Fall Stormchasing: A Little Season

[Bob Hartig]

The Plainfield, Illinois, tornado of August 28, 1990, was the only F5 tornado ever recorded. August unquestionably has its moments; you can't live for them, but they happen. I scored my first tornado in August, 1996, on a backyard chase here in Michigan. And last year, I sat in the Hastings Library and totally ignored a storm that organized directly overhead and went on to produce EF3 damage in Potterville, twenty-eight miles to my east. My rule of thumb after July sets in: keep my expectations low, but stay tuned for surprises.

 

[Jason Foster]

Fall season is for the local chasing

Similarly, here in the mid-Atlantic, we see increased severe weather activity in the mid-October range. In fact, October is the height of our tornado season. Of course we average about eight tornadoes per year.

I usually don't chase much though since I've started paying attention more, and chasing tropical systems. They tend to get my focus in the late summer and fall. Plus I'm starting to get ready for the winter season. Very popular around year is the snow events.

I think the fall tends to be a high "local" chase event for the core chasers. Not always the best for driving all the way out to the plains, so local is key this time of year.

 

[Brett Adair]

Hmmm....fall chasing in Alabama......let's see what memories I have of this:

12/16/00 - Tuscaloosa; F-4
11/24/01 - The single biggest tornado outbreak (35 tornadoes) across Alabama in a 24 hour period
11/10/02 - Tornado outbreak from the OH Valley to the Gulf Coast including 2 long track killer F-3 tornadoes that tore within 1 mile of each other across Walker County, AL in the Carbon Hill area.
11/24/04 - Pre-Thanksgiving Day tornado outbreak......16 tornadoes including a killer tornado that struck the Talladega Superspeedway and killed a woman in Calhoun County.

Needless to say.....over the last 5-10 years people in my neck of the woods tend to pay closer attention to severe weather threats in the late fall/early winter.

 

[Dennis Sherrod]

I have not looked at the statistics lately, but it seems that the Deep South has had a more severe Late Fall Season than Spring Season in the last several years. The numbers Brett stated above is just an example.
Since I returned to Alabama from living in Colorado and Florida, the Alabama Fall Seasons seem more intense than years earlier. Maybe just because I pay a little more attention to them every year now.

 

[Brian Stertz]

September into October offer up some good events probably on the order of 2-3 per fall season. I have had pretty good successes in the mid September to mid October period. Kansas really activates in October....probably in relation to deepening surface lows and pretty decent drylines. Then you have the November Iowa tornado outbreak event that happens every blue moon. I really have not had too much excitement in November though...except for that goofy looking Erie KS area tornado moving at warp nine. I am looking owards to some good chases in the fall and use some vacation time to alleviate some of my spring failures.

 

[T Melton]

Seems as if we have our share of Fall/Winter tornadic storms here around Little Rock,November,January and December seem to have a share of serious outbreaks in the past several years,I think the downside of this would have to be the early sunsets,I am sure this contributes to the high fatality rate we seem to experience.

I know we have had our share of tornado warnings today secondary to Ike and his escapades. Reports seem to indicate the majority (As expected are HP) have been rain wrapped and short lived. I think the line between fall and winter is sometimes askew down here in the south as the winters are always warm enough to spawn a few exciting moments.

 

[Jason Burns]

When would you consider "storm season," outlier events notwithstanding, to be officially over for the Colorado, SE Wyoming, and western Kansas & Nebraska areas? From observing things the past several years, as well as looking through queries in the SeverePlot program, I would say right about this time of year. On the other hand I know there have been notable storm events occuring very late in the season in this area. For example, October 31, 2000 near the KS/CO border. I'd love to hear your opinions for this region.