[Convective/storm Discussion]

Nice storms passing over Colchester currently - About 15 minutes ago I thought I was back in Kansas - Rotation, lowerings, outflow, the works :-)

Got a little bit of Blackberry video footage, but doubt the resolution will be enough to capture the differential cloud movement

[Natures Fury]

Hi

Yes there were actually about 5 I think, some like myself were just cameo roles i.e. walk on, walk off (a few times) Paul S, Nick, Ian (72oz man) Andy & me. Paul S of course had a bigger role, but then he is. We did get on Chris's ITV footage MORE THAN a few times but were left on the cutting room floor!

Tom

Indeed young Tom, we were on there a few times - My favourite bits were outside Dave's, with the Graffiti on the back of the Chevy, and Paul walking back towards the camera, zipping-up, somewhere near Hoxie :lol:

Hope you've been keeping well mate, the TV Cameras took at least 10 years off you :lol:

Take Care,

Andy

[Natures Fury]

Put a thread in the Media Section but wanted to put one here as well just to remind everyone that "Natures Fury" will be shown on ITV1 From 8-9pm on Tuesday 2nd June. This programme will be shown in full HD (1st ever Weather Documentary in HD) and will show our escapades of last Seasons 2008 Storm Chase and some of the Tornadoes we caught in Kansas and Nebraska.

Set your timers!

Paul S

Looking forward to it Paul - Should be good to see if Aurora in HD is as 'interesting' as it is in real life B)

Congratulations on another successful tour by the way - Getting on all those storms in the death ridge takes some doing!!!!

Cheers,

Andy

[Hurricane Gustav]

NHC doesn't say anything about it at the mo.. i'll keep looking and see if it updates soon tho. Was this on the Beeb website or the tv?

BBC News for about 5 minutes just before the sport - now off so I wondering if they've false alarmed?

[Hurricane Gustav]

Breaking News on the BBC - Gustav now Cat 5 as reported by FEMA

[Thanks to all]

Hello Tom!!

Thanks to you for making the few days we all spent together some of the most fun (and funny ) I can honestly say I've ever spent - Even core punching rainbows in Nebraka was a laugh!!!

It was such a shame you couldn't have been with us in Kearney and Aurora on Thursday, as I truly think you would have loved it, even if it was a tad dangerous. I don't think I will ever forget seeing the empty freight rail cars being blown off their tracks by the RFD East of Kearney, not to mention the Gas Station incident!

Take care and I'll hopefully see you in February,

Regards,

Andy

[Day 32 - Video and Pictures]

It was very exhilarating, slightly unnerving, but at no time did I feel my life was in danger. Paul had positioned the car exceptionally - at a slight angle to a Winnebago and behind other cars, so only the very top of the vehicle was being buffeted, well away from the centre of gravity!!!

Our close encounter at Aurora has been classed as a 1/2 mile wide EF2 Wedge, which was on the ground 3/4 mile due North of us.

Andy

[Day 32 - Video and Pictures]

OMG, you are quite lucky to be alive after that ... dark for at least five minutes an hour or more before sunset, and obvious sounds of 100 mph winds outside your vehicle.

I alerted the CNN weather crew to this video, Paul and Nick, suggesting they ask you for your permission to show it on the air (perhaps with the sound off ... it is very rare footage, and when you say it's the RFD, I believe you but really, the boundary between the edge of a tornado and the strongest part of the RFD is academic. Last summer in Manitoba, an RFD event did millions of dollars of damage very similar in scale to the B'ham F2 tornado in July 2005. So really, the only thing that is absent from RFD winds is the tornadic possibility of a complete swirl, but as you experienced, often there is a sharp windshift which just enhances the damage because part of the damage is already done, then a new wind direction is established getting at that damage from a new angle, which can only increase the results.

See if CNN contacts you guys about this, I mentioned that you are still in the USA until Saturday.

Chris, the ITV Cameraman, has had his HD footage shown on ABC Channel 8 this morning (With Paul's cameo), and has allowed this footage to be posted up on the board - Links will be provided later, but as a slight spoiler they were positioned about 70ft behind us, pretty much in the full flow, position with the backend of the van into the wind - the footage of the RFD moving over and out front of the vehicle is amazing, as is when Chris opens the door!! :lol:

He did apologise to the guys on live TV during the interview though!!

