Chasing NC and VA

[calvinkaskey]

Would I be crazy to try to chase in eastern N.C. or SE Va?

 

[Skip Talbot]

Yes, or at least you'll be waiting a long time for a supercell or tornado to pass by a place where you can actually see it.

 

[Mike Johnston]

That would be a very difficult area to chase, even under the most ideal synoptic setup. A good deal of southeast Virginia is dominated by an urban area - locally called Hampton Roads or Tidewater, is basically the sprawling Norfolk-Virginia Beach metropolitan area. The flow of road networks in this region is severely restricted by the waterways. The estuaries are very wide as they empty out into the bays and sounds. Makes navigation limited. But worst of all are the trees - more of a mixed forest in Virginia, and pine trees in North Carolina. Either place, though, the forest really limits visibility. Makes for a frustrating chase when your view of the sky is basically limited to straight up over your head.

 

[Mark Ellinwood]

It's hard, but if there's a good setup I'll make the drive down. Seen a few funnels and some severe hail+wind here and there.

 

[StephenHenry]

I spent 2005-2011 spotting storms in upstate SC (basically the same terrain as VA or NC). Even with best-case scenarios with hooks passing within 5 miles of my apartment in familiar territory, I was often severely hampered by visibility. The only tornado I ever saw during that time was from the 3rd story of the Clemson math building. Other than that, it was maddeningly brief glimpses of wallclouds through trees. That said, I can't say I didn't have fun. But after having chased in the plains for the first time the past 2 seasons, I don't think I could ever go back

 

[John Olexa]

... the forest really limits visibility. Makes for a frustrating chase when your view of the sky is basically limited to straight up over your head.

Big, big issue with me here! Plus could be congested escape routes, not good either! I do have about a dozen nice spots to shoot lightning though, so I stick mostly with that around here.

 

[Ed Sweeney]

In regard to chasing on the East Coast in general, visibility is almost always the biggest concern. Also, as mentioned earlier, traffic can be another significant issue, as suburban sprawl expands pretty far out from the downtown areas. As an East Coast native, I imagine that it would be an area quite difficult to chase if you're only familiar with the Plains. That said, there are places that do have excellent visibility (portions of central & southern Delaware, far western suburbs of Philadelphia such as Lancaster County, etc.), but, otherwise, you are looking generally for hills, places with higher elevations, parking garages, etc. to see for some distance.

 

[calvinkaskey]

I went down. I think the cape was a little low at 1200 to 1500 according to spc the day before. Also hail and tornadoes should have been more prevelant the day before to the south, especially larger hail I'm thinking. How fast you can travel on the highways is a plus but the drivers are crazy and yes the traffic isn't good. The storms were moving 55 to 65 which I don't even know how in the most ideal conditions you keep up unless you speed and go like 90 since most roads don't go ne. I chased a line on rt 88 in New York last summer and kept getting hit with 50 mph gusts for like like 60 miles. The video camera was horrible with the rain on the windshield though but the camera I have now is better I think.

 

[calvinkaskey]

I did get some good video of clouds moving overhead and possibly a horizontal funnel. Winds all throughout eastern N.C. were 30 to 40 just from the front. I think the thunderstorm was severe even though there were no severe reports in the area. I was just north of Hope Springs off of 64 W toward Raleigh from Rocky Mount.

 

[Rob H]

The storms were moving 55 to 65 which I don't even know how in the most ideal conditions you keep up unless you speed and go like 90 since most roads don't go ne. I chased a line on rt 88 in New York last summer and kept getting hit with 50 mph gusts for like like 60 miles.

You don't chase lines or cells moving 60mph. You get in position, wait, intercept, and let pass.

 

[calvinkaskey]

Looking back at one of the videos it looks like a small 10 sec. funnel off the side of like a wall cloud. A cloud just in front of the wall cloud does seem to be outpacing the "wall cloud" possibly showing rotation. There is also a few second funnel shape in the middle of the "wall cloud". I think I might have caught up to it at least temporarily although it seems like it was just a shower at the time from what broke off.

 

[John Olexa]

A cloud just in front of the wall cloud does seem to be outpacing the "wall cloud" possibly showing rotation...

Without seeing the video, could he have been looking at scud ?

 

[Skip Talbot]

We'd have to see the video, but it does indeed sound much more like a description of an outflow driven, expanding gust front and scud than typical wall cloud and funnel structure. Both could exist in the same scene too though.

 

[Bill Hark]

I regularly chase in Virginia, sometimes in Maryland and North Carolina. It is difficult but not impossible due to trees and roads. Southeastern Virginia is actually not bad due to clear cutting for farms. I avoid the immediate area around Hampton Roads/Norfolk due to traffic. One has to be more careful because falling trees trees and large branches can be deadly even in non-tornadic winds.

A few of my chases below including tornado video from Virginia:

Chase account of two tornadic supercells in northern and central Virginia with great structure and tornado video (4/27/2011)
http://www.harkphoto.com/04272011.html

Chase account with video of weak tornado Amelia County (6/10/13)
http://www.harkphoto.com/06102013.html

Tornado-warned supercell (4/19/13)
http://www.harkphoto.com/04192013.html

Tornado-warned supercell with funnel, possible tornado (5/11/06)
http://www.harkphoto.com/05112006.html

My first Virginia tornado intercept and tornado video with video stills on the account (5/31/03)
http://www.harkphoto.com/05312003.html
I never got around to posting the video from that chase. It is on my old highlights and eastern Fury or can be seen on the StormStock website link below
http://www.stormstock.com/results.asp?image=WH19970523006&itemw=4&itemf=0001&itemstep=1&itemx=42

My image of tornadic supercell with overshooting top from Charlottesville Va (4/1/98)
http://www.harkphoto.com/04011998virginiasupercell.jpg

Yes, it is possible to chase in the mid-atlantic!

Bill Hark
http://www.harkphoto.com

 

[calvinkaskey]

Scud isn't stuck to another cloud and usually doesn't hold a tight funnel shape long. I think that gust fronts produce numerous "funnels" which are literal funnels but probably shouldn't be reported as such. The amount of shear and instability along gust fronts is very high. Most of these funnels probably only last 5-10 seconds.