02 May 2013 – CHASE 2013 – DAY 2

02 May 2013 – CHASE 2013 – DAY 2 – Heading to the Big Bend

0700 – I’m awake! Did morning chores. Pulled myCharge, iPhone, camera batteries off their respective chargers.

0800 – packed everything but computer gear and iPhone. Transferred Nikon D7000 photos to my portable hard drive. Made shrunken copies of key photos for the day. Updated my blog entries for yesterday

1030 – meet others at the van to load up for the day.

10:35 – Do weather briefing. No expectation of storms for 2-3 days, at least. We will head to Terlingua,TX where we’ll set up our.base to explore
Big Bend National Park.

10:40 – Headed to The Beehive for lunch; arrived 20 minutes later. Excellent brisket and great stories about Albany and the restaurant from the owner, Ali (who came 33 year ago from Iran).

12:50 – stop for damage photos and video at a local oil company, Sazama Fuel & Oil. Departed Albany westbound, toward I-20.

14:36 – Continuing west on I-20, passing through Sweetland.
50 minutes later, exit at TX350 (Big Spring) for provisions.

15:51 – Continue west.

16:00 – Dust streaming across the interstate. All that is left of a lake north of us is a pitiful lakebed dotted with old tires and the dust spewing at us.

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18:45 – We do a 20-minute Walmart stop in Fort Stockton then head south from I-10 on US67.

_____ – we stop the McDonalds in Alpine for dinner (a grilled chicken Caesar salad for me).

21:00 – Arrive at our motel near Big Bend National Park (in Terlingua, TX). Unload gear, set up chargers, turn in for the night. (I briefly tried to find a view of Saturn, but low clouds and trees are blocking the view until hours later.)

01 May 2013 – CHASE 2013 – DAY 1

01 May 2013 – CHASE 2013 – DAY 1 – Oklahoma and Texas

06:15 – Wake; morning chores;; pack bags

07:30 – Drop bags at Holiday Inn; return rental car

08:00 – Return to Wyngate via shuttle; eat breakfast.

08:30 – Walk to Holiday Inn; meet other chasers; do introductions and safety briefing,

10:30 – Pack vans, grab cameras and head for Wichita Falls , TX then toward Abilene.

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12:50 – Rest stop then lunch 20 minutes later (just north of Wichita Falls, TX).

13:20 – Continue southwest from Wichita Falls on US277.

15:12 – stop at Munday for bathrooms, fuel, food. Continue southeast

17:15 – turn back north from Albany on US283. Storms with 55,000 foot have developed along I44 in southern OK, with the line spreading into our area. We are in a severe storm watch box.

18:00 – sky stop. We see a storm with a hard back sheared, take photos as it evolves.

20130501-135701.jpg18:30 – depart south on US283 as the cold outflow breeze of the storm invades.

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Air being pulled up into the storm
Air being pulled up into the storm, near Throckmorton, TX, 01 May 2013

19:35 – we duck south, bit by bit, trying to keep out of monster (2.5-inch or larger) hail. At one point we can to the hail roar of the storm. (Hail roar is the sound of large hail hitting the ground, cars, rooftops, etc. It can sound like thunder only it can last for minutes at a time.)

 

20:30 – We stop west of Albany,TX, where we witness a spectacular display of spider lightning. I have embarrassing camera issues here, because I miss a control setting. Our team leader helps me figure it out, but I miss the best part of the lightning. To add insult to injury, the Storm Prediction Center indicates an unfavorable weather pattern (for storm chasers) for at least three days. I feel terribly frustrated.

Still, I captured a little bit:

Spider Lightning,
Spider Lightning, 01 May 2013, just west of Albany, TX

22:30 – We depart for our hotel after a fast food dinner at the Dairy Queen in Fort Griffin.

23:00 – We check into The Ridge Motel in Breckinridge,TX.
23:46 – turn in for the night. I’m exhausted physically and emotionally.

2013 Restaurant Reviews

Here the restaurant reviews my 2013 storm season (which I’ll update as events warrant):

CHASE 2013

2013 RESTAURANT REVIEWS

DATE DAY LOCATION RESTAURANT COST DESCRIPTION / REMARKS
30 April Tuesday Oklahoma City OK  Thai Kitchen $12.30 incl. tip ****
A hole-in-the-wall place with terrific Pad Thai and other tasty Thai dishes. (I’ll be back!)
30 April Tuesday Oklahoma City OK Texas Meridian Rd. at I-40 $28.87 +tip ***
A really good 12-ox ribeye with all the fixin’s. The Skinny Margarita was excellent.  I was disappointed they did not do anything special for Willie Nelson’s 80th birthday, as they name a part of the restaurant for him. (Happy Birthday anyhow, Willie!)
01 May Tuesday Oklahoma City OK Wyngate Hotel included with room ***
Full breakfast: the famed Carbon waffle machine, scrambled eggs, bacon, fresh fruit. A great start to a busy day.
01 May Tuesday Wichita Falls TX Subway ,
2314 Airport Dr.
$5.41 **
The perfect BLT footlong! The staff had trouble identifying which cheese I was asking for.  Not sure if they had trouble hearing me or there was a language barrier.
01 May Wednesday _ _ $__.__ SUPPER
02 May Tuesday _ _ $__.__ BREAKFAST
02 May Tuesday _ _ $__.__ LUNCH
02 May Thursday _ _ $__.__ SUPPER
03 May Tuesday _ _ $__.__ BREAKFAST
03 May Tuesday _ _ $__.__ LUNCH
03 May Friday _ _ $__.__ SUPPER
04 May Tuesday _ _ $__.__ BREAKFAST
04 May Tuesday _ _ $__.__ LUNCH
04 May Saturday _ _ $__.__ SUPPER
05 May Tuesday _ _ $__.__ BREAKFAST
05 May Tuesday _ _ $__.__ LUNCH
05 May Sunday _ _ $__.__ SUPPER
06 May Tuesday _ _ $__.__ BREAKFAST
06 May Tuesday _ _ $__.__ LUNCH
06 May Monday _ _ $__.__ SUPPER
07 May Tuesday _ _ $__.__ BREAKFAST
07 May Tuesday _ _ $__.__ LUNCH
07 May Tuesday _ _ $__.__ SUPPER
08 May Tuesday _ _ $__.__ BREAKFAST
08 May Tuesday _ _ $__.__ LUNCH
08 May Wednesday _ _ $__.__ SUPPER
09 May Tuesday _ _ $__.__ BREAKFAST
09 May Tuesday _ _ $__.__ LUNCH
09 May Thursday _ _ $__.__ SUPPER
10 May Tuesday _ _ $__.__ BREAKFAST
10 May Tuesday _ _ $__.__ LUNCH
10 May Friday _ _ $__.__ SUPPER
11 May Tuesday _ _ $__.__ BREAKFAST
11 May Tuesday _ _ $__.__ LUNCH
11 May Saturday _ _ $__.__ SUPPER
12 May Tuesday _ _ $__.__ BREAKFAST
12 May Tuesday _ _ $__.__ LUNCH
12 May Sunday _ _ $__.__ SUPPER
13 May Tuesday _ _ $__.__ BREAKFAST
13 May Tuesday _ _ $__.__ LUNCH
13 May Monday _ _ $__.__ SUPPER
14 May Tuesday _ _ $__.__ BREAKFAST
14 May Tuesday _ _ $__.__ LUNCH
14 May Tuesday _ _ $__.__ SUPPER
IL/IA CHASES/SPOTTING:
_ _ _ _ $__.__ BREAKFAST
_ _ _ _ $__.__ LUNCH
_ _ _ _ $__.__ SUPPER

Season Plan Accommodations Restaurants Tools Web Links

NOTE: The restaurant and accommodations links will be dead until I get out in the field.

2013 Accommodations Review

Here are the hotel and motel reviews for my 2013 storm season (which I’ll update as events warrant):

