Solo
Target:
North OKC
Distance:
112 miles
Duration:
3 hrs
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Partners: Solo Target: North OKC Distance: 112 miles Duration: 3 hrs |
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Fresh off of a trip to Colorado and an ice storm only two weeks earlier (to the day), the last thing I was expecting was a storm chase. Models began to reveal the possibility of a severe outbreak the day before. Despite the incredible dynamics and moisture return I was still skeptical of a serious outbreak. I awoke at noon to find the SPC had issued a moderate risk, with a 15% hatch for tornadoes. I made a silly error due to time restraints, or laziness if you will. I checked the Mesoscale discussion and headed to the gym without checking data. The discussion put the time frame of storm initiation in the 2pm to 4pm range and I did not even bother to check satellite data. If I had I would have noticed the enhanced Cu field, and would have abandoned the gym. One of my pet peeves and I completely did it! Lesson learned the hard way.
While at the gym a tornado warning was issued for Yukon, OK. I immediately left, went home, cleaned up, grabbed my gear, gassed up, and was on the road in 20 minutes. Unfortunately, my quickness would have been better served if I would have skipped the gym. I approached the Edmond tornado on I-35 as it was lifting. I followed the storm to Guthrie and then on Hwy. 33 to Langston. At least a couple of inches of hail covered the road and ground as I made my way to Langston. I almost slid off the road several times due to the slick roads caused by the hail. In fact, I passed about 10 cars that had ran off the road. I lost the storm at Langston thanks to the ridiculous road network in that town. The roads certainly did not match the maps either. Figures.
I made my way back to Guthrie where a couple inches of hail were still on the ground, despite it falling an hour earlier. I waited for another tor warned storm approaching from Yukon. The storm became outflow dominated and I knew the chase was over. I went to work thinking of how I had screwed myself out of another perfect opportunity. I almost always manage to miss the tornadoes closest to my house that hit the OKC metro.
***On a side note, I was giving my boss radar updates for the district just before the Lone Grove tornado struck. About 10 minutes after the tornado, I called the Ardmore UPS facility (which is actually located in Lone Grove) to make sure everyone was okay and to get an assessment of the damage for work. The supervisor informed me that everyone was okay, however, the building was trashed. I mention this because media reports indicated injuries at the facility, which was not true. Unfortunately, 8 people were killed in Lone Grove and dozens more seriously injured. The Weatherknurd sends his thoughts and prayers out to victims and families of this early season tragedy.
 Tornado had just lifted near I-35 in Edmond |
 Wall cloud south of Hwy. 33 between Guthrie and Langston |
 Hail fog just west of Langston |
 Near golfball size hail in Langston 30 minutes after storm |
 Hail in Guthrie at I-35 and Hwy.33 an hour after storm |
 Hail in Guthrie at I-35 and Hwy.33 an hour after storm |