Unique and photogenic tornadoes - Tell your stories

[Michael Carlson]

Each year around this time I look back on some of the chase days I really enjoyed in terms of unique and spectacular tornadoes that I documented. Here a few that I really enjoyed seeing.

April 22, 2010 – Las Animas, Colo.
The supercell initiated right on the triple point intersection and drifted very slowly to the NE at 20mph. It produced two tornadoes from separate circulations and had multiple RFD surges. – I had never witnessed anything to this extent, it really shows how every storm is different in the way it can mature and there it’s not that “cookie cutter†predictability each time.


_DSC0098E by Michael Carlson - Photography, on Flickr

August 16, 2010 – Gary, Colo to Deer Trail, Colo.

Typical Colorado landspout day – I found this day interesting in that positioning around each storm varied. I found that being on the back sides (west side) of the storms that went up along the boundary was the best spot to be to get high contrast photos of the landspouts/whorl pools. This was the first time I had been surrounded by multiple circulations and had a hard time focusing on a particular one.


funnelpano by Michael Carlson - Photography, on Flickr


_DSC0147 by Michael Carlson - Photography, on Flickr

April 14, 2012 – Langley, Kans.
Most people got on this tornado and I know it’s been discussed but I think this tornado in particular was pretty amazing visually. It reminded me of the Tuscaloosa tornado in that I had some of the same vertical motion/funnels being ingested into the main core flow. Also the evolution from a multi-vortex wedge to a large cone was really impressive. (subjective to my particular position on the tornado)


_DSC0178 by Michael Carlson - Photography, on Flickr


_DSC0058 by Michael Carlson - Photography, on Flickr


June 20, 2010 – Chugwater, WY.
I enjoy chasing Wyoming each year since the storms are high contrast and roads are a challenge to navigate. Yep I said challenge, kind of fun having minimal road options to stay near the meso. June 20th was interesting in that two supercells fired north of Chugwater and the first on moved to the NE and died. The second one begun to move NE then retrograded to the S down the mountain ridge. Low level flow was from the SE (upslope) and as soon as this supercell turned it tapped into better moisture, base dropped and produced a nice cone tornado just E of Chugwater. It was an odd storm motion but it seemed to aid in tornadogenesis.


_DSC0032 by Michael Carlson - Photography, on Flickr


_DSC0100 by Michael Carlson - Photography, on Flickr

May 18, 2013 Rozel & Sanford Tornadoes.
This day was by far more on the photogenic than the unique side in my experience this day. Every year I have a goal or bucket list thing in mind when out photographing storms/tornadoes. I have always wanted to photograph a tornado from the RFD portion of the storm. I had seen photographs from the Bowdle wedge ( Amos Magliocco’s Photos - http://cycloneroad.blogspot.com/2010_07_01_archive.html#4368789367577228050) and always wanted a shot like that. It turned out the Rozel tornado was perfect since it was moving slow and to the N. The gridded road network helped to get into position behind the tornado and I was worried about rap around hail but all I saw was a few nickels.


_DSC3120 by Michael Carlson - Photography, on Flickr


_DSC3398 by Michael Carlson - Photography, on Flickr

I think the thing that made this day unique to me was the fact that the rope out of the Sanford tornado jumped/crossed the road (183) to the west and re-condensed near the base of the circulation. I literally looked to my left and saw the drill bit in the field next to me.



Does anyone else have any cool stories or just awesome photos to share from their favorite events?

 

[Marcus Diaz]

I can only think of one chase that's sticks to me so vividly.

May 24, 2010 - While most chasers were in SD for what was a big MDT risk day, I was at work and excited to see some action coming up. I had just scored 5 tornadoes the day prior near the TX/NM/OK border. This day I wasn't expecting as good of a show, but I was ready to chase. A storm fired early in the afternoon near AMA and traveled NE taking on a great supercellular shape near Pampa. I had 2 hours of work left and it was tor warned, so I was foaming at the mouth already. Once 5pm hit I bolted up HWY 60, but by that time it had congealed into an MCS mess near the TX/OK border. So just outside of Pampa, I met up with some of the locals. We were over-looking the river valley and being eaten alive with mosquitoes. An hour later, Steve Miller (TX) spotted towers going up on the horizon to the west. After making sure he wasn't going nuts, we decided to start hauling ass back west. When we all got to Miami, we split. Steve and I went north out of town on an FM highway, while the rest went SW on 60. After some brutal white knuckle driving "the speed limit", we caught up to one part of the storm that was looking good. While approaching Spearman, the first tornado touched down. It look great as it was back lit. Steve then went through and west of town, while I stayed east. I ended up lucking out on this decision. A slight jog north on a county road, and I was all by myself. No other chaser or emergency vehicle in sight. I had nothing to my west to block the view. This was the tornado of a lifetime. The "ONE" that all chasers dream about. It was the first and last time I felt detached from this world. Birds were chirping, the wind was calm, and only a few rain drops patted around me. I had to just step away from my camera and soak that moment in, for I knew I wasn't going to get the tranquility while watching a tornado again. After watching the sun peer through the lifting funnel, I knew it was over, and proceeded to the next tornado. This weird storm latched onto an old outflow boundary from the storm earlier, and spat out 4 separate tornadoes within an hour's time. I will never grow tired of this memory.

 

[Rob H]

5/21/11 will possibly always be my favorite chase day. We were in the middle of a chasecation and hadn't seen much real action yet. The odds this day looked better up near Topeka, but we didn't want to stray too far from our North OK target on 5/22 on such a small day. We sat on the dryline and waited, waited, waited, almost until it was too late for anything to happen. We lost data so just found a spot ahead of the dryline and waited some more. Two little towers went up on a mountain range in central OK, one to our North and one to our South, and we decided to go for the southern one reasoning that it went up quicker and had less-impeded inflow.

Still without data, we drove into Sulphur trying to get a better look and called in a rapidly rotating wall cloud that put down a drillbit rope in town. Outside of town it put down a more substantial and long-lived tornado. We picked a random East road to go down trying to catch up, went through the hook, and ended up right behind where a few more ropes came down. It was my first time being closer than a quarter mile to a tornado. I was excited, trying to submit something on SN, trying to call 911 when that failed, and didn't have time to switch from the 50mm lens on my camera - so I got no pictures and my video is shaky. Nick Nolte got a great picture though:

The storm seemed to be dying, we had data back, and it looked like the storm to the North was taking over, so we headed for it. Breath-taking structure (Melanie Metz has an amazing picture of the structure with the tornado):

When we got to a clearing, I saw a brilliant fiery sky with a perfect stovepipe tornado forming. I also got good video of a tornado and a siren simultaneously, something I've always wanted to get:

Watch video >

Saw 7 great tornadoes on a day where we didn't expect anything, and did most of it without data and without any other chasers around. Extremely low-stress and fun chase!

 

[Robert Edmonds]

July 3rd, 2012 is a day that sticks in my head as just being fun and unique. It was the first time I had ever chased in Canada, and I wasn't entirely certain about the odds. A lot of the chase was by feel. Part of what was odd was just how much day light you had available. It made you question, what is morning convection, and at some point do you just call it a day? I'm used to chasing till night, but at some point you realize I saw a tornado at ~3pm and the sun doesn't really set till 10pm... Anyhow on the day of the chase we were sitting north of Regina, SK. I was keeping my eye on 3 storms. We watched from a distance as they approached us. At some point the other person with me asked, hey can we get closer. I said sure, and as we got closer we could make out a funnel. What was neat was the storm and the funnel was rather weak, but within the funnel we could see multiple vorticies. It was a great example of multivortex behavior. As the first funnel dissipated I thought that was it for our storm since it also appeared the updraft base was falling apart. We started moving east to stay ahead of the line of developing storms. However, as we started moving we saw a single horizontal funnel develop, tilt, and produce some weak debris at the surface. All the while to the right of where we were looking was a second bow tie vortex. The whole storm while weak, produced a great display of vortex dynamics.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Rozel and Bennington were, in my opinion, two of the best tornadoes in the last 15 years and possibly of all time. They had it all: modestly forecastable, photogenic, slow-moving, long-lasting, high contrast and in my opinion legendary. Any chasers who just started this year or last year, and saw those two tornadoes, may find it a long time before they top them. They were the stuff of dreams - reminding me of some of the classics I grew up reading about and hoping I'd someday get to see.

As for unique tornadoes, the July 1 event here in Illinois was one of the more rewarding and fascinating chases I've had. To be on the north side of completely 180-degree flipped supercells watching tornadoes is something I never would have thought I'd see.

 

[Michael Towers]

This doesn’t necessarily qualify as unique regarding tornadoes and it’s a far cry from the most photogenic tornado I’ve seen but I hope what follows qualifies as a cool if not at least somewhat interesting story from my favorite event to date.

Prior to my first chase in 2001 I had this romantic image of being alone out on the great open plains witnessing the amazing power and majesty of mother nature. This image was reinforced on that first chase as I was indeed all alone in the far SW corner of Oklahoma basking in the glory of my first plains storm. Armed with only a NOAA weather radio I had no clue that the best show was going on about 100 miles away. This fact likely explained my solitude but at the time I rejoiced in my ignorant bliss and fell in love with the prospect of future episodes of such tranquility under the majestic roiling skies of the great plains. That feeling was experienced again the very next day albeit to a lesser degree as I chased in the more populated northeast part of Oklahoma, witnessing my first supercell and near tornadogenesis outside of the town of Pryor. I wouldn’t chase again until 2004, meanwhile steadily learning more about meteorology and harboring that romantic image of serenity under the storm.

That image was smashed on the very next chase, the high risk event of 5-29-2004. In retrospect it was a bittersweet day, while I observed my very first tornado along with a brief second one near Geary, Oklahoma it was at the expense of the tornadofest that unfolded near my initial target in SC Kansas. I remember seeing my first fellow chaser just minutes after positioning in Wellington. Ah, another kindred spirit seeking the storms! After deciding I preferred the prospect of more isolated storms in Oklahoma I bid that fellow kindred spirit adieu and headed to my new target, my memory harkening back to my previous Oklahoma chase and the great wide open tranquil environment. What greeted me at the cell that had sprung up was anything but tranquil, a true WTF moment as a line of cars that had no business being there jammed the lanes of that rural highway. Seriously? All these people? Way the heck out here? For this? Seriously? Yep, this was mostly a mass of chasers and I witnessed my first tornado among a caravan of hundreds of other “kindred” sprits…not at all the way I envisioned this momentous event happening.

I started chasing more frequently from that point onward and almost always found myself amidst other chasers to a greater or lesser degree depending on the setup. I rarely find myself alone, at least not under a supercell of any significance. I still harbored that image of the solitarian chaser but figured that such a thing may now only happen on some marginal setup on a midweek day in late summer in the far reaches of the northern plains. I had no idea that such a thing could ever happen on a High Risk day in May in “tornado central” but it did on the Canton storm of 5-24-2011. In fact the thought never entered my mind, I was more concerned with not repeating what happened in a very similar setup the previous year (5-10-2010) where I stayed too long under the still maturing cell only to let it barrel past me and lay a trail of destruction in my path as it put down multiple tornadoes just beyond my line of sight. So this time I gave myself more of a buffer and tried to put myself in a position to give the storm a little time to mature before the business end intersected my location. Leaving a line of chasers that were heading west I headed north and soon found some refreshing breathing room away from the hordes. Reaching my target location I departed the highway and made my way into the network of gravel roads, passing only a few other chasers that were staked out until I found a nice spot upon a hill where I could observe the storm coming in. I would have been just fine and happy there, it was a nice spot with just a farmhouse to my left and another car of chasers just a little behind me. Nice and peaceful, great view…and then two dogs came charging at me from the farmhouse and I hurriedly scrambled to get my tripod, camera and most importantly myself into the safety of my vehicle as the snarling dogs looked to let me know I wasn’t welcome in their corner of the world. Once inside and safe from what would have been a most unpleasant encounter I assessed my options…backtrack the way I came or go forward and up closer to the base. If I retreat I’ll have a better hedge against letting the storm blow by me but damn, that storm looks so enticing and I can get a closer look as long as I don’t dally too long. So forward I went and thanks to those nasty hounds I soon found myself in that nirvana of which I’d dreamed many years ago and only realized a handful of times…but never in an environment like this and under a storm of such magnitude.

That realization hit me almost immediately as I exited my vehicle and set up my tripod. My god, I’m alone! Not another soul in sight! Yeah, I know there’s hundreds if not thousands within mere miles but here at this point I’m alone, not another soul in my world and nary an unnatural sound to betray that feeling of solitude. Only the sound of the wind rushing through me from behind before getting sucked up into that amazing sky above. Wow, this is amazing! This beautiful scene, this lush pristine meadow mostly unspoiled by improvements from man. The serenity, the solitude, the tranquility, what a feeling, one I’ve sought since the days before I ever chased. And here I am living it, under this amazing storm. And my god, it’s going to produce. Look at that structure, that inflow tail, that forming wall cloud, that rotation, it’s all coming together right here and I’m about to witness it in this setting! This is why I chase, this is what I chase for, to experience this incredible storm in this incredible setting which together are making for an incredible experience most other humans would never realize or appreciate.

