Our team saw 3-5 tornadoes around McCook and Cozad (in Nebraska), depending on who had a good view of the storm.
Some photos here:
More words and photos will come later
(Man, I’m tired)
We started our day at Norton, Kansas, a little place in northwest Kansas, less than an hour from Nebraska and Colorado. Our breakfast was one of those mid-range continental breakfasts: fresh made waffles, cereal, yogurt, fresh fruit, juice, and coffee.
We made a brief pit stop at Atwood, Kansas, for to the famed “It’ll Do” motel and this memorial tank.
We went westward into Colorado, stopping at The Grainery (in Idalia, Colorado) for lunch. Some members of the chase team had been here before (for a celebratory steak after catching a photogenic tornado at Prospect Valley).
After lunch we continued west to Joes, Colorado at a rustic little prairie walk and roadside playground.
As we walked around and relaxed, we saw some cumulus towers go up, so we headed east then north. Picking a couple of target storms as we went. One even surprised us by going severe-warned briefly.
The best looking storm of the bunch did not last long and became outflow-dominant. This produced spectacular wave of blowing outflow dust. We braved the dusty, gritty breezes to grab a few photos.
My favorite shot of the day was a view of fellow traveler, Graham Clowes, dwarfed by the dusty thunderstorm that pursued us across southwest Nebraska.
Once darkness set in, we wrapped up our chase day and headed to McCook, Nebraska for the night.
Today was basically a positioning day for later in the week. Rather than get everybody exhausted from the start, we save our energy and moved a modest couple hundred miles to north central Kansas.
Looking at the SPC forecasts, we saw that Days 1-3 (14-16 May) would be slow, except for far-flung MARGINAL risks. Days 4-8 look highly favorable for storms.
13:30 – Reviewed the SPC forecasts for Friday to Monday (17-20 May). Apparently we have some exciting weather ahead!
Despite low expectations for the days, we did catch a few severe thunderstorms, including one the put out 1-inch (2.5cm) hail for a while.
(add photo gallery)
(More text later)
Woke up this morning around seven. Tended to the chargers and gadgets and got mostly packed. Took a nice hot shower and then got dressed for breakfast at eight.
Safety briefing and introductions to place at 10:30 AM. We reviewed the model forecast for the day and discussed where we were going to head for the day. No target today, as the weather is not very active, though Bill and Chris and Bob said we would try for some storms in western Oklahoma or maybe a little ways into Kansas just across the border.
After the briefing we pack the vans and departed the hotel Around noon, and unusually late start on the day. This is perfectly OK, as we do not have far to go and the expectations are not high for the day.
We headed west on I 40 and then angle to the north west toward Woodward. After a brief fuel stop/pitstop/snack stop at Watonga, we continued on to ceiling where we had lunch at the Crooked Arrow. It was actually kind of a cosmic moment, as JD (one of the first time chasers in our group) and I were talking about Chicago politics. The word “corrected” came up in the conversation almost at the exact same moment as we saw the sign on the restaurant. I would call that poetic.
Instead of continuing to Woodward, we headed north out of some good looking towering cumulus had gone up during our trip from OKC. The storms were briefly severe warned, as they were producing hail up to the size of quarters. GR level three was showing 1 inch and 2 inch hail markers on the storms at various times (and we did have some hail that bordered on severe size, that is 1 inch or better)
After the storms fizzled, we passed through Medford, Oklahoma then continued north to Wellington, Kansas where we grabbed a quick bite to eat and some fresh fruits at the Braum’s restaurant. A quick note to those who have not traveled in this part of the country: Browns is an oasis for fresh produce, and I stopped at the stores in this chain is a happy event or chasers. It’s one of the few places we can get fresh oranges apples and bananas along the way. Brown’s is key to getting the food needed to maintain a healthy diet on the road.
(Photos for the day will be added in a few hours)
After a busy day yesterday, we slept in late.
Our day really started with Chinese lunch at Golden Palace, a place with over 100 items of high-quality Mandarin and Cantonese appetizers, soups, entrees and (American-style) desserts.
After lunch and a quick fuel stop, we visited the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. If you go, allow up to two hours to walk through the amazing exhibits, pictured below.
After the museum visit, we went to the Oklahoma National Memorial (“the bombing memorial”). Although it is a somber place with moving tributes to those lost, it also holds a message of hope and recovery. Photos are below.
We met up with most of the tour group and walked up to Charleston’s for dinner. Simon and I split a Kale-Quinoa salad, which was still an overwhelming amount of food, even split in half.
Then, we returned to the hotel, where I spent the balance of the evening charging devices, uploading photos, and (finally) sleeping.
This morning I woke up in Springfield, Missouri. Did not need an alarm clock, as one of my Motel neighbors (who I will simply call #MethMom) was shouting over the second floor balcony to her friends that this motel was “no f***ing kind a place for my f***ing kids!” If memory serves, this is how certain moms in Missouri (and other states in the Midsouth) indicate that there is no pool for the kids. No matter. I am awake now.
After a quick round of dental hygiene (to remove that taste that I can only describe as “Walt and Jesse starting a meth lab in my mouth”) and a quick cuppa tea I was ready to face the day.
After a quick round of dental hygiene (to remove that taste that I can only describe as “Walt and Jesse starting a meth lab in my mouth“) and a quick cuppa tea I was ready to face the day.
I spent a little bit of time in reviewing yesterday’s photos and getting the updates for yesterday‘S blog page started
Today’s weather is gray and drippy day, a fairly common sight after the good storms have passed through the area a few days earlier. A quick look at the SPC outlook seems to indicate that the next few days are going to be for a little bit quiet, weatherwise. So will be playing tourist and various natural wonders instead of chasing. That’s the way it goes.
I checked Facebook and responded Do a post asking about “what equipment do you use when you chase” as follows:
COMMS:
* Kenwood TMD-710GA 2m/440 ham radio
* Radio Shack PRO2067 500-channel scanner
* Radio Shack TRC-519 CB Radio
INTERNET/GRlevelX(Radar)
* HP Pavilion 13×2 laptop/tablet
* Arnova 10-inch Android tablet
NAVIGATION:
* AVMAP GeoSat6 GPS
* Garmin 18X GPS puck
I also carry a good assortment of cameras/camcorders.
* Nikon D7000 DSLR (plus a lens collection)
* Two GoPro Hero2 cameras (w/3-D frame, various mounts, including the popular suction mount)
* Sony AX-53 4K camcorder (plus zoom and telephoto lenses)
Next stop: Sid’s Diner in El Reno. We arrived about an hour before closing time. I had the King Burger Deluxe, Paul the BLT, and so on. We had a moment of dismay when the British Contingent realized no beer was available there. We survived, however.
Final tourist stop for the day: the Twistex Crew Memorial. We let Simon try his hand at rural Oklahoma driving He negotiated gravel roads, muddy ruts, and got us to the memorial in time for some great photos, including shots of a beautiful classic western sunset.
After a quick WalMart stop, we returned to the hotel for a good night’s sleep.
(Photos to be added later)
Friday 10 May 2019 was a very busy day!
First, drove from the motel in Bolingbrook into the Loop of Chicago. After an unplanned orbit of Lower Wacker Drive, we got into our parking garage and walked to breakfest. I had a tasty apple-walnut oatmeal and my first-ever (and probably last-ever) keto coffee.
Then, we walked across the street and went up to the 103rd story attractions of the [former] Sears Tower (a/k/a the Willis Tower).
The views were spectacular, but when I stepped out onto The Ledge, I got dizzy and withdrew immediately. My #FearOfHeights kicked in hard. After a moment of calming down, I backed into my slot in the transparent box so high above the street and we were able to get a few pictures.
Looking out in each of the four compass point directions, we took in the amazing views. The multiple shades of view on Lake Michigan, looking to the north, was astonishingly beautiful!
After of hour of “103” time was up, we returned to the car, headed west on Madison Street, and took I-94 and I-55 southwest, departing Chicago.
A few hours later, we stopped at Dwight, Illinois for lunch. We had a classic American cuisine lunch (burgers, BLT sandwiches, hot soup), then visited the 1950s-vintage gas station across the street.
One Tall TombNext stop was the Lincoln Tomb (the actual final resting place of Abraham Lincoln, his wife Mary Todd Lincoln, and three of his four sons. The route to the monument took us through some pretty unassuming side streets (and I was beginning to the the GPS had misguided us). The tomb is topped off with an imposing obelisk and has many beautiful statues of Lincoln, depicting the various stages of is life from young adult to the final year of his presidency.
Continuing southwestward, I pulled the van to the shoulder for our ‘mystery stop’. I must have given half a dozen hints where we were going, what it was about, etc. We got WAY past twenty questions, but my guests finally figured it out without me telling them outright. Here we are after arriving.
After many more hours of driving, we arrived at our dinner destination in Versailles — pronounced ‘ver-Sails’ — in Missouri. Thanks to a cable between the van’s CarPlay port and my iPhone acting up, I had to rely on my guests’ phones for navigation. (Excellent job adapting to the situation, gang! I am in your debt.) Fortunately, we never got off the desired route, arriving at around 9pm. We met Kathy’s stepdaughter, Allison, at a local microbrewery and restaurant call The Bee’s Knees. Other than a brief whiff of the beer, I abstained (as I was driving). On the other hand, I enjoyed a generous portion of the delicious varieties of thin crust pizza. It was a good thing we were driving; I could barely walk after the meal.
