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

[JamesCaruso]

....
... 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.

Brett, think how I feel, I missed both!!! I don't really regret missing Moore, at least not anymore, but your question is interesting because it prompted me to ask myself why I regret missing El Reno more than I regret missing Moore. I guess there are a number of reasons:

- First, I will say that I actually did have regret about missing Moore initially, but I guess that sort of wore off and got superseded by greater blunders during the subsequent week of my chase vacation.
- I think of Moore as the real metro area tornado - it started a lot closer to the city than El Reno and was literally IN the OKC metro area - not a place I would want to be. Similarly, I never even regretted for a moment not seeing Joplin in 2011.
- Moore was much more devastating, so not something I necessarily wanted to be a part of. I could see wanting to be there on one level due to the historical significance of the tornado. On the other hand, it would be hard to ever watch the video or share it with family/friends without feeling unease over its effects. I know El Reno was a killer tornado also, and the death toll was actually not that far behind Moore's, but Moore's utter devastation to a whole community (i.e., wide impact beyond the death toll) and the death of children, makes it seem worse to me somehow.
- I feel it was my error in judgment to underestimate the potential of 5/31 (or, more accurately, to not even look closely enough at it) and to head home that morning, when I could have changed my flights and stayed an extra day. It would have been inconvenient getting back to Wichita for a 6AM flight the next morning, but that's what a hard core chaser is "supposed" to do, right? With Moore, although my forecast might have failed to recognize better conditions in that area, I was in the right general area of southwest OK, was on the Duncan/Bray storm, and was at least part of the overall outbreak event. I don't necessarily feel bad about not realizing that the northernmost echo in the initial broken line of storms would become such a monster. Could anyone really know that? We went for the more southern storm that was due west of us at the time, and that was that... With El Reno, it seemed pretty clear that there was only one place to be from a target area perspective...
- El Reno had more significance *to the chaser community* due to losing three of its own and the questions it has raised about chasing practices, both in our community and in the mainstream media
- El Reno was such a powerful, complex and unusual storm that it somehow seems more fascinating from a meteorological standpoint, plus it tested the chasing skills of many; the Super Bowl of chasing, in a way, so kind of wish I had participated and put my own skills to the test
- Part of it is simply that El Reno is the most recent significant event, sort of superseding the other earlier events in competing for my attention. But believe me, I have plenty of other regrets about my own bad decisions during my chase vacation from 5/17-5/30!

Notwithstanding the above, everyone's posts have helped me realize that I really shouldn't regret missing El Reno. Some great stuff here!

 

[JamesCaruso]

... 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.

Stephen, I feel that way too sometimes. I wouldn't necessarily describe it as "claustrophobia," but I think I understand what you are saying. I definitely sometimes feel, as you described it, "uneasy," particularly when there is tension and drama in the air on a "big day." It is an anxious feeling that blends some uncertainty and fear about what the storm environment we end up in is going to be like, combined with a fear of screwing up and seeing nothing. It's worse on the first couple chases of a chase vacation, and tends to go away as the rust comes off and I get into a groove - at least fear of the resulting storm environment tends to lessen, but the fear of screwing up never does!

Jim

 

[JamesCaruso]

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.

John, well said and I feel the same way. That was part of my calculus in heading home as planned the morning of 5/31. On one hand, what's one more day, especially if I am out on the Plains only once a year? On the other hand - there's what you said!

I had a camping trip with my son and the Scouts on Saturday evening, so would not have had much time with my wife and other kids that whole weekend if I arrived home on Saturday instead of Friday (not that I spent much time with them Friday night anyway, I was glued to the TV and my iPad Radarscope!) Plus I would have risked not making it in time for the camping trip, especially knowing that weather might have impacted Saturday morning's flights. Not to mention I came home to find a number of landscaping chores on my honey-do list, which I never would have had time to do if I didn't come home when planned!

 

[Mark Ellinwood]

I knew as many others did that El Reno was going to be the place to be that day. I decided to avoid the storm altogether due to the potential craziness with the traffic and its eventual track into the OKC metro and played the southern storm that formed. Got a visual of the El Reno storm about 25 miles to the south just northwest of Chickasha before going after the southern cell and decided that the El Reno storm was going to be too risky to chase. Never have I been so glad to have been right, and I do not regret missing that tornado at all.