The video of course can’t convey my feelings at the time and I’m not much of a talker when the tape is recording. But I think you can get a sense for what I experienced by what was captured in the initial 1 minute 52 seconds…before I repositioned less than a mile back the way I’d come to capture the tornadogenesis of the EF-3 Canton tornado. To most people that initial 1:52 is probably boring and a part that should have been excluded but to me it was amazing and one of the most fulfilling moments I've experienced as a chaser. The initial shot up to the 7 second mark is by the ranch whence the dogs charged:

Watch video >

 

[Wes Carter]

5/18/2013 Rozel, Kansas is by far the most memorable and photogenic tornado I've seen. I was able to watch the entire life cycle of the event from agitated cumulus clouds west of Greensburg to a spectacular nighttime lightning show in Great Bend, Kansas. But the tornado in front of a late evening sun chasing with Adam Reagan, Shane Adams, and Bridget Geaughan will be something I remember forever.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[cdcollura]

Good day all,

Photogenic? Yes - I have a few to share...

Above: Beloit, Kansas - May 29, 2008. The tornado is there, but the structure was my OMG moment!

Above: May 28, 2013 - Nearly perfect EF-4 tornado near Bennington, Kansas!

Above: April 14, 2012 ... Lyons / Rice County (Geneseo) Kansas ... EF-4 Wedge doing it's dance across America as I cheer in awe (note stripped topsoil in foreground)!

 

[Josh Durkee]

May 25, 2012 near Russell, KS. Image says it all.

And of course May 28, 2013 Bennington, KS is still fresh in our minds:

 

[Michael Carlson]

http://ppcdn.500px.org/40047564/9594879fbab0dbb3c18ad0feb3b5db0bae77e5e2/4.jpg[/IMG]

Perfect capture of the entire structure of the Bennington supercell! I enjoy imagery of storm structure during tornadogenesis, the tornado is such a small part of the entire event. Nice work!

 

[Skip Talbot]

Rozel and Bennington were, in my opinion, two of the best tornadoes in the last 15 years and possibly of all time.

These tornadoes happen almost every year, or every couple of years. You just have to be in the right position and at the right time. We had large photogenic, long lasting tornadoes in '12 and '11, but Campo in '10 sticks out there right at the top just three years ago. You could argue that it wasn't easy to forecast, but Bennington didn't jump out especially either.

Plenty more in '08 and '07. Mulvane in '04 and several other extremely photogenic tornadoes. Before 2003 then we didn't have gobs of chasers with nice DSLRs, but there were lots of extremely dramatic and photogenic tornadoes before then.

I think our memories are just nearsighted judging by all the references to tornadoes that happened one, two, or three years ago in this thread. For the most unique tornadoes and also some of the most photogenic, I think the tornado video classics has an awesome collection. Lots of those videos are available on YouTube now:
https://www.youtube.com/user/vortexva/videos

 

[Bob Schafer]

Early in my chasing career I had a tremendous feeling of failure, to the point of despair. From 1999 to 2004 I can't begin to tell how badly I failed, but I will say it made me feel like a total loser. Through it all the chaser friends I had made on this forum and in the chatroom encouraged me and kept my spirits up by telling me over and over and over that "my day would come". Chief among them were guys like Shane and Amos and "H".

Now, it's kind of funny to me, and this is prompted by Skip's post, in that I was there for Mulvane, and Campo, and Bennington, and some others, and I say this not to toot my horn but to offer encouragement to others that yeah, it's true. If you persevere eventually you "get lucky". You won't ever see every tornado or never have a bad day, but when you've done it long enough you look back and become astonished at how lucky a life you've led.

 

[Adam R Davis]

I think I have to go with the Lyons/Langley/Marquette/Geneseo tornado of 14 April 2012 as well. While it was very impressive as a wedge, I think it was those moments when it was just north of KS 4 that it was most spectacular. We were on a small rise looking down, with rolling hills as a backdrop.

I don't have a long list of tornadoes under my belt, but among the few this definitely stands way out.

 

[Shane Adams]

I think our memories are just nearsighted judging by all the references to tornadoes that happened one, two, or three years ago in this thread

Actually, I think that's simply a reflection of the fact the majority of ST members these days are newer chasers, and hence their personal encounters reflect more recent events. Also, and you kind of touched on this Skip, a lot of today's chasers are format-spoiled. It really miffs me when a fantastic tornado pic or video is posted, and there's always someone who says "too bad there wasn't HD back then."

Amazing tornadoes don't need format to bail them out.

I'd post some of my best, but I can't really say any of them are "unique" so it seems off-topic.

 

[Josh Durkee]

Perfect capture of the entire structure of the Bennington supercell! I enjoy imagery of storm structure during tornadogenesis, the tornado is such a small part of the entire event. Nice work!

Thanks!

Off topic, but I have a ton of full structure shots of Bennington. Here it is all wrapped up, and another from the backside. I'm definitely more about the big picture instead of being right up under the hood.