One Last PushIn a final push to our goal of Springfield, Missouri, I drove us on MO 5 toward Lebanon, Missouri and I-44. The winding road, hilly terrain, and stretches of re-paving activy along the way made for a challenging drive, but we arrived safe and sound at Springfield around midnight. Four sleepy travelers went to sleep about 30 minutes later for some very solid and well-earned rest.
This Thursday was like any other Thursday, except for my great excitement that my friends are arriving from London. Well I did get work done at work, I am mostly prepared for being absent. I sent a quick email delegating various responsibilities, reasserting the chain of command, and outlining a few goals for the team during my vacation.
Other than leaving my mobile phone at home, the day went pretty much as planned. But I had to come back by the house anyways after work because I was not going to drag a company laptop with me on the road. Absolutely no reason for me to incur that kind of risk when it is in my power to simply store the laptop in a safe place.
After a quick stop by the house, I headed to O’Hare airport. The drive was everything I expected it to be cold and slow moving, filled with cars, trudging along. Here’s a quick time-lapse video to give you a taste of my drive:
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Fortunately I got an early enough start that I arrive right around the time that my friends’ flight was arriving. That said, fortune seem to smile on me: I found a parking spot that was only two or three slots from the sidewalk leading into Terminal 5 (the international terminal), encountered my friends quickly, and left almost as quickly (after Phil ran back into the building to pay for the short term parking, as I flew right on by the pay station without thinking about it). From the time I arrive to the time we departed could not of been much more than 10 minutes, a personal best for an airport pick up.
Kathy, Phil and Simon were happy and energetic as we exchanged hugs. Their Dreamliner flight seem to agree with them and they even remarked that the meals exceeded their expectations. Sliders anybody?
Our ride from the airport down the tri-state, 88, and I 355 went smoothly (but slowly due to moderate traffic).
We sat down to a nice dinner at the Family Square Restaurant in Bolingbrook, just a few minutes From the British contingent’s hotel.
I hung out during the check in process to make sure everybody was able to get into their rooms and settle in for the night. Getting to the rooms just before sunset and having a large meal contributed to everyone aligning their sleep schedules to U.S. Central Time. Jet lag is not much fun, but I hope we were able to get it under control by lining up sunset and meals.
Friday morning comes with an early start, so hopefully everybody gets some good solid sleep so we can enjoy the day. I’m pretty sure the positive attitudes will carry us through no matter what, but some good sleep will really help. I’ve been really tired lately, so the rest will be welcome.
First real storm chase: May 1996
First tornado:
Chasing: 05 May 2002 – Happy, TX (F2)
Survived: 21 Apr 1967 – Belvidere, IL (F4)
Best chase day: tie:
24 May 2016 – Dodge City, KS (12 TORs)
25 May 2016 – Chapman, KS (EF4; 90 min)
Worst bust: 2012 season plus countless other days
Favorite state to chase in: (tie) TX/OK/KS
(I volunteer with my local EMA, so I don’t chase much in my home state of Illinois)
Most overrated state to chase in: Iowa (WHAT tornadoes?)
Last tornado: 16 May 2017 – Elk City, OK
(Chase team surrendered the next day to help with cleanup.)
Windshields replaced: 0 (but there is always hope, ha ha ha)
Favorite single tornado: 22 May 2011 – Southwest City, MO
( I rarely post footage but see https://youtu.be/woStjRu5aRM)
#StormChaserStory
I have lots of stuff on my mind. House stuff. Packing stuff. Car stuff — OK, that’s 100% finished, actually. But I won’t have a peaceful departure until the pre-vacation ‘to-do’ list reaches zero items pending. (That’s just how I’m wired in my brain, folks.)
The last 48 hours before ‘launch’ are always a bit anxious for me: what will I forget. One year I forgot to put the water heater in VACATION mode, but I’ve never made a serious error like leaving the stove on.
Last night, I taught a 3-hour class on using GRlevel3 and CR2Analyst programs for weather awareness during emergency management agency (EMA) operations. Not bad to handle this on 4 hours sleep!
Today, I’m drinking lots of caffeine and thinking about the last three items on my to do list:
There are little ‘nice to have’ items I’d like to finish before the trip, but if they don’t get done, the trip will still be pleasant and relaxing.
The truth is that I’m a bit distracted today. The SPC Day 1 outlook showed a MODERATE RISK blob over the Texas Panhandle, one of my most favorite places to chase. It was accompanied by a 10% TORNADO RISK blob. Those who can chase today should be richly rewarded!
While I’m not superstitious, it’s sometimes fun to consider whether or not sighting the weather radar-themed UHAUL truck is a good omen.
I guess we’ll know later today!