Andy

[May 23rd Reports & Pictures]

Not too bad a day in the end

At it was Explosive updraughts, a wedge and satellite, a stovepipe that curled out before roping, a fleeting stovepipe which disappered behind Ness City Grain silos on the way back into Ness before I could get a coherent photo off and last but not least another stove lit up by it destroying power lines, before a dassling lightning show on the way back to Great Bend, was not the worst way to spend a day ever!!!

Back next year - It's not if but which tour Though I think I'm going to be owed a lot of steaks with the complete lack of downtime we will get

- Nice updraughts!!!

- A bit of Mammatus

- The very end of the Wedge, roping up

- Nice Stovepipe

- Starting to curl

Andy

[Day 24 Report & Pictures]

How to start with describing today in Colorado - I think chronologically will give you a good feeling of its majesty.

We left Dodge City, KS at approx 0930 CDT, originally heading for the Cheyenne, WY area, but by late morning it was becoming evident from various sources that SE Colorado was going to be the place to be. As it was a dryline was setting up, though dewpoints weren't massively brilliant (high 40's, low 50's).

We were refuelling in Burlington, Colorado, at approx 1230 MDT, for the drive towards Limon, when we viewed some nice towers going up, some 22 hours since I met up with Paul, Nick and Ian at DFW!!

These towers soon started to break the Cap, and a nice LP began to form, with some superb cloudscapes:

This led to some nice sized hail (As modelled by the lovely Paul S):

The Barons was also showing some rotation by this point - Guess where we were???!!!

The first storm then started to fade, but was showing a bit of LP organisation, just to tease us:

The decision was then made to move back along what was starting to become a rather meaty squall line to our SSW.

During this period the boys decided a jaunt South was in order to allow the line to pass nice and close by, and also allowed an encounter with a nice rain and/or hail band wrapping around the 3rd of the HP storm centres.

As it was when we moved to the East it became apparent that a nice mothership MCS was forming, pretty much above our heads!!

The most un-nerving part of this was the rotation was definately causing the cloud to drop above our heads!!! As it was it finally did drop about 5 miles away from our position, for about 5-10 seconds. You will see from Paul's photo the aftermath of the tornado, but as we were heading away from the area it was pure luck Ian looked over his left shoulder to see the tornado drop. As the system was HP and we were right at sunset I couldn't get a photo off - Ian tried but his camera failed him and Paul, who had now pulled off to the side of the road was about 15 seconds too late, and caught it roping out. This was the only disappointment of the day!!

We then swiftly moved East to escape a Bears Cage situation as the squall line began to outflow - rather rapidly as were were doing 80 (65 really officer) and it was almost keeping pace on the downslope. Some lovely lightning pics were then taken by Paul, and as the storm got slightly too close for comfort we buzzed East to Burlington, where the day really started with the initiation 8 hours before, to overnight before the fun and games wedgefest promised tomorrow.

It has been an amazing first day, and I realy have to thank Paul, Nick and Ian for al their sage counsel and answering of silly questions.

Here's to a superb day, and a huge day tomorrow

Andy

[Days 18-23 Discussion]

Models now starting to come into Line with each other, so Thursday looks like the start of the Outbreak, could still squeeze a Wednesday Chase out of this lovely Feature, will pick Andy up on Tuesday and head North quite rapidly. Also having just looked at the Models this could be just Round 1 of Severe Weather with a few days of re-charge before another System Smashes into the Plains 27th-30th Timescale. Chase Heaven! :o

DAY 4-8 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK

NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK

0337 AM CDT SUN MAY 18 2008

VALID 211200Z - 261200Z

...DISCUSSION...

EXTENDED MODELS -- THOUGH THEY CONTINUE TO DIFFER SOMEWHAT WITH

RESPECT TO THE UPPER PATTERN EVOLUTION...PARTICULARLY LATE IN THE

PERIOD -- PERSIST IN SUGGESTING A GENERAL INCREASE IN SEVERE

POTENTIAL OVER THE CENTRAL CONUS DURING THE LATTER HALF OF THE

UPCOMING WEEK. BOTH DEVELOP A LARGE TROUGH OVER THE WRN U.S. AND

SUBSTANTIAL NWD RETURN OF RICH GULF MOISTURE INTO THE PLAINS

STARTING DAY 4. WHILE SOMEWHAT MERIDIONAL...FLOW ALOFT SHOULD

REMAIN STRONG ACROSS THIS REGION -- AND THEREFORE EXPECT BOTH THE

KINEMATIC AND THERMODYNAMIC ENVIRONMENT TO BE SUPPORTIVE OF SEVERE

STORMS.

DIFFICULTY PERSISTS...HOWEVER...IN NARROWING DOWN THE REGION OF

GREATER THREAT -- BOTH SPATIALLY AND TEMPORALLY -- DUE TO MODEL

DIFFERENCES. ATTM...GREATEST POTENTIAL APPEARS TO EXIST DAYS 5-7

/I.E. THU. MAY 22 THROUGH SAT. MAY 24/ ACROSS PARTS OF THE CENTRAL

AND NRN PLAINS. THE GFS -- WHICH DEPICTS THE UPPER RIDGE FARTHER E

THAN THE ECMWF -- WOULD APPEAR TO FAVOR CENTRAL KS/CENTRAL NEB ALONG

ERN FRINGES OF A FAIRLY WELL-DEVELOPED SURFACE LOW. MEANWHILE...THE

ECMWF WOULD FAVOR A PRIMARY THREAT AREA FURTHER WWD -- ACROSS THE

CENTRAL AND NRN HIGH PLAINS -- WITHIN SELY UPSLOPE FLOW REGIME E OF

A SHARPER LEE TROUGH/LOW. ATTM...WILL INTRODUCE A THREAT AREA FOR

DAYS 5-7 ACROSS MUCH OF KS/NEB AND INTO PARTS OF ERN CO/ERN WY --

COVERING PORTIONS OF THE ENVELOPE ENCLOSING SOLUTIONS FROM BOTH

MODELS.

Sweet!!!! :o

Looks like I'm going to be a very lucky boy!!

[Days 18-23 Discussion]

Models still showing a Huge Trough over the West. Latest runs are actually better IMO as the Chase terrain will be better if the Low is held up and we wont all end up in the Trees of Arkansas, as Gavin pointed out 3 or 4 days of Moisture return under the High pressure influence will trap all that energy before it all goes BOOM!

Looking forward to the Middle to end of next week.

Paul S

Hi Paul,

Currently in Panama City, FL, just after winning 5-3 playing at leftback for 90 mins in the Floridian Heat!! The Weather Channel are certainly going fo midweek onwards - Just as well i'm getting to Dallas on Tuesday eh???

Take care and see you soon,

Andy

[The Big Texan 72oz Challenge]

Like Mammatus i'm not out until the 20th (I'm No. 9 by the way) and I barely got through a 12 oz Sirloin the other day, so 72 would be pushing it somewhat, as would the aftermath!!

Think I'll go with the Shermanator as well

Andy

[Days T & 1 & 2]

Good luck guys - Take care and see you on the 22nd May!!!

[Snow Reports, Early April 2008]

Heavy snow here in NE Essex, just starting to settle on the greenery ASL 90ft

[BA Flights]

Thanks Paul,

I've got flights through AA from LHR to DFW, but I'm going out on 16th May as I'm meeting up with an old mate for the weekend in Panama City, FL. I'll be back at DFW early afternoon of the 20th,

Cheers,

Andy

Hi Guys,

To all the members coming Stateside this April and May, would like to draw your attention to a Sale that BA Are having during the 1st 23 days of January. They have 25% off flights to N America including our base city of (DFW) Dallas Fort Worth until the 23rd January. ( These can be found at BA.COM ) This means you can pick up a Flight for around the £340 mark, which is pretty damn good. If you feel like pampering yourselves they also have upgrades available for about £160 on top as well. This flight will be out of Heathrow but you also have the option of AA (American Airlines) out of Gatwick.

So these are the dates and returns for the different Tours

Tour 1 -

Outbound - 28th April and Returning 9th May 2008

Tour 2 -

Outbound - 9th May and Returning 20th May 2008

Tour 3 -

Outbound - 20th May and Returning 31st May 2008

Any questions please Pm Me.

AndyNEEssex can you reply to this message so your post count goes to (10) and then your Pm facility will be enabled.

Many Thanks

Paul Sherman