5/13/09 OK - Gracemont & Anadarko

[Niccolò Ubalducci]

Hi!

I've just finish to upload my Videos and photoes about the Wedge Tornadoes that Struck Graceland and Anadarko -OK-

Here you can see the photoes:

www.niccoloubalducciphotographer.it

And here the Videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzvIQe4r9Ck

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfp75Pcskj0

Here Radar Animation:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DdqctS6F6c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8T6brfwY3Dg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAJfM6B9A9g


So... this is a very important chase for the Italian Storm Chaser - Meteonetwork Thunderstorm Team, that after the 10 Tornadoes intercepted during May 2008, this year has been l' only to intercept these two Tornado EF2.

Have a nice wiew.

Please text your impression.

 

[Paul Austin]

Nice work. Just a small correction: Graceland should be Gracemont. We were on the same cell but moved too far west to witness the tubes. The RFD was impressive, but I don't have any measurements.

 

[Patrick McMahan]

Anadarko

great photos and videos. We were in Chickasha. the storm split and we were photographing lightning.
you can see our photos if interested of this year's storm chasing trip at

www.patricks-universe.com

Patrick

 

[Paul Redmond]

Glad that your were safe. Night time tornadoes can be very scary. I am assuming that you had live radar access at all times.

 

[Niccolò Ubalducci]

Glad that your were safe. Night time tornadoes can be very scary. I am assuming that you had live radar access at all times.

Two Gps Unit with all stree of USA, included all offroad, Mobile internet with Grlevel2 and Grlevel3 Radar, Baron Wx Worx Satellite radar....

 

[Peter Wharton]

As I commented when you originally posted your chasing account, you edited your location details from the original posting you made, to indicate in the subsequent posting that they were the Anadarko tornados.

We sighted the tornados in your photos, with the exact same structure as in your photos, to the west in open fields from our position in Apache, Oklahoma which seems to match the radar data you've posted. I don't think these tornados are the ones that struck Anadarko on the east side of town. Do you have GPS data for your position at the time? Would be good to be able to reconfirm the location of these photos.

 

[Brandon Goforth]

As I commented when you originally posted your chasing account, you edited your location details from the original posting you made, to indicate in the subsequent posting that they were the Anadarko tornados.

We sighted the tornados in your photos, with the exact same structure as in your photos, to the west in open fields from our position in Apache, Oklahoma which seems to match the radar data you've posted. I don't think these tornados are the ones that struck Anadarko on the east side of town. Do you have GPS data for your position at the time? Would be good to be able to reconfirm the location of these photos.

Can someone confirm that this was actually on the ground? It does appear that there is a hill between the viewer and supposed "tornadoes" which would obstruct the view at the ground level. In addition, there were quite a few chasers and media spotters in the area while this was going on and the only reports I heard of was a wall cloud with funnels "half-way to the ground" while the storm was between Gracemont and Anadarko. I was just to the west while this was going on, but I didn't have a good view, and my road options to get in position were poor at the time. In addition, the area of rotation weakened significantly after the storm hit Anadarko. I'm really having difficulty believing that the entire lowered area in the video was on the ground. There were a lot of chasers out there, and being that it's WC OK in mid-May, if there was truly a wedge tornado here, I'd think someone else would have more video of it.

 

[Chris C Sanner]

Can someone confirm that this was actually on the ground? It does appear that there is a hill between the viewer and supposed "tornadoes" which would obstruct the view at the ground level. In addition, there were quite a few chasers and media spotters in the area while this was going on and the only reports I heard of was a wall cloud with funnels "half-way to the ground" while the storm was between Gracemont and Anadarko. I was just to the west while this was going on, but I didn't have a good view, and my road options to get in position were poor at the time. In addition, the area of rotation weakened significantly after the storm hit Anadarko. I'm really having difficulty believing that the entire lowered area in the video was on the ground. There were a lot of chasers out there, and being that it's WC OK in mid-May, if there was truly a wedge tornado here, I'd think someone else would have more video of it.

Well just from what the video shows, it looks like scud for the first three minutes and then looks suspicious for three minutes or so and then it completely falls apart in seconds. We know this isn't the Anadarko tornado because it was on the ground for up to 20 minutes and several miles, so the location is definitely in question, and as Peter pointed out it seems it has changed between the original reports thread and this one.

