My Observations
I was in Belton, TX staged by early afternoon. Around 4:30pm I noticed the storms that had been firing all day and that had been very weak, started generating higher reflectivity and started to become single-celled/super-cellular. Inflow was increasing, and the storms also started to become more surface based shortly after and the eastern side of the storms on radar became much less outflow dominant. So, I decided to move from Belton, TX up 317 to follow the storm up to Moody, TX and see what it could do. As it strengthened, I stayed with it while requesting a formal weather net on 147.140 because no one was giving the cell any attention at that point.
As I made it to Lorena, TX it continued to build and started to develop a rain free base and all the normal attributes by the time it was to Rosenthal, TX area. At this time I was sounding the alarm to the 147.140 that we needed to watch it closely since it was now in the good shear area and that it was building and I was starting to see signs of wall clouds. A few minutes later, Fort Worth NWS connected to the repeater via Echolink but had problems hearing anything coming back to them. However, from the minute they came on, they were expressing concern at this particular cell and asked if anyone was in the Hallsburg/Mart area which I was right underneath. The net control operator and one other guy took about ten minutes to work out the Echolink problems before they could talk or hear me. At this point I was coming into Mart, TX when I both saw a lowering/wall cloud (which I reported on SN) as well as got a new sweep of BV1 suggesting broad rotation. Also, right after my radio report, NWS confirmed and issued a Tornado Warning based off of the information given. Also, at this time I saw horizontal rain bands wrapping cyclonically around the lowered area but it was very broad. It went occluded and I could not see if anything went down, which is why I reported only a wall cloud. However, I would not be surprised if something did touch down approximately 2 miles east and 1 mile north of Mart, TX. Something could have been on the ground off and on between Mart and Prairie Hill but again I could not confirm due to the HP nature around the circulating and lowered area. Once I made it into Prairie Hill, TX I was actually a mile or so inside from the inflow notch when visually it looked like there were two areas of rotation off and on between Prairie Hill and Mexia.
I still at that point could not make anything out from the lowered area on the north side of Highway 84, but I could see the lowering south of 84 but again did not see a funnel or tornado. As I moved through Mexia I saw power flashes which I reported to the 147.140 and the power briefly went out. They came from the area just to the SSW of Mexia not from the north. When I saw that I turned back around on 84 and drove to a high point on the West side of Mexia where I encountered very strong inflow and noticed that the south side lowering was occluded but I could see rotation in the clouds and rain bands.
As I moved East down 84 I lost radio contact an internet when I turned to go to the Wortham/Kirvin area but noticed debris above my truck getting pulled into the storm and minutes later received 90+ mph Est. wind all while on Ranch Road 80 & 27. Since it was getting dark and fearing there may be something on the ground just to my W or NW I headed back towards Teague, TX and back down 84 towards Mart.
Here is what I can say:
I never ran into hail bigger than quarter size.
I did see power flashes near Mexia.
I experienced winds both in MPH and direction suggestive of both broad and focused rotation.
I cannot confirm anything was ever on the ground.
There were definitely wall clouds with lowered features at times but when most of the activity happened suggestive of a possible tornado it would wrap rain around the area of concern.
On my way back when I got in cell range, I tried to call back all of those who called and text’d me while on the internet or while out of service. One of which was the NWS out of Fort Worth asking for information since I went out of radio range. I told them everything and then found out that what I was seeing matched their information. They also brought into question the reports from Cookie at the time but then also said that they had confirmed reports of a large tornado and homes destroyed somewhere just to the east of were I stopped. I believe they said they had multiple reports confirming damage near Palestine.
As for Cookie:
I never saw many people out on the smaller roads I was on and certainly no chaser types with equipment. I was also very close to the meso and from what I saw it would have been very difficult for anyone not extremely close to me to see anything most of the time. I also know that the reports showed up on GRLevel3 well after the storms had passed the area in which they were reported. I have an extremely hard time believing 4†hail or even anything over 1†for that matter. I was in the core, in the inflow notch, and never saw any hail close to that large and NEVER covered any road I was on at any time. 4†hail would stay on roads for a long time and both going and coming back there was NO hail on any road that I saw.
I also cannot believe that there was a “wedge†at any time for the area I chased. As I back tracked I saw no damage more substantial than large tree limbs. I am not saying that it didn’t occur just that I didn’t see it myself, or any evidence of it along the path I was on very close to the rotation. My guess would be that this person was either invisible on SN or was working for some EOC and taking reports from people and plotting them from the reports they received. I could understand how from a distance the wrap-around rain/scud might look like a wedge or whatever to some normal person but I don’t believe that was the case at all west of I-45. I do believe that there is a good possibility that there might have been a tornado one or more times that I didn’t see, but until someone actually sees the damage it doesn’t exist. I wasn’t going to submit anything I didn’t actually see for sure and we already had a tornado warning. I believe we all know not to do that especially after what happened with Ike.
I have included a link to Google Maps with my route as well as a screen-shot from
http://aprs.fi showing all my data points during the chase and coming back. Anyone can go to that site and login using whatever name they like and then under “Track Call sign†type in KE5TNR and select “last 24 hours’. Each dot is clickable and will show my speed, location, and time. Some of the data is missing out towards I-45 because I lost connectivity. I also may have the audio recording available from the 147.140 repeater in coming days.
Hope this helps. I might post on ST.
-Dooley
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&sad....409912,-96.849976&spn=0.791125,1.230469&z=10
