Will El Reno change how you chase?

[John Olexa]

Well first off let me say personally I have only been shooting lightning for a good number of years now ( as well as winter storms) But I can see this changing how people chase..... for a while. Still fresh in everyones mind they might just stay back a few miles or so. But I feel over time people will start to creep closer & closer again.

 

[Dave C]

I actually aborted my chase that day. I was in Edmond, moving to drop south through Piedmont and make my way over to the Yukon/El Reno area as storms were initiating. I encountered a lot of traffic, both the public (who media had told 'get to your destination by 4' or some such madness) and chaser traffic. You could feel the tension in the air, and the public was alarmed even before any tornado warning was issued. Understandable after the Moore event.

Once I got a visual on the storm and checked radar a few times, studied the situation, I knew I would not chase that storm. Too much traffic, too much chaser traffic, and the storm itself looked monstrous. At that point I had a gut feeling that it was no good and even though I KNEW this storm was going to produce a good tornado, it all didn't add up.

So personally, no I won't change how I chase. I evaluated the risks, knew my limits, and decided not to push my luck.

The only thing that will change for me, is that I will steer even more clear of chaser crowds and metro areas than I had previously. I don't enjoy that kind of chase or that kind of tornado in the slightest.

EDIT: I'll add that I think perhaps some may wish to reconsider broadcast of GPS coordinates. That single factor is what brings those additional chasers and public (who cannot generally forecast for themselves) into an area - otherwise they will be left wandering around looking for clouds and chaser density might be reduced.

 

[John Olexa]

... and law enforcement blocking escape routes because they don't understand storm behavior.

This would scare me more then anything! You wouldn't be able to reason with them. The storm riders guys once approached a police roadblock and said they were meteorologist and ask to go ahead and Justin ( if I remember right) was told flatly to " go back to your vehicle" there were it no if's ands or butts about it.

 

[J Allen]

I put together a blog post on this event, talking about the environment and my thoughts on the implications for chasing.

http://huntersofthunder.blogspot.com/2013/06/in-our-memories-passing-of-tim-paul-and.html

 

[Brett Benson]

A couple of years ago, after experiencing chases in OK several times, I came up with some hard and fast rules that really curtailed the amount of chasing I do. I first excluded anything east of I-35 (due to road network/trees/hills starting to become an issue), and then any metro area from chasing (other than local storm spotting), especially the OKC area, then expanding to OK north of OKC, and now pretty much all of OK, except far SW corner and the panhandle. With OKC, some of the factors involved you have already discussed; I feel trapped by my lack of road options (especially the ability to leave a road when necessary). Others include a huge amount of unequipped, unknowledgeable, and/or reckless individuals in that specific area that will go out and look at storms because the guys on the Discovery Channel do it or are jaded about storm activity simply from living there. I saw more and more of these folks on every chase, pointed in the right direction only by following other or by the excellent coverage from the local TV mets. Its not only bad in OKC, it gets really bad NW of there, especially on Hwy 412 from Woodward all the way to I-35. I desk chased the El Reno storm, just like every other storm in that area the last few years. I have been tempted several times to break that rule, but coverage on the OKC stations always makes me glad I dont.

My chasing terrain now consists of Texas west of I-35, SW OK (Lawton, Altus and thereabouts), CO, KS and north. I avoid the rest of OK like the plague. I always pick a target to the west of where I believe initiation to be, stay in the SW quadrant, and never come closer than a mile away.

 

[Jake Orosi]

I put together a blog post on this event, talking about the environment and my thoughts on the implications for chasing.

http://huntersofthunder.blogspot.com/2013/06/in-our-memories-passing-of-tim-paul-and.html

A very informative post indeed! Thank you.

 

[Jason Clark]

haven't gotten anything more than $100 car washes so far

How are you getting them so cheap? You chase in a prius?

 

[Jason Clark]

...
The "if you are below ground, you will not survive" thing needs to go away, and quickly....

I have never heard that statement before. Is that for real?

 

[Jake Orosi]

How are you getting them so cheap? You chase in a prius?

I would. Seriously.

I'd chase in a Volt if it were practical. It would be so apropos.

 

[Rob Wadsworth]

Not going to change my chase habits. Think they were correct the first time around. Keeping a measured distance away from the storm and having an egress route has always been the plan. Regardless if the storm's potential is small or large. Some of the most deadly storms had at first began small.

Think that large cities like OKC and others should only be taboo unless one had some EMT training, is a doctor, or is/was a fireman or police officer. That is a horse of a different color. Wouldn't hurt to support threads that discuss this kind of emergency training and to encourage it. A well-rounded and responsible approach to chasing can be considered.

 

[Jacob Ferden]

I have never heard that statement before. Is that for real?

I meant "if you are NOT below ground..." Proofreading fail.

 

[Justin Wilcox]

How are you getting them so cheap? You chase in a prius?

I would. Seriously.

I'd chase in a Volt if it were practical. It would be so apropos.

My new 40 mpg chase vehicle lol. It handled everything last week like a champ. Front end got hit with something I believe was inflow-flung and kept on truckin.

 

[Jake Orosi]

My new 40 mpg chase vehicle lol. It handled everything last week like a champ. Front end got hit with something I believe was inflow-flung and kept on truckin.

Excellent! Comfortable ride?

 

[Justin Wilcox]

Very happy with it. Not very nice to pull off and sleep in, but I am vertically challenged (5'6"), so it wasnt too bad I guess haha. Rides like a mid size, believe it or not.

 

[Matt Hunt]

Well, criticize me if you want to, but my goal is still to get within 1/4 mile of a tornado. That being said, it is certainly situational. It would have to be a small, rather weak tornado, on a low risk day, and I'll have to be in a position where I can let it cross the road in front of me. Aside from that, 1-2 miles away is pretty good, and I generally stay to the south of the expected path, so had I been chasing El Reno, the left turn would have taken the tornado further away from me. I will not mess with a heavily rain-wrapped tornado. If I can't see it from the south, well I just won't see it. There will be plenty of storms in the future with a visible tornado from the south.

In watching video from El Reno, I've noted a couple things. First of all, anytime I see a multi-vortex, or in this case you could almost say multi-tornado storm, I'll stay further back... maybe 3-4 miles. Second, as I think someone else mentioned, in the early stages of this storm it is evident that the rotation higher up was much wider than the initial touchdown. Again, in that situation, get further back.

One last thing, I'll let storms go if they're approaching a metro area. I never really have had any interest in chasing in metro areas anyway, but this further confirms my decision to just pick another target.