May 24th tornado setup and chase

May 24th has to be one of the best setups for chasing in Oklahoma for the entire year.  All the ingredients had come together to produce of the best displays of severe weather in a long time. Coming off the Joplin, MO deadly tornado, this was the biggie that ever chaser dreams of.

After reviewing the soundings and lastest information from the SPC, I was stoked for the event that day.  Unfortunately, work had to come first and the soonest I could leave was around 1pm, much too late to get into position west of Oklahoma City.  Relying on past chases, I seriously believed that the cells would begin to fire off along I-35 along the OK/KS border.  The triple point was in west central kansas and I shot north and west to get into position just south of Wichita.  However, I under estimated the drive time and just before I got to my target area, cells were already exploding near Canton and Binger, Oklahoma.  I was way out of position and decided it was best to shoot south towards Guthrie. 

The cells were really beginning to fire off, and I got word that El Reno and Piedmont, Oklahoma, my wifes hometown was being rocked by a F-5 Tornado.  This cell would continue to be on the ground for well over 75 miles.  I had to hurry and get into position as the individual cells were beginning to merge their precipitation.  At the time of this image, I was hoping and wishing to be on the other side of the cells. But thats how it goes sometime.

By the time I reached Guthrie, the towns sirens were being activated and I knew I was getting close to the storm.  Turning west, I got into position on the sw side of the town and watched as the tornado continued to wipe out neighborhoods.

It doesn't hurt that I was up and streaming live on the ChaserTV and Imap for others to follow the chase. 

As it continued to churn the earth, I began working my way eastward on 51 East towards Stillwater keeping my eye on the cell as it headed northeast.  I was five minutes behind the cell due to traffic and lights, which caused me to miss it hitting the area south of Stillwater.  Roadside damage was skewed across the roadway, some farm equiptment was hit and overturned as well.

By this time, the cells were beginning to merge and daylight was beginning to fade. After passing through Skiatook and getting on 75 north, I missed the reports of funnel clouds as the cell went directly over my hometown of  Bartlesville.

  All in all it was a good chase, but I had one hell of a time finding the right roads to keep close to the cells.  A great chase in the end with over 300 miles of driving involved. Here are the final stats of the system: