.

 

[Chris Nuttall]

MOD NOTE: Several people appear to be unaware of the rules regarding embedded images in REPORTS threads. Please review this rule before posting.

 

[Wesley Luginbyhl]

Followed the Wheeler Co cell from Mobeetie into Roger Mills until the Canadian River got in the way. Saw a nice assortment of wall clouds from near and far. Roads options turned into a real problem late in the day for me. It was a real nice chase. It had everything but a tornado. I finally saw the TIV though for the first time. Managed to grab a pic of the TIV as it drove by with the wall cloud from the Roger Mills storm over the Canadian in the background. It ended up being one of the very few photos that turned out ok. Hopefully the video is a little better.

 

[Brian Emfinger]

4/25/09 Report

Video is Here

Much of the same here. I was on the initial cell all the way. As already mentioned it was quite high based and ragged for quite a while. This is from early on NW of Wheeler, TX.

The storm really intensified as it got into Oklahoma. This was from somewhere in Roger Mills County (ill look it up in GPS sometime). This was rotating pretty crazily. Click HERE for video for video of that.

Here is some hail from south of Arnett. Road options due to the Canadian River really got annoying but at least it didnt cost. I was able to dodge any hail larger than nickel size...but saw golf ball and larger on the ground.

This is one of the many tight "whirls" that I observed today from south of Arnett (I think).

and shots of the storm as I decided to let it go since it didnt look like it was going to do anything and roads were limited.

Sleeping at the Car Hotel in Clinton for todays chase.

 

[Rob Satkus]

Just a quick report. Witnessed a large tornado around 1:30am near Kremlin Ok...very dynamic, multiple power flashes, RFD winds at least 70mph. I need a little sleep now.

Rob

 

[Amy Sand]

Some pics of the development around Lawrence, Kansas.