If You Missed El Reno (2013-05-31), How Do You Feel About That?

[JamesCaruso]

There is lots of fascinating discussion about this event from chasers that were on the scene. I regret not having been part of this event, because it was so significant both meteorologically and, unfortunately for tragic reasons, will be a watershed moment in storm chaser lore.

It especially bothers me because I could have been there... My chase partner and I were scheduled to fly home that Friday morning of 5/31, and briefly considered staying the extra day and changing our flights to Saturday morning. We ultimately decided not to stay, for a variety of reasons. I needed to be home for a Saturday evening camping trip with my son, and would have had to take a 6AM flight out of Wichita to make it comfortably. This seemed less than convenient for what would be a "lame duck day" chase, with the risk that a missed flight or connection would have kept me from making my son's event. All this aggravation and stress of getting home on time would have to be worth it, and I'm thinking, how many times does one ingredient fall out of balance and screw up the whole day (witness the 5/29 disappointment of just two days earlier; even 5/30 was probably less than many expected...) When the tornado risk in the 13Z SPC outlook was downgraded relative to the 6Z version, I thought that validated my cynicism about the forecast... And I never did do my own analysis, as I woke up in the mindset that I was going home, not that I was going to make a forecast and chase... Add the fact that we had so much misfortune on our trip, including getting stuck in a bar ditch on a muddy road the day before while on a tornado warned cell near Kingfisher, and we're thinking "let's not push our luck... we'll probably screw it up anyway..." We had spent the previous night enjoying a nice dinner in Wichita after our dirt road debacle, and had made the difficult "transition" from chase mode back to "real life" and in the end decided not to go back through the magic portal...

I am sure my wife was very irritated that on my first night home after two weeks of chasing, that I was glued to The Weather Channel and cable news all night, watching events unfold!!!

In some ways I am glad I wasn't there because it proved to be a dangerous situation for many chasers that are much more knowledgeable and experienced than me. On the other hand, I am no novice either and like to think I would have done alright and stayed safe.... I am sure that even those who ended up in bad spots, as long as they were safe in the end, now greatly value and appreciate the experience, as hair-raising as it may have been and although they would never willingly repeat it...

Most years I come back from my chase vacation and analyze the events I was part of. But this year, I have done nothing but analyze this fascinating El Reno event, living vicariously through those that lived it.

Many of you may remember the "Sitka Bust Club" back in 1999. Those of us that missed El Reno should form a new club Hopefully there won't end up being two classes of chasers now - those who experienced El Reno, and those who didn't!

So please share your thoughts about missing this event, and your stories about why, assuming you had the opportunity to be there but were not....

And feel free to suggest names for our new club!

Jim

 

[Shane Adams]

Honestly, it doesn't bother me at all. In fact I'm almost glad we missed it. We got a very late start because I got stuck at work until 4:30pm, and we were leaving from DFW. Needless to say, everything happened while we were screaming north up I-35. But we got there just in time to miss the tornadoes but get the bulk of panicked local traffic jams, which were mind-boggling. I wasn't aware that the TV guy had told everyone to just get in their cars and drive away; I kept asking out loud, to nobody, in anger "what are all these f$%^ing people doing out here?" Never in my life have I been jammed up on open stretches of rural highway. There was no escaping it. Fortunately for us, by the time we got stuck in all of it, the storms had settled down and were moving away. I shudder to think what might've happened had there been an El Reno type storm bearing down on us.

With that, plus all the controversy surrounding the deaths and all the other mayhem (locals lashing out at chasers because they were running scared and chasers were 'in the way' and other BS), in retrospect I don't think it could've worked out better for us. I'm kinda over that phase of needing to be there for historic moments. I've seen an F5, I've seen some of the most incredible tornadoes and events in history, and that's cool. But these days, I just want to get as good a tornado video as I can, whether it's an El Reno or some harmless little twister in some open field nobody cares about once it's over. I tend to gravitate away from hype and controversy these days, and in my mind, May 31, 2013 will always be overshadowed by tragedy and the insane actions of scared locals. It's ruined several chasers on ever going near OKC again (at least they say that; we'll see what happens the next High Risk in that area) and overall, that day just makes me cringe and leaves a bad taste/feeling in me. Maybe if we'd seen the tornado I'd feel differently, but I doubt it.

 

[Matt Ashworth]

I was out in Ohio at the time and personally, while seeing this storm unfold would have been really cool, considering the hazards of that day I am glad that I missed out on it. While I like to think that I could have kept myself out of harm's way, all things considered the only true way to stay out of harm's way in that storm would have been to simply not be there. I'm still hoping to get my first tornado this year, but not if it means putting myself in a potentially deadly path such as this or potentially getting in the way of people trying to escape the storm. I'll keep my distance and watch feeds and videos instead.

 

[Brett Roberts]

If I were to make a list of chase days from the past few years that I was or would've been devastated to miss, this probably wouldn't crack the top 10. I understand it has a lot of "historic" significance, but the actual experience of chasing the El Reno storm simply wasn't that enjoyable. The tornado was shrouded in dust and/or precipitation for much of its life cycle, and while there are amazing images of its wedge stage from a few lucky chasers, the majority of us couldn't see a whole lot. That's to say nothing of the ridiculous traffic situation, which was infuriating and effectively ended some of our chases within 10-15 minutes of first viewing the tornado. Man, chasing in C OK sucks these days.

I guess I don't really buy into the hype of being there for newsworthy or historic days, though. I care almost exclusively about the actual chase experience and the photos/video I come away with. On that note, I find a more interesting question to be: how do people feel about missing (or seeing) Moore this year? It was easily more photogenic and consistently-visible than El Reno, yet also did far more visible damage. Personally, knowing that both El Reno and Moore had tragic outcomes, I easily would trade witnessing the former for the latter. The initial stovepipe stage around Newcastle was one of the most beautiful tornadoes of the year, and from what I've seen, the traffic situation was never as dire with that storm as on 5/31.

TLDR: I witnessed El Reno and didn't find it a particularly memorable chase, in any positive sense. But I sort of feel the same way about Moore (which I missed) that James does about El Reno, ironically.

 

[Matt Ashworth]

On that note, I find a more interesting question to be: how do people feel about missing (or seeing) Moore this year?

I was actually in Chickasha (and has passed through Newcastle) not 30 minutes before the tornado touched down, taking video footage of the storm as it rose and developed. My chase team even considered chasing it for a minute before deciding against it and sticking with our original goal of heading south/southwest. From the standpoint of seeing a photogenic tornado (since I chase for the experience, photos, and video) it sucks that I was so close but passed up the monster of that outbreak. From a more safety-conscious standpoint, I am also relieved that I was not there to witness it. So I'm mildly torn on whether or not I am upset or happy that I wasn't there.

 

[Warren Faidley]

We (Dr. Moles, Joel Ewing and myself with two volunteers), actually started out from the Holiday Inn Express in El Reno that morning. I half-jokingly told the group on the way out, "Get a good look, this place will not be here later." I was almost right.

I decided to chase SW of El Reno for two reasons. One, we might be able to chase longer before a NE/E moving storm crossed I-35, and secondly, to avoid the OKC region, including 1-40 and I-35. We saw the initial (explosive) development that eventually struck El Reno, but we stuck to the storm that formed south of Lawton. We quickly headed north on Highway 81 when the reports of serious damage came in. My goal at that time was mostly EMS related, but I also figured it might be a historical event if the tornado continued through metro OKC. As a journalist, that was a real draw. We got caught up in the traffic jam on Highway 81 like a lot of chasers and we were eventually chased southward by another tornado warning. I can tell you it was not a "classic" chase in any way.

The reason I say this is to tell those who were not there, I don't think you would have accomplished anything but placed yourself in great danger no matter where you were. Yes, a surprising number of chasers avoided tragedy, by shear luck, but some were killed. These were experienced chasers. Had the tornado continued eastward, or secondary tornadoes formed, I have no doubt even more chasers would have been killed or injured. I personally have no regrets not being "close-up" to the El Reno event. For me, it was a learning experience.

I guess there is a regret some might have, in an honorable way, of thinking maybe we could have done something to help, or maybe it would have made the disbelief and grief easier to understand and tolerate by being there to "experience" the event. But if you regret not being there for strictly "video" reasons, it would have involved a lot of luck to have been in the right place and survived.

W.

 

[Sean Ramsey]

I started out chasing the storm by setting up in El Reno, but I only live 10 miles to the east of there so when the tornado came about on the path it was on, I stopped chasing and drove back to the house to get my family since we have no shelter (purchased the house 6 months ago) and we moved south then west after we got clear of the storm ahead of the public. Had I not done that, I feel I would have been south of I-40 near El Reno with everyone else and it could have ended up very bad. So, because of the path the tornado took towards my home, I missed the event....and I have no regrets about not chasing it. Honestly, I'm glad I didn't.

 

[Dave C]

I was a bit late to the area and unfortunately closing in on the El Reno storm from Edmond/Piedmont area, but could have pushed south in front of the storm and into position before the tornado dropped (at this stage it was only barely severe warned), although cutting into my rain/hail margin that I usually like to keep when crossing in front of a storm. I got one look at that storm up close and pulled off to think and check radar before proceeding. At a gas station, you could feel the tension in the air as locals were already spooked. I heard people had been told by media to get home before the storms started, so typical rush hour traffic was already starting off worse. As I left the gas station and headed toward the storm, something didn't feel right. Traffic was already a huge pain even on the outskirts of Piedmont. The storm looked like an absolute monster. There was a chance I was already late to get into position without taking heavy rain and hail. Long story short I aborted my chase on the spot as all the factors did not add up to a safe or enjoyable chase. I ended up retreating to the northeast and to eventually to Shawnee, and was stuck in massive traffic for several hours even way out there. I am not sorry I missed the El Reno storm at all. I don't really enjoy traffic, or deadly tornadoes, or rain wrapped tornadoes in HP cells. Just not my kind of chase. In the end I am very happy with my calculated decision NOT to chase a storm that was right there for the taking - especially in light of its aftermath.

 

[Bob Schafer]

This was a great idea for a thread, James.

I was sort of there/sort of not there, in case you didn't read my chase report. I can't add much to what the others already said, but to recap briefly: I got within 8 miles of the tornado at the closest, until I made a U-turn at the Garth Brooks Blvd. exit. At first I was going west on I-40, despite the electronic warning signs advising everyone to stay off 40 west of OKC. For the last few miles, I was the only vehicle on the road, or so it seemed at least. I have mixed emotions about doing that. On the one hand, I feel like I chickened out. On the other hand, I believe chasing rule #1 is *ALWAYS HAVE AN ESCAPE ROUTE*, and I couldn't know if there was going to be any other place for me to exit or turn around beyond there. That doesn't mean I couldn't have gone south there. I didn't have to make a U-turn.

What it comes down to is that that storm looked flat-out evil at that point in time, from where I was, at least to me. I didn't want to have anything to do with it. Something inside my head just said "no".

To answer the original question: I am glad I was there... for some reason. I don't know why. Maybe it's because my first-ever chase was June 10, 1999, and I have forever regretted missing May 3.

 

[Derek Weston]

I suppose with the ability to look back and know I would've safely seen it -- at it's nastiest stage, I did see it put down and tracked it as it went rain wrapped from my perspective -- I'd be fine with that.

My viewing (or not) of a tornado has nothing to do with its existence. If it exists, I'd like to see it. I wish I would've caught Moore on May 20.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Witnessing a tornado tragedy is a complex mixed bag that usually leaves me feeling like I'd have been better off not being there, when all is said and done. The positives are countered, and in some ways overshadowed, by many powerful negatives to being a part of something like this that I would rather not have to deal with. That said, I try to make use of the positive sides of the situation as best I can. It's all I know how to do.

I'm at the stage where I don't have any strong feelings about missing or witnessing historic events. I chase to the best of my ability within the bounds that finances and life responsibilities allow. Beyond that, I can't control what I miss. If I witness something historic, I count it as a privilege (if not a solemn one). If I miss it, then I don't have any long-term feelings of remorse.

I was very content to have missed Moore. I could not be there due to work responsibilities, and furthermore there was no guarantee that I would have chosen that storm. I would have also been just fine with missing El Reno, especially knowing everything about that day I know now.

I chase for the Benningtons, Rozels, Campos, Kent County TXs, Zurichs, Waynokas, Okawville ILs, etc. Those type of events are the essence of chasing that have few negatives. I have much stronger feelings about missing those type of events, despite the fact that they are climatologically and historically insignificant outside of storm chasing lore.

 

[John Farley]

I was on my way home from a multi-day chase on both the Moore and El Reno days. Knew there was potential both days, but I had told my wife that I would be heading home then and stuck to it. She is very patient with my chasing, and I feel some responsibility to end the chase and come home when I say I will. On the Moore day particularly, I was also aware that the action would be in the OKC area or southeast of there, areas I try to avoid. Additionally I had seen Rozel two days earlier, the best chase day of my life, and I knew nothing was likely to top that from a photogenic standpoint. Still it was a little hard when I literally saw the towers that would become that storm going up in my rear view mirror. After my May 30 chase day I had headed back as far west as Amarillo, and I did not really even bother to check data the next morning, though I knew there would be severe storms in OK. I was approaching Santa Fe, looking at a large wildfire in the Pecos Canyon northeast of there, when I heard the reports of the El Reno tornado, including that chaser vehicles had been hit.

As to my feelings, I'd say a lot like Shane. I like seeing photogenic tornadoes in open country like Rozel, not mayhem like Moore and El Reno. Granted, it would have been impressive to see the rapid development and growth of those tornadoes, but I was glad to be far from the mayhem. Of course I will wonder forever what I would have done had I been on the El Reno storm - would I have been one of the ones that escaped, or would I have gotten caught as many did, including a number who were fortunate enough to live to tell about it? Being a knowledgeable and fairly cautious chaser, I would like to think that I would have been OK, but I know that storm was a different animal from any I have chased, so there is no certainty what would have happened. As it turns out, it is a good thing for other reasons that I did not chase on the 31st, since when I got to Santa Fe there turned out to be a couple matters I had to deal with that would have been much more complicated had I not dealt with them then.

All that happened on the 31st did make me realize that the previous day, chasing the supercell from Chickasha to Purcell, I had violated my general principle about not chasing near OKC. It was all right that day - crowded but nothing unmanagable. But seeing what happened the next day made me more acutely aware than ever of what CAN happen near OKC, and I will likely give it wider berth in the future than I did on the 30th.

 

[bradjones]

Man I'm so glad I did not chase that thing. I actually went chasing that day but set up shop in Norman. I was hoping that storms would fire back to the Southwest around Duncun and Chickasha area. I have only been chasing about 3 years now. I remember my very first chase the May 10 2010 central Oklahoma outbreak. Me and my brother and law almost got hit by the EF4 that moved of Draper Lake and took out the Loves on I-40 that day. That was the first Tornado I ever saw and it Scared me to death. After that encounter I vowed never chase around OKC EVER AGAIN.

I remember on the 31st sitting at the McDonalds on highway 9 and watching Gary England go absaloutley crazy saying he had never seen anything like the velocity couplet on that thing. There were a lot of chasers there at that McDonald's to and all they kept saying was Im not about to get on 35 to chase that HP animal. I love to chase but I'm not that foolish I mean does anyone really think what happened with people that day surprise them? People for two weeks in our state were on serious edge and the worst nightmare happened to me it was almost it figures moment. Even the traffic in Norman was horrible.

As far as chasing now I hope this is not a trend with people just jumping in their cars and taking to the highways because if it is I'm done with chasing. Think next storm season I'm anxious to see how people react when this happens again

 

[StephenHenry]

This is a really interesting question. I had work obligations or else I very well might have been out there. Like most everyone else, I've played out where I think I might have positioned and what I would have done. Given all the video I've seen, I definitely think this would have been an unpleasant chase, to say the least. Does anyone else get a very acute sense of claustrophobia under certain chase conditions? Even under relatively light traffic or when light precip starts impinging on the road I want, I get very very uneasy. Pretty paradoxical to feel that way out in the middle of nowhere, maybe I'm just a pansy. But watching a lot of the El Reno videos made me as uncomfortable as any tornado video ever has, even the ones further away from the circulation. Like others have said, give me Rozel any day. The sickest I've felt at missing out this year was definitely Bennington.

 

[Dave C]

Does anyone else get a very acute sense of claustrophobia under certain chase conditions? Even under relatively light traffic or when light precip starts impinging on the road I want, I get very very uneasy. Pretty paradoxical to feel that way out in the middle of nowhere, maybe I'm just a pansy. But watching a lot of the El Reno videos made me as uncomfortable as any tornado video ever has, even the ones further away from the circulation.

I too definitely get very uneasy when around traffic of any nature and severe weather - mostly because I cannot anticipate what those cars will do and I lose my tentative control of the situation. I tend to keep my distance from other chasers and traffic. Never could understand how people can stand to gather so densely. If any of them aren't prepared to make the right call if something goes wrong, the whole group is at risk. I will drive down to the next intersection, etc. just to be away and be more free.