I also seriously doubt it was a tornado period, as it looks more like scud condensing along a gust front moreso than any organized attempt at a tornado, especially considering how transient the whole feature is. Also if Peter's location is correct, the storms were almost 100% outflow dominant by the time they reached the southern portions of Caddo county and there was very little, if any rotation present on radar. To think the storm could have put down successive wedges given the radar presentation (and environment) is suspect at best, but crazier things have happened.

But that's just one journalists opinion, I'm by no means a meteorologist

 

[Brandon Goforth]

Well just from what the video shows, it looks like scud for the first three minutes and then looks suspicious for three minutes or so and then it completely falls apart in seconds. We know this isn't the Anadarko tornado because it was on the ground for up to 20 minutes and several miles, so the location is definitely in question, and as Peter pointed out it seems it has changed between the original reports thread and this one.

I also seriously doubt it was a tornado period, as it looks more like scud condensing along a gust front moreso than any organized attempt at a tornado, especially considering how transient the whole feature is. Also if Peter's location is correct, the storms were almost 100% outflow dominant by the time they reached the southern portions of Caddo county and there was very little, if any rotation present on radar. To think the storm could have put down successive wedges given the radar presentation (and environment) is suspect at best, but crazier things have happened.

But that's just one journalists opinion, I'm by no means a meteorologist

Okay, after reviewing the video a little more, it is definitely scud...this is evident by the scud sitting on the horizon to the left that doesn't do anything for several minutes, and it's also apparent that there is a hill between the viewer and the area being observed, blocking the ground level view. There is scud across the entire horizon during the whole video. Speed up the video and you can't see any rotation with that stuff. Because it's dark, the video gives the appearance that there is a large tornado on the ground, but this just isn't the case here. The second video gives it away. Also, as Chris mentioned, this thing was outflow dominate after it moved south of Anadarko.

I'm going false report on this one. I'm not trying to rain on your parade Niccolo, but that just isn't a tornado...

 

[Peter Wharton]

My view is that these were tornados - if you go back to the original post by the Italians there were 4 pictures attached which clearly show funnels and ground rotation dust swirls - we sighted exactly the same structures without any intervening hills and they certainly looked like tornados, not outflow or scud - however, as any experienced chaser knows it's a major challenge to sort out these features when they are briefly backlit by lightning - hard to ensure that there is real rotation. Given that Anadarko was struck within roughly the same time period and suffered tornado damage the storm was certainly capable of producing rotation.

The problem is I don't think the Italians have done their case any favours by editing their original post to change the location of the photos from west of Anadarko on storms that were moving rapidly south at the time, to "taking credit" for sighting the tornados that went through east side of Anadarko. Some GPS data would be very useful to establish credibility - however I'm comfortable that they did in fact capture real tornado sightings - just mistaken/confused about the actual location.

 

[Jason Bolt]

Tornado, scudnado, sheriffnado that first still pic is awesome looking.

 

[Niccolò Ubalducci]

SCUD?!

We were 1.5 mile east of Apache in direction of Ciryl.

We have no doubt, its a Tornadoes and its the Anadarko Tornadoes.

 

[Brandon Smith]

In your photo, you do not have an unobstructed view of the ground. The hill is blocking your view. Therefore, from that photo, it can not be determined whether or not that cloud formation is touching the ground.

I was trying to find the actual damage survey from that event but was unsuccessful. That would let us know the estimated width of the tornado.

 

[Niccolò Ubalducci]

Brandon, I'm sorry, but I do not want to continue this argument, the Tornado of Anadarko has been filmed from us, and the damages filmed from many televisions, have been made a Report on SPC. Which test still serves to you? Creed is not the case to make controversy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SB5uv_wQ2P0&feature=related

http://www.koco.com/video/19463457/index.html

 

[Laura Duchesne]

I never saw this supposed wedge, but when we were entering OKC on the east side facing south that night, we saw what looked like a skinny funnel going to the ground on an angle, it was fairly defined and did appear like a column for a time before totally dissipating. I was a bit skeptical at first, but then saw this report. Makes sense since we were facing in that direction....

0341
3 NW STANLEY DRAPER LAKE
CLEVELAND, OK
3536 9739
THIS TORNADO DEVELOPED ON THE NORTHWEST SIDE OF THE LAKE
AND MOVED SOUTH SOUTHEAST ALONG THE WESTERN SHORE OF THE LAKE.
THE PRELIMINARY RATING IS EF0. (OUN)