Holiday storm chases?

[Elaine Spencer]

Yesterday while I was at work, I overheard someone else remark that they never expected to be in a tornado watch just a few days before Thanksgiving. (She must have had a pretty short memory, though, because I can recall some other instances of this occurring.)

I also seem to remember at least one Christmas Eve when there were severe thunderstorms and flash flood warnings out (1982?) and another instance in which I was at work, in Peoria IL, two days before Christmas and heard a tornado warning on the radio for Tazewell County.

That got me to thinking, has anyone on this forum ever gone out on a storm chase on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve/Day, or New Year's Eve/Day, for CONVECTIVE storms (not winter storms)? Have you ever gotten up and left your turkey and stuffing behind to go chase, or rung in the New Year doing this? Just curious.

I'd think that bagging a tornado, even if it was just a tiny short lived F0 that did no damage, on Christmas would be the best present a lot of you could ever imagine

 

[James Hilger]

I don't care what the so called holiday is, but if there's a chance for some weather and its not too far, im there. I couldnt enjoy myself if i didnt go. I don't recall off hand being that lucky though.

 

[Scott Sims]

I chased on December 27th in 2008 but it turned out to be completely linear and just a wind threat where I ended up(near Belleville, IL). There were tornadoes that day though along the same line of storms, but they were a few counties north of where I was. I didn't leave a holiday gathering to chase though. But it was the closest to Christmas that I remember chasing.

 

[Melissa Jablonski]

No. I do remember a tornado in Plymouth Indiana in Jan. or Feb. when I was a teenager.

 

[Elaine Spencer]

has anyone on this forum ever gone out on a storm chase on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve/Day, or New Year's Eve/Day, for CONVECTIVE storms


Well, I guess that question has been answered in spades....

 

[Elaine Spencer]

or rung in the New Year doing this

Sounds like the folks at SPC were doing just that -- not chasing, of course, but tracking numerous severe storms; and the long suffering folks in Yazoo City, Miss., rang out the old year with yet another tornado warning as well.

 

[Mike Boik]

new years eve.

I was out on december 27th-28th? cant remember what day that was in 2008. it was one or the other.

 

[James Hilger]

I figured this thread would have a lot more response after the last round of storms. I won't speak for everyone else but I was out chasing. Not near as fun this time though since we had fatalities.

 

[Skip Talbot]

The New Year's Eve event was, in my opinion, the worst kind of event: lots of tornadoes, with damage and fatalities, and very little in the way of chaseable storms. Its a lose lose situation. Of course this is often the case on high shear/low cape days. You wind up with fast moving, grey, grungy storms that provide little visibility for chasers and little visual warning for those in the path. The new year's eve event was my first late season "holiday" chase and first December chase. Although I intercepted a tornado warned storm, the structure was quite poor. Storms were junky looking, low contrast, and most circulations were probably embedded. Did any storm chaser actually get a good view of a tornado on this event? The only decent video I saw was shot by locals, and the tornadoes looked like they were at least partially rain wrapped.

 

[Donovan Gruner]

This New Years Eve was my only winter storm chase, excluding January 7th, 2008, when I saw my first tornado on accident. Unfortunately, I was in Norman while tornadoes touched down a few miles from my house just before Thanksgiving, although most likely I would have headed away from town that day. It was nice to get out Friday and see some dark skies, but as Skip said, you couldn't see much. This is a picture taken about when the tornado touched down in Petersburg, IL. At this time, there was a strong couplet, just to our southwest. Unfortunately this is all we could see.

 

[Stephen Levine]

I have done a few chases right around the Winter Solstice. About 10 years ago, right around 12/22, I chased storms in E.Texas and witnessed one of the most spectacular lightning shows I've ever seen as the line of storms arced from horizon to horizon and exploded with constant lightning beneath a black starry sky. In addition, found a large pine tree on fire due to a lightning strike.
In 2002, on or about 12/23, I drove to SE Texas into a moderate risk area as pieces of energy swung S. and E. across an intense winter low. Just north of Huntsville, I intercepted rotating storms (HP) with intense winds, rains and moderate lightning under 72 degree temps/68 degree dwpt, while back in N.TX it was in the 20's.
On New Year's Day, I believe that it was 1999, I drove about 70 miles to my SE and intercepted intense storms under the first tornado watch of the year. Encountered marble hail, but no funnels/twisters.