 

[Alan Switzer]

I stood in my garage in SW OKC and filmed the start of the Moore tornado. I had intentions of staying put but frankly the TV meteorologists convinced me it was headed my direction. Having had my house destroyed, almost wiped off the slab, in the May 3rd, 1999 tornado, all I could hear in my head was "same path as May 3rd" which would have been within 1/4 mile of my house. (maybe I need counseling ) I chose to drive a mile north and a mile west. I watched it to my south as I drove west. Had I stayed home I would have had really good video. I have big regrets over that. I was in Nashville during the El Reno tornado and sweating bullets knowing what was happening but feeling helpless. Not that I could have done anything about it, but I would have felt better being home. Listening and watching streaming video over the internet of the TV meteorologists made it worse. Not knowing if my home was ok, or my business and my parents, all of which were at one time or another in the path of one or more of the "tornadoes". My car which was parked at an airport parking spot which was hit by a tornado, suffered no damage. But I didn't know that until we got home. I regret not staying put on May 20th, I don't regret missing the El Reno storm.

 

[Elinor McLennon]

After many years of unsuccessful chasing I finally got my picture perfect tornado in Edmond on 5-19. It was absolutely amazing. Couldn't ask for more. Then the Moore tornado on 5-20 and I saw it and photographed it. Again, in my eyes, could it be a better chase season?? I got the edmond and Moore tornado. Then came El Reno on 5-31.
When it all began there were 3 supercell storms until it all merged into a monster. I live in edmond and that first storm had the possibility of moving towards my home. So, i stayed here and watched and the plan was to get on the northern storm. I had alot of anxiety that day. Like the Moore tornado, you could feel it in the air. Actually I made the comment to my chase partners that it felt stickier outdoors that day then the day of 5-20. I kept telling everyone that something just didn't seem right that day and that I was somewhat scarred.
As we were preparing to leave Edmond we realized that the 3 storms had merged into 1. We spent 3 hours trying to get south to see this beast. That was the worst decision I ever made. Once that storm got close to downtown OKC we were getting tree branches down in areas that were not being covered by the media and supposedly that weren't in the path.
People were freaking out on the roads. EVERY bridge we came to had cars seeking shelter under them. You'd be driving in that blinding rain and get to a bridge and it was miraculous that we managed to dodge those folks.
The entire time i was freaking out. I knew something wasn't right. All my senses were going off and all I wanted to do was come home. Call me a big baby but when that "little voice" inside tells ya that something isn't right, I listen!!!
By the time we got home from our hellish adventure I was too tired and stressed to watch any more coverage. It wasn't until the next day that I learned about Tim, Paul and Carl. It made me sick to my stomach.
Looking back and knowing all the facts(traffic, size of the storm, the deaths) I'm glad that I wasn't there. I don't have enough experience and I could've easily ended up in a bad situation. That storm was an unfortunate reminder that we don't understand everything about these beasts.

 

[Logan Karsten]

Having been there, I can honestly say I don't think I would have been upset to miss that event. The only part of the chase that was exciting was the early stages of the tornado when it was a multi-vortex. It was easily visible, and was intense. However, once the thing started to grow into the HP mess that it was, the fun was over. We never stopped after it was a multi-vortex too look at it. We were constantly fleeing the storm as fast as possible, trying to stay away from the wall of violently rotating rain curtains that contained the tornado. Even when we could "see" the wedge, it just looked like a big wall of hazy black, and it was not enjoyable given the traffic and erratic motions of the tornado. I will take an June 17th, 2009 Aurora, NE tornado over this thing any day of the week. It's no fun chasing when you are constantly fleeing the storm, it's killing experienced storm chasers, or if it's tearing up a city and killing people. You want to be able to enjoy the storm, safely, have a good view of the tornado (whether it be a half mile away, or three miles away with beautiful structure). I won't knock any storm chasers that were out that day because it caught everyone off guard. Don't be upset about missing this storm. Be more upset about missing the beautiful cone tornadoes in an open field, where everyone gets a good view of the storm, and everyone can get together afterwards for drinks and a steak to celebrate witnessing such a beautiful storm. Just my two cents.

