My First NE Tornado

[Leslie Clark]

I was heading home to Minden from Kearney after shopping and was listening to the warnings all around the Buffalo and Kearney county areas and decided to stop at a factory at the eastern edge of town where my husband works since I had my 3 year old son and mother with me. After we got the all clear we headed for our turn onto highway 10 and could see what looked like smoke blowing up in a field, after further investigation though we could tell that it was not smoke. It was rotating, moving, and a thin and barely visible funnel reached all the way to the clouds. There was no reports yet and since we were still west of the funnel and stopped by a train I would have called it in to the NWS but of course had no phone. Once the train was gone I hurried across the track, parked and watched the the three cars full of spotters throwing there camera equipment back in there vehicles and headed for the storm. I would have been quick to follow if my son had not been with me, but it was still amazing sitting and watching the tornado form and pickup strength and speed. Absolutely awesome. I am so thankful that I have this summer off of work and school so that I can go watch (and hopefully chase) some of these storms.

 

[Robbie Cox]

Originally posted by Leslie Clark
Once the train was gone I hurried across the track, parked and watched the the three cars full of spotters throwing there camera equipment back in there vehicles and headed for the storm.

Cool so we had chaser's out . great news been watching it on radar since Holdrege. maybe they will share same footage

 

[Fabian Guerra]

Congratulations, and may you see and live to tell about many, many more...



Fabian

 

[Darren Addy]

Glad to see this thread, since as a newbie I have not requested permission to post in the Target Area. ("Another unintended fragmentation of the board?" - topic for another post.) I had so many things to do yesterday, it was painful to say "no, can't" when Ryan McGinnis called and said chasing was going to be good near Kearney. However, I couldn't resist later when the stuff appeared to be coming right to me.

I picked up Leslie's tornado about 3 miles east, and a bit north of Kearney. It looked like a big "tire fire" to me. Definitely rising something, but could make out no funnel and it didn't appear to be really rotating. I also couldn't make out a strong wall cloud as the source. However, we were in the right area of the storm, where the hook was on radar.

A one brief point I saw two or three much narrower "smoke clouds" go up a bit to the south of the main one. They were skinnier and didn't last long. The big one was very long-lived. In fact, I'm pretty sure it is reported at least 4 different times on the SPC report as separate tornados, though it is the same one noted by different spotters in different locations. (This make me wonder if the number of tornadoes isn't grossly over-reported).

I tried to catch up but never really made it closer than a couple of miles.
I broke off when I realized I wasn't going to be able to catch it (and didn't have a lot of gas) On the way back to Kearney on Hwy 30 I passed a line of at least a half dozen chasers - most with PVC weather gear on top. They were headed for where I had broken off.

Very glad to hear confirmation of a funnel in the middle of that thing, cause I wasn't sure of what I was seeing! Very cool. Returned home to find the lawn FULL of hail, from pea to golf ball size. Drifts of it in the driveway. Spring has finally come to Nebraska!

Darren Addy
Kearney, NE

 

[Darren Addy]

PS... Congrats on your first tornado Leslie! Also, Ryan McGinnis was on this storm from Holdrege to about I-80. I'm sure he will be posting to the Target Area reports after he gets his CD of pics later today.

Darren Addy
Kearney, NE

 

[joel ewing]

Big congrats from me too, Leslie! I sure wish I had been there, but my chase begins on May 25th, when I fly into Omaha and work the alley for 3 weeks.
One of my cousins lives 7mi. west of Kearney. I haven't had a chance to call her........hope they didn't get anything out that way.
For a beginning chaser........I don't think you could live in a better place. Nebraska is usually always in the top 5 tornado producing states...last year had something like 110 confirmed. And you just HAVE to know that there are so many more....including giant naders....that hit in the sandhill country...where there are few if any roads.......and even fewer people to report 'em. In particular, south central Nebraska....the "tri-cities" area......in a mega-tornado producer.
Again...congrats! You'll never forget your first one.
Joel Ewing

 

[Ryan McGinnis]

Congrats, Leslie! I'm headed to get my film deveolped right now -- I got photos of this feature you're talking about from about 2 miles away. Good to hear there was a condensation funnel... even though it walked, talked, and even looked like a tornadic circulation, it was weirding me out to see no funnel anywhere in sight.

 

[Dick McGowan]

Congrats Leslie! ........what an awesome day it was.............not so many chasers as i would have anticipated. I am TRYING to post photos and video soon.......having problems. I have at least 50 stills from birth to end. And video as first tornado dropped just west nw of axtell. Mike johnston has posted our full chase account under yesterday's reports. North of wood river, was the most well defined CF, as it was a white beauty that roped out shortly after it formed. Good luck in the near future.

dick

 

[Ryan McGinnis]

Originally posted by Dick McGowan
Congrats Leslie! ........what an awesome day it was.............not so many chasers as i would have anticipated. I am TRYING to post photos and video soon.......having problems. I have at least 50 stills from birth to end. And video as first tornado dropped just west nw of axtell. Mike johnston has posted our full chase account under yesterday's reports. North of wood river, was the most well defined CF, as it was a white beauty that roped out shortly after it formed. Good luck in the near future.

dick

Actually, that wasn't even the first tornado. One dropped about 1 to 2 miles east of Holderege.

 

[Craig Maire II]

Congrats!

Congratulations Leslie! I was also chasing there and got tons of awsome footage! Visit
www.kcrg.com
to view the story