CHASE 2013

2013 ACCOMMODATIONS REVIEWS

DATE DAY LOCATION LODGING COST DESCRIPTION / REMARKS
30 April Tuesday Oklahoma City OK Wyngate Hotel $__.__ Nice big-city hotel.  This has been used as a base for Tempest Tours for many years. One of my favorite place to stay in OKC.
01 May Wednesday Breckenridge TX Ridge Motel $__.__ Clean and comfortable.  Noise from US180 is pretty much non-stop.
02 May Thursday _ _ $__.__ MOTEL
03 May Friday _ _ $__.__ MOTEL
04 May Saturday _ _ $__.__ MOTEL
05 May Sunday _ _ $__.__ MOTEL
06 May Monday _ _ $__.__ MOTEL
07 May Tuesday _ _ $__.__ MOTEL
08 May Wednesday _ _ $__.__ MOTEL
09 May Thursday _ _ $__.__ MOTEL
10 May Friday _ _ $__.__ MOTEL
11 May Saturday _ _ $__.__ MOTEL
12 May Sunday _ _ $__.__ MOTEL
13 May Monday _ _ $__.__ MOTEL
IL/IA CHASES/SPOTTING:
_ _ _ _ $__.__ MOTEL
_ _ _ _ $__.__ MOTEL
_ _ _ _ $__.__ MOTEL

Season Plan Accommodations Restaurants Tools Web Links

NOTE: The restaurant and accommodations links will be dead until I get out in the field.

30 April 2013 – CHASE 2013 – Arrival

30 April 2013 – CHASE 2013 – Arrival

TODAY”S activities:

05:00 wake up
05:10 morning chores
05:20 Take trash to the curb
05:30 Airport limo arrived. My favorite driver, David, is driving. We talk about friends, relationship maintenance, and life on the trip to O’Hare.
0615 Arrive O’Hare. Due to my tripod case looking like a gun chase I check that along with backup photo gear. ($60 to check two bags! Highway robbery!!) I also end up gate-checking my carry-on bag (with my primary camera gear). I try to hide my displeasure and eventually settle in for the flight. Regional jets are more intimate than their massive cousins, but I always suffer separation anxiety when I travel separately from my most expensive toys.
__ Wheels up and on our way. Our compact yet comfy Canadair CRJ700 angles southwest toward the heart of Tornado Alley. As I sip my diet tonic water — scored a full can! — I chat with the flight attendant and compare note on her Canadair vs. the ski-equipped KC-130 aircraft of my Antarctic era. It seems that both planes began their lives as cargo aircraft are were later retrofitted with seats for passengers. (Learn something new every day!)

_____ arrive at OKC. To my chagrin, I discover my rental car location is not at the airport, but a $20 cab ride away. What’s more: the airport rental agent had put through the charge already, so I had to have him back it out.

_____ drove downtown. Ate lunch at Thai Kitchen (a recommendation from my Thai can driver). Great meal and great price. I guess the detour to the rental car served a second purpose. Lesson: Learn to make the most of detours; sometimes the scenic route turns out better.

_____ Consulted Google Maps to find a photo store. All the signs (Yelps, reviews, etc.) point to Baker Camera in Yukon, a short hop west of OKC. Upon arriving I make two wonderful discoveries: 1) Yukon is Garth Brooks’ hometown (“teenage!”) and 2) Hank Baker, the owner of this oasis of prosumer Nikon and Canon gear, is also an accomplished storm photographer.

_____ Swing by the Sam’s Club off McArthur Blvd. to pick up protein bars. Imodium (just in case), dried mangoes, and a jar of marinated asparagus.

____ Back to the Wyngate for a brief unwind.

_____ Go to the Texas Roadhouse. Celebrate Willie Nelson’s 80th birthday with a Skinny Margarita. A 12-oz. ribeye, and a cup of chili.

_____ return to the hotel. Charge up phone, photo and video batteries and myCharge (iPhone charge bank). Check the forecasts and models. Looks like we’ll dive south into Texas for our first chase day.

22:00 Turn in for the night

TRAVEL HUMOR:

I usually read along with the flight attendant while she (or he) goes through the safety card. Besides the fact every plane is a little different, I’ve always considered it polite to pay attention to a person when they speak. Usually, the safety briefing is pretty repetitious, but today I found something new:

It never occurred to me that a person with a pacemaker would be required to turn it off during the flight! Everybody got a good laugh when I pointed this out. Now my joke collection has a pacemaker joke. “Who’d w thunk it?”

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Tornadoes I’ve seen – Childhood-2013

Tornadoes I’ve seen – Childhood-2013
KEY: play_button: Video available, : Photo available
Count Date My location Rating Summary Remarks
001play_button 1967-04-21 2050Z Belvidere,IL F4 24 killed (most at Belvidere High School) First tornado I recall vividly
002 1967-06-11 1820Z S of Rockford,IL F1 Did $4M damage
003 1975-06-28 Fargo, ND F2 Mile-wide stovepipe tornado over farmland Tornado NE of Moorhead,MN; viewed from highrise dorm(!) – preceded by monster mammatus field

Roger Jensen’s photo of this tornado is in the Grazulis ‘Green Book’
(NOTE: recordmeteo.com shows two tornadoes (F3,F4) at this date/location, Grazulis notes F2 only)
004 1976-08-19 1955Z Fargo, ND F1 Brief, weak tornado to the north viewed from highrise dorm(!)
005 1976-08-19 2000Z Fargo, ND F1 Brief, weak tornado to the southwest viewed from highrise dorm(!)
006 1976-08-19 2015Z Fargo, ND F2 Brief, weak tornado to the southwest viewed from highrise dorm(!) – did $12M damage w/F1s above
007 2001-05-28 near Perryton, TX F0? Chasing w/Stephen Levine
008 2001-05-30 Archer City, TX ? Chasing w/Stephen Levine
009 2002-05-04 Eola, TX F0 Brief, weak tornado First tornado as a ‘tornado tourist’
010 2002-05-05 Happy, TX F2 2 killed; many buildings destroyed My first ‘really good’ tornado video
011 2002-05-07 Cullison, KS F2? _summary_ First time chase *by* a tornado. YOW!
012 2003-05-08 Yates Center, KS F2? Wedge tornado W. of town “It’s beautiful!! I Want to marry it!!”
013 2003-05-08 E of Yates Center, KS F1? Narrow rope tornado Drove along damage path afterwards
014 2003-05-09 Oklahoma City, OK F3? Night tornado slams into OKC Never seen so many power flashes!
015 2003-05-10 2156Z Clarence, MO F0? Rain-wrapped stovepipe N of US36 Saw a total of 5 tornadoes in 10 days with Tempest Tours in 2003
016 2003-05-10 2156Z Clarence, MO F0? Segmented tornado N of US36
017 2003-05-10 ~2230Z Monroe City, MO F0? Elephant trunk tornado N of US36
018 2004-05-10 Limon, CO F0? Chasing w/Scott Weberpal
019 2004-05-10 Limon, CO F0? Chasing w/Scott Weberpal
020 2004-05-10 Limon, CO F0? Chasing w/Scott Weberpal
021 2004-05-10 Limon, CO F0? Chasing w/Scott Weberpal
022 2004-05-10 Limon, CO F0? Chasing w/Scott Weberpal
023 2004-05-10 Limon, CO F0? Chasing w/Scott Weberpal
024 2004-05-12 Attica, KS F3? Chasing w/Scott Weberpal
025 2006-05-05 Patricia, TX ? Rain-wrapped tornado. Poor visibility for us Paul Sirvatka & friends caught the cyclonic twin
028 2006-05-05 Patricia, TX F0? Anticyclonic tornado! (see below)
027 2009-06-09 2359Z near Dyke, IA F0 2-minute tornado just N of US20 First ‘catch’ on a rare solo chase. No time to set up video!
026play_button 2011-05-22 Southwest City, MO F2? Large wedge tornado; homes destroyed Part of the Joplin, MO tornado family
029 2011-05-23 O’Keene, KS F0 Brief, weak touchdown _remarks_
030 2011-05-25 Ellsinore, MO F1? Tornado sped NNE across US60 A rare chase in southeast Missouri pays off for our team.
031 2012-04-27 near Council Grove, KS F0 Weak, brief tornado Kelly DeLay grabbed great shots of #29 and #30. See the Webby Award-winning Clouds365 Project website for photos of these
032 2012-04-30 S Wellington, TX F0 Weak, brief tornado Memorable because one of our vans was axle-deep in sand and mud only minutes beforehand. Almost missed this one (or worse)!

18 April 2013 – Call to action

Two phones ringing and several alarms (computers and weather radio) are sounding.

Naperville EMA has activated the weather unit, but I’m shaking from head to toe, due to sleep deprivation. Lots of flooding going on in the area! I expect to see dozens of these today:

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I needed to get to work before water bars my way! 

On the way home, I checked out the flooding about a mile from home

Bolingbrook Flood - 17 April 2013
Flooding of the East Branch of the DuPage River at Bolingbrook, Illinois – April 17, 2013