 

[joel ewing]

Don't know if anybody is still reading this, but just in case, here's my 2 cents: Like Warren Faidley wrote earlier, I chased with him and his clients during this event. I flew into Omaha to start my 3 week chase season two days prior, grabbed my rental SUV and decided to drive down to see Warren and chase for what we knew would likely be a wild 5-31. As Warren said, we spent the nite at a motel in El Reno the nite prior. I remember the motel front desk staff asking me on the morning of 5-31 if I thought they really needed to worry "about later today right here in El Reno??" and I told them, yes...you absolutely DO. Our team discussed chase strategy the day prior to 5-31, which led to the conscious decision to begin our chase southwest of El Reno if our forecast held up overnight. We specifically discussed the liabilities of traffic jams if tornadoes occurred in El Reno. We sat s.west of El Reno that afternoon in the blazing hot sun and high humidity getting sunburned prior to the 3 cells blowing up over El Reno. There was so much humidity near the ground and subsequent rain that we could not see the tornadoes that were occurring until later when we worked our way northward. Once again, as Warren wrote, we elected to get closer to the unfolding event (without becoming a victim OR an obstruction) as Warren has a good bit of advanced EMT training, and we envisioned scores of vehicles along the freeway with numerous victims all in need of aid that we could hopefully provide. Had we not

 

[joel ewing]

JOEL EWING'S POST CONTINUED (don't know why it got cut off)??
....Had we not worked our way northward we would not have been in a position to see some of the tornadic action that was taking place, albeit from a safer vantage point than many. To answer the question that started this thread, and this goes for me only, not anybody else on our team, but had I not seen any of the tornadoes that occured during this event then, yes, I would have come away from it disappointed. As it was unfolding, we knew this was quickly becoming a historic event....one that would likely be studied and discussed for years to come. It was important for me to at least have an accurate mental picture of what the situation looked like underneath that huge wallcloud. Don't get me wrong, I've seen enough tornadoes in my time to where if I miss a tornado by a few minutes or I have a bust chase, I don't put my fist thru a wall in frustration. But this one was different, and I can certainly understand if a chaser who normally would have chased this event and didn't would have the right to be disappointed without getting browbeat by his peers. Lastly, also just for the record....not one day has gone by since May 31st that my mind hasn't wandered back to that afternoon and evening....often several times daily, actually. One recurring thought is that I wonder how Tim Samaras' widow is getting along. Yes, I think of her daily....perhaps this will subside over time. I never met her, and only knew Tim enough to shake hands with him or nod hello since we met in '05. But I cannot imagine the horrible pain that this woman must be enduring. I just feel horrible for her and the surving family. (BTW, I did not know his son or the other gentleman who was killed). If anybody has any insight they'd like to share as to how she's managing, I'd be grateful to know. It's weird, but I just keep thinking about her. I guess that she's lost a husband AND a son....my God, I probably would not hold up.

 

[JamesCaruso]

JOEL EWING'S POST CONTINUED (don't know why it got cut off)??
..... To answer the question that started this thread, and this goes for me only, not anybody else on our team, but had I not seen any of the tornadoes that occured during this event then, yes, I would have come away from it disappointed. As it was unfolding, we knew this was quickly becoming a historic event....one that would likely be studied and discussed for years to come. It was important for me to at least have an accurate mental picture of what the situation looked like underneath that huge wallcloud. Don't get me wrong, I've seen enough tornadoes in my time to where if I miss a tornado by a few minutes or I have a bust chase, I don't put my fist thru a wall in frustration. But this one was different, and I can certainly understand if a chaser who normally would have chased this event and didn't would have the right to be disappointed without getting browbeat by his peers.

Yes, Joel, still reading, and thanks for adding your thoughts to the thread I started.

Great, right after Logan's post had me feeling better about missing El Reno, here comes yours!!!

