June 14th, 2011 Chase Log

As the Day started off, this is what the SPC put out during the morning hours.  Unfortunately, I had to work during the day and got off to a late start until early evening where I did capture some nice lightning shots.

DAY 1 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK 

   NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
   1130 AM CDT TUE JUN 14 2011

 
   ...THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS THROUGH TONIGHT FROM CENTRAL OK
   TO THE MID MS AND TN VALLEY REGIONS...
  
   ...NRN/CENTRAL MO AREA THROUGH TONIGHT...
   OUTFLOW WITH MORNING CONVECTION HAS CONFINED THE EFFECTIVE WARM
   FRONT TO AN AXIS FROM SRN MO TO NE KS.  THIS BOUNDARY SHOULD RETREAT
   NWD/NEWD INTO CENTRAL/NRN MO THIS AFTERNOON AS THE MORNING STORMS
   WEAKEN AND MOVE AWAY.  MEANWHILE...THE SURFACE COLD FRONT WILL
   PROGRESS EWD ACROSS ERN KS IN ADVANCE OF A MIDLEVEL TROUGH EJECTING
   EWD FROM THE CENTRAL HIGH PLAINS.

   THE MORE CONCENTRATED AREA OF STORMS IS EXPECTED ALONG THE SURFACE LOW. 

   HERE...MLCAPE SHOULD INCREASE TO 2500-3500 J/KG BY

   LATE AFTERNOON...COINCIDENT WITH EFFECTIVE BULK SHEAR AOA 40 KT AND
   STEEP MIDLEVEL LAPSE RATES.  THIS ENVIRONMENT WILL FAVOR SUPERCELL
   DEVELOPMENT WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR VERY LARGE HAIL DURING THE
   EVENING.  THE THREAT FOR TORNADOES WILL BE MOST PRONOUNCED NEAR THE
   WARM FRONT WHERE LOW-LEVEL SHEAR WILL BE MAXIMIZED...IN THE FIRST
   FEW HOURS AFTER STORM INITIATION WHEN STORMS WILL BE MORE DISCRETE.
   BY LATE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT...STORM MERGERS COULD RESULT IN
   UPSCALE GROWTH INTO ONE OR MORE MCS/S WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR
   DAMAGING WINDS EWD/SEWD ALONG THE WARM FRONT.
  
   ...I-44 CORRIDOR IN OK THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING...
   STRONG SURFACE HEATING IS EXPECTED TODAY IN ADVANCE OF THE SURFACE
   COLD FRONT...WHICH WILL APPROACH THE I-44 CORRIDOR LATE THIS
   EVENING.  THE SURFACE HEATING WILL WEAKEN THE STRONG CAP IN PLACE
   BASED ON 12Z SOUNDINGS...AND THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IS EXPECTED IN
   THE ZONE OF ASCENT ALONG THE FRONT THIS EVENING...AUGMENTED BY
   MIDLEVEL ASCENT WITH THE APPROACHING MIDLEVEL TROUGH.  A DEEP MIXED
   BOUNDARY LAYER AND STEEP LAPSE RATES WILL FAVOR DAMAGING WIND
   PRODUCTION WITH THE STRONGER STORMS IN A BROKEN BAND ON THE FRONT
   THIS EVENING...ALONG WITH SOME THREAT FOR LARGE HAIL IN THE REGION
   OF STRONGER INSTABILITY TOWARD NE OK/SE KS.

SPC Outlook Graph- Severe storms



SPC Tornado Risk was even lesser than I expectede by the afternoon hours.

Here are the pics I captured later that night.

June 10th 2011 Chase Log

Friday June 11, 2011 Chase Log

The outlook for the morning started off like this:

...SRN PLAINS...

  

   FARTHER SOUTH ACROSS THE PLAINS OF OK/NWRN TX STRONG HEATING WILL

   ONCE AGAIN ALLOW SFC TEMPERATURES TO SOAR TO NEAR 100F IN ADVANCE OF
   WIND SHIFT.  SUCH STRONG HEATING WILL INDUCE DEEP THERMALS AS LAPSE
   RATES STEEPEN AND INHIBITION SHOULD BE NEGLIGIBLE BY 22-23Z ALLOWING
   FOR SCATTERED THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT.  WITH BASES EXPECTED TO BE
   NEAR 700MB AND SFC TEMP/DEW POINT SPREADS POSSIBLY APPROACHING
   40-50F...STRONG DOWNBURSTS ARE POSSIBLE DUE TO DRY SUB-CLOUD LAYER.

Although the outlook was less than exciting, it was still worth heading out later in the afternoon to search for the storms that did fire.  Unfortunately, they were late bloomers and what we did get in the area made for some nice sunset images.  This final SPC tally is listed:



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: