2022-05-09 – Which way to go?

Travel Route: OKC – Emporia,KS

Leg 1:  Oklahoma City, OK- Geary, OK
Leg 2: Geary, OK to I-35N
Leg 3: I-35N (near OK-KS border) to Andover, KS
Leg 4: Andover, KS – El Dorado, KS – Emporia, KS

Events of the day

7:00 AM – wake, shower, dress

8:00 AM – Large, hot breakfast: Eggs, yogurt, fruit, bagel, cream cheese

10:50 AM – Matt and I take a photo of ourselves and our chase vehicles.

First two TORNADOes of the trip

11:00 AM – Safety briefing; brief presentation

Bill Reid gives our first weather briefing
Joke: Emergency underpants (for when we get too close to a tornado) Useful: a digital caliper for measuring hail

11:45 AM – load the vans. Here’s the Van 1 (lead van) crew for the day!

Van 1, Day 1: Front: (left) Kathy, Phil (both UK) Lisa (me), Sonia (France), Carol (Utah), Dave (UK) Driver: Matt (Tennessee); hiding: Bill Reid (meteorologist, lead)

12:00 PM?  – headed west to Geary,OK.

2:00PM? – Had lunch (BLT) at the Broadway Cafe.

3:00 PM? –  Weighed our options: position ourselves for a play in Texas versus head into the northern plains, where are the next three days all have decent severe potential.  Mosied North then entered I 35.

6:00 PM? – Detoured off of I 35 to visit the damage path for the Andover tornado (29 April). The path was quite narrow but had some F2 damage.

Devastated neighborhood along Andover Rd., south of US 400
NWS map summarizing the storm damage from the 29 April 2022 Andover, KS tornado
Lots of damaged and missing windows at a YMCA building along the Andover damage path.

7:00 PM? – Reentered I 35 and continued north. Exited at El Dorado. Ate dinner at Anita’s (Mexican: shrimp cocktail and Carne Asada; great tasting food, but I ate too much and got an upset tummy).

8:15 PM? – Continued north on 835. Bill called numerous hotels and we finally ended up at the Super 8 in Emporia, Kansas.

9:30 PM – turn in for the night.

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