 

[Paul Knightley]

If I was really honest and we'd missed the tornado, I think I'd have to say that I would have some regret - maybe not disappointment as such, but as a meteorologist who's been fascinated by severe storms and tornadoes for as long as I can remember, witnessing something as historical as this is, I think, something of a privilege, speaking personally. I hope I don't have to add caveats about the fact it was a killer, etc etc, because that, I hope, should be completely obvious.

As it turned out, we did witness it, and it was pretty scary for a time.

 

[Bob Hartig]

Missing the Moore tornado in particular touched something off in me. I've never felt more frustrated about missing an event I would never have wanted to witness.

El Reno didn't have that same effect on me. I watched the whole scenario unfold on the radar and on KFOR live stream with horror, not regret that I was missing out on anything, and my sense of it is that OKC got off very light. I'm probably better off for not having been there. It was too dangerous a storm.

But missing Moore was a bitter pill to swallow, and I think a lot of the reason has to do with my limited ability to chase. I just can't afford to do it nearly as often or extensively as I'd like, so having to head back to Michigan empty-handed one day too soon after driving all those miles, knowing that the next day would be big in Oklahoma, was hard on me. I could have afforded the extra day and I badly wanted to stay, but one of the guys had to work the following morning, and there was no getting out of it. He had a responsibility to his employer and his family, and as the driver, I had a responsibility to him. Such responsibilities are honorable and will always come first with me.

But that didn't make things any easier. Watching the debris ball roll across Moore on GR3 while I was driving east through Missouri created an ugly mix of feelings for me. My first thought was, Oh my God! When you see something like that, you just know something horrible is happening.

My second thought was, I'm missing it. After driving all those miles and busting (got just a fleeting glimpse of a rope tornado, not anything to even talk about), that radar image seemed like a slap in the face. I felt angry, like I'd been robbed, betrayed. Which is crazy, of course, but feelings are feelings, no more and no less, and I'm just being honest here about mine at the time.

My third thought, which is the one I've had to wrestle with since, was, Why? Why was I feeling so torn about missing something so terrible, an event that would have have broken my heart and caused me to lose sleep if I had been there? I don't think there's a simple answer; I think there are many components which add up. But the bottom line is, there's a compulsive aspect to chasing for me that can either make or ruin my day and even my week. I don't see that as healthy, and it didn't use to be that way. I use to take my limitations in stride, and busts were just busts: not personal failures, just part of paying my dues as a chaser.

But chasing today is a whole different ballgame than it was when I first got started seventeen years ago. The mindset is more competitive, many more people are doing it and spending gobs of cash and time in the process, and overall I just can't keep pace with it. So I've had to do--and still have to do--some soul-searching. Who I am as a person goes far deeper than chasing storms. And more important to me than being in the mainstream of chasing is having peace of mind, and that requires accepting my limitations, working within them to simply enjoy something I love to do without letting it own me. I find that much easier to say than it is to do, but for me it is a necessity. If I can afford to chase a setup, I will; if I can't, I'll wish those of you who can success--and safety. I hope it will be many, many more years before anything like El Reno occurs again.

 

[Mike Smith]

Since the subject of Moore and television have come up, I'd like to recommend watching this video. http://meteorologicalmusings.blogspot.com/2013/07/how-meteorology-and-broadcasting-save.html In the posting, I also discuss the tragic death of a performer in Las Vegas Saturday night and compare the lack of controversy about that incident to El Reno.

 

[bradjones]

Great post Mike, love the video

 

[Andrea Griffa]

To be sincere, El Reno chasing day gave me a huge stress for many days after that day. Here are the reasons:
-Tim, Carl, Paul dying;
-a crazy tornado that presents strange accelarations;
-crazy chasers who slam on the brakes like idiots;
-tons of cars (and me) in queue while huge tvs are close and you cannot get away while the patrol is blocking the road without a reason;
-a sceriff is driving like crazy, passing you (going at 50mph) at maybe 90mph while a truck is coming on the opposite side. The truck driver must make a run in a ditch to save his life and not hit the sceriff.
-to feel for the first time that storm chasing is not so safe as you thought before.

I hope that days like this will never happen again.