CHASE CASE 1

[Paul Townsend]

Since I arrived in Martin, SD around 22z I would assume I would be in great position to catch the tornadic supercell just to my north. Since I cannot simulate real-time chase strategy I will assume I have a great chance to see a tornado with this storm. I really wanted to play the dryline buldge in NE, however temperature dewpoint spreads were a little large and 850mb capping appeared to be too large to overcome. Reluctantly I decided to slowly work my way north throughout the day and finally ended up in South Dakota.

As any experienced chaser will tell you, its one thing making decisions from your couch and another when on the road. I wonder if I would have done the same thing if I had actually chased this day.

Exactly what process I went through, except I didn't slowly work my way northward. In the narrative I used for this scenario, I was still sitting in North Platte when, at 18Z, the atmospheric information I needed miraculously appeared. After virtually digesting it I chose 1845Z as the departure time from KLBF to KVTN.

Given this time designation, I would have been just too late to see any of the tornadoes west of Wanblee. However, in real life I very well could have determined it wasn't going to work out this far south (KLBF) by, say, 1630Z, instead of 1845Z, because of the ability to get data in a continuous fashion. I would have been over 2 hours ahead of the chase case curve, and would be in position to easily get on this supercell from the beginning.

 

[Steve Polley]

Currently waiting for the Wanblee cell to produce its next tornado looking to my NW, currently just south of Belvidere, SD.

 

[Paul Townsend]

Heading west on US18 from Martin, SD to catch the tailend of the complex.

 

[Matt Gingery]

RADAR UPDATE 1Z

N PLAINS: http://i45.tinypic.com/2ii7l2s.gif

UPPER MIDWEST: http://i50.tinypic.com/rkarex.gif


TORNADOES ARE STILL BEING REPORTED FROM ND TO SD AS WELL AS WISCONSIN AS OF 1Z

THE DATA WILL BE CONFINED TO THE N PLAINS AND UPPER MIDWEST FROM THIS POINT ON. UNFORTUNATELY THERE WASN'T ENOUGH CONVERGENCE TO BUST THE CAP ALONG THE DRYLINE ON THIS PARTICULAR DAY, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF FAR SW TEXAS AND THE PECOS VALLEY INTO MEXICO.

2Z AND 3Z RADAR REPORTS AND DATA TO COME BEFORE STORM REPORTS AND DATE ARE POSTED AT 9-9:30 PM.

 

[Corey Sloan]

Great vantage point near the White River, SD Municipal Airport...watching a nicely structured supercell approach from my SW.....

EDIT: Cell I have been watching is going to pass to my northwest, awesome structure...resisting the urge to follow it....atmosphere is still ripe here....placing my eggs all in one basket....but if I get to far north I will have to mess with the linear mess to the west....not familiar with the area, its dark and I am just not comfortable going any further north since I am solo today!

 

[John Farley]

I'm on a mean-looking HP near Rochester now. Looked like the storms were lining out, but an embedded area of circulation in the line has now evolved into a large, isolated HP supercell. Lucikly I was able to blast east on 14 from south of Owatanna, and am now in good position - as long as I don't eventually end up getting crunched between the storm and the Mississippi River!

 

[Matt Gingery]

CELL 6 MILES SOUTH OF KADOKA HAD A REPORT OF 2.5" HAIL WITHIN THE LAST FEW MOMENTS. REPORTS ARE COMING IN OF MAJOR HAIL DAMAGE AND WINDSHIELDS BUSTED OUT.

CELLS SPREAD OUT IN SE MINNESOTA NEAR WABASHA, BLUE EARTH AND RICE MINNESOTA HAVE REPORTS OF GOLF BALL HAIL AND 70 MPH WINDS. . .

 

[Matt Gingery]

2Z UPDATE

UPPER MIDWEST RADAR: http://i50.tinypic.com/2jffxfp.gif

N PLAINS RADAR: http://i48.tinypic.com/j8kzgn.gif

MESOSCALE DISCUSSION

http://i49.tinypic.com/357fuo4.gif

NEW TORNADO WATCH

http://i47.tinypic.com/2rgko6r.gif



DAYLIGHT HAS NOW SUBSIDED TO NIGHT.

 

[Wes Carter]

Well, due to work I can't do the live chase but I hope that being in Merriman, NE I would have been in play for the Western SD storms. What would I have chosen? Who knows. I read the rest of the thread before I thought about it so I can't answer that honestly. I could still have screwed it up because many times I have been in the neighborhood of a tornado but didn't see jack.

 

[MatthewCarman]

In reality I could have made it to the Wanblee tornadoes as I probably would have headed west when I saw the towers go up, but I failed to move west in enough time so I am near Kadoka probably with a busted out windshield and no tornadoes. Since it is after dark I will let the line take me if it has not already done so and maybe get a few lightning shots before calling it a night.

 

[Corey Sloan]

Yep in reality...I most likely goofed and waited to long at White River, SD when I should have headed west and intercepted the Wanblee, SD tornado....linear mess has made it to me now...going to ride it out and head back into NE and hopefully find a bite to eat and motel half way home......Thanks Matt for the case!

Guess not....looks like there was public report of a tornado 2 S of White River, SD at 0143....steak it is!!!!

 

[Matt Gingery]

STORM REPORTS FOR JUNE, 7 2005

ANYONE WITH LINKS TO PHOTOS AND VIDEO PLEASE POST. . .

2144 5 N ALMENA BARRON WI 4549 9204 WITNESSED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT AND NUMEROUS SPOTTERS. PHOTOGRAPHED BY CHASER. (MPX)
2159 1 W ALMENA BARRON WI 4541 9206 LARGE TORNADO AS REPORTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS. (MPX)
2159 3 E HAUGEN BARRON WI 4561 9172 TORNADO REPORTED TO BE ROPELIKE ACCORDING TO OFFICERS ON THE SCENE. (MPX)
2210 4 N BARRON BARRON WI 4546 9185 ON HIGHWAY 25 MOVING SOUTHEAST. (MPX)
2230 10 NE RECLUSE CAMPBELL WY 4488 10556 TORNADO REPORTED ON GOUND FROM 430 PM MDT THROUGH 440 PM MDT 10 MILES NORTHEAST OF RECLUSE. (UNR)
2248 5 E HERTEL BURNETT WI 4581 9207 OFFICER WAS WATCHING A TORNADO ON THE GROUND MOVING EAST (DLH)
2300 11 NNE RECLUSE CAMPBELL WY 4492 10561 TOUCHDOWN OCCURRED AT OLMSTEAD AND BAY HORSE ROAD INTERSECTION. SEVERAL LARGE TREES DAMAGED. (UNR)
2303 2 W WANBLEE JACKSON SD 4357 10170 2 TORNADOES ON GROUND FROM 503 PM THROUGH 506 PM JUST NORTHWEST OF WANBLEE. FUNNELS FIRST REPORTED AT 450 PM MDT SOUTHEAST OF POTATO CREEK. (UNR)
2308 10 W BIDDLE POWDER RIVER MT 4510 10556 FO TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN AND DAMAGED SHOP AND BARN. FENCE POSTS WERE ALSO PULLED OUT AND GRAIN BIN WAS SET ON FLATBED TRAILER. (BYZ)
2325 3 E ORAL FALL RIVER SD 4340 10321 400 FOOT WIDE TORNADO BRIEFLY TOUCHED DOWN AND CAUSED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO FARM MACHINERY. (UNR)
0109 COLBY MARATHON WI 4491 9030 HWY 13 AND N. (GRB)
0119 5 NE FORT YATES EMMONS ND 4614 10056 REPORTED NEAR HIGHWAY 1804 (BIS)
0131 ATHENS MARATHON WI 4503 9008 ROTATING WALL CLOUD AND ROTATING DEBRIS ON THE GROUND. (GRB)
0143 2 S WHITE RIVER MELLETTE SD 4354 10074 TORNADO REPORTED BY THE PUBLIC 2 MILES SOUTH OF WHITE RIVER. (UNR)
0315 FAULKTON FAULK SD 4503 9913 15,000 SQ FOOT CHEMICAL PLANT DESTROYED. TORNADO WAS 30 YDS WIDE AND 300 YDS IN LENGTH. (ABR)
0405 2 NW CONDE SPINK SD 4518 9813 LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTED A TORNADO (ABR)
0407 6 W GROTON BROWN SD 4545 9822 SOME DAMAGE TO 3 MOBILE HOMES, RATED F0. TRACK WAS 70 YDS LONG AND 20 YDS WIDE. (ABR)
0410 2 S MERRICOURT DICKEY ND 4618 9876 LAW ENFORECMENT REPRTED TORNADO ON GROUND FOR 2 MINS (BIS)
0420 1 SE FREDERICK BROWN SD 4582 9849 SOME DAMAGE TO A FARM, RATED F1. TRACK WAS 100 YDS LONG AND 30 YDS WIDE. (ABR)
0435 9 SE HECLA BROWN SD 4579 9802 BRIEF TOUCH DOWN DESTROYING A GARAGE, RATED AN F1. (ABR)


THOSE OF YOU THAT WERE WITHIN RANGE OF THESE INTERCEPTS ENJOY A MUCH DESERVED STEAK. THOSE THAT DIDN'T INTERCEPT SHOULD ENJOY A NICE ORDER OF FUNNEL CAKES. . .

GREAT JOB EVERYONE!!!

I WILL BE WAITING FOR THE NEXT CHASE CASE. THIS TIME I WILL BE A CHASER. DON'T HESITATE, LETS GET CHASE CASE 2 STARTED. . .

 

[Steve Polley]

Thanks Matt for getting the chase cases started. Had alot of fun with it. Looks like I was just a little too far SE of the Wanblee tornados but guess I was in the ball park anyway.

 

[Paul Townsend]

Thanks for all of your work in putting this together, Matt.

 

[John Farley]

Thanks for putting this together, Matt. Great job! I'm in Rochester eating funnel cakes and washing them down with a New Ulm beer! I had the right idea with the warm front but really underestimated how far north it would surge - especially when the first group of storms formed in the morning - thought the OFB they put down would effectively push it back south, but no. My secondary idea of eastern SD was good, but I almost certainly would have been too far south there, too. Congrats to all who cyber-scored in this scenario!

In real life I did not chase this day, but did 3 others within a week of this date. Got the same number of tornadoes, LOL. On the 4th I missed one by being 30 miles too far south, so that was closer than I came in this chase case!