Saturday June 17

I hadn't planned to chase today namely given the modest vertical shear and timing of the upper wave/exiting precip, but a roughly west-east oriented outflow boundary , decent boundary layer moisture, and close to home are big enough positives to head out the door.  Leaving around 2pm for the Duncan-Chickasha areas in southwest/south central OK.

 

 

Saturday June 10

After Friday's bust in northwest Iowa, will be chasing in the Nebraska Panhandle today (Saturday). Post-frontal upslope regime holds promise for supercells today with strong shear via mid level impulse/speed max atop low level easterlies. Aside from the strong vertical shear, recycled moisture will contribute to a relatively unstable airmass this afternoon. A few tornadoes appear possible, before activity congeals and moves southeast into Kansas tonight. Leaving from Hastings, with an initial target of Bridgeport-Alliance, Nebraska. Note: internet connectivity will be spotty at best today, so GPS/webcam updates may be infrequent.

Friday June 9

Prelim Target: Yankton, SD - Sioux City, IA

Prospects for a couple days of chasing is going to get me on the road north. Am concerned with capping and modest mid level winds, but I'm hoping for initiation on the immediate cool side of the boundary from far northeast NEB/southeast SD into western IA in presence of strongly curved hodographs/enlarged SRH. Coincident with the warm front/progged timing of shortwave impulse, I think initiation is most likely near the heat aided triple point near the SD/NE/IA conjunction by late afternoon, although ongoing convection across the Dakotas may be a factor.

Top 10 Chases

Since the pattern is rather quiet... Below are my top 10 all-time chases (idea courtesy Matt Hartman) -- note that meteorological outcome is just one facet, with logistics/circumstances also key to my list.

10. May 31, 2005 -- Lamb Co. TX/Lubbock supercell. Camped out for hours watching initial cumulus to our northwest evolve into a supercell (with brief tornadoes). Hartman, Gregg Gallina, John Massura, and myself.

9. May 9, 2004 -- Southeast SD rotating wall cloud with Gallina -- left Norman around 5 am to begin our trip. 1000+ miles and got on a great storm to see high based corkscrew supercell pre-tornado warning (also no data).

8. June 14, 1998 -- High Risk chase solo across south central IL. Awesome HP supercell chased me from near St. Louis to back near my home along the IL/IN border.

7. April 30, 1997 -- First chase with VUSIT. Rotating wall cloud and one of the early chases with TOILET. John Gumm, Bart Wolf, Steve Beylon, and myself. Came up with TOILET acronym on drive back to Valpo.

6. April 2, 2006 -- Post-conference VUSIT reprise with Bart and crew into west central IL. Lots of great structure and one of the highest severe report days ever. http://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/reports/060402_rpts.html

5. May 12, 2004 -- Attica, KS tornado (3 tornadoes total) with Gallina and help from Ed Roberts/Massura/Racy. "Help!!!" (stuck in Attica)

4. May 24, 1998 -- 1998 Valpo trip 5a. Harper Co. KS. Car was myself, Bart Wolf, Wes Terwey, and Esther J. Chaos with numerous tornado warnings and storms galore. Rotation literally
descending from above via cyclic supercell -- closest I've ever been to a low level circulation. JG to BW: "Uhh Bart, we've got rotation overhead!"

3. May 28, 2001 -- Trinidad, CO tornado with Massura, Roberts, Josh Bachman and thanks to Gallina for base support. Car broke down, had to get jumped, and almost ran out of gas in middle of nowhere southeast CO.

2. May 29, 2001 -- Turkey, TX supercell (Whitedeer, TX tornado day) with Massura, Roberts, Bachman

1. June 12, 2004 -- Mulvane, KS tornadoes (3) with Mark Darrow