stevstorms usa report

[stevestorms]

May 3rd 2007 Tornado Tour.

Long trip Day 1 Usual long trip to OKC no real delays and no drama at airports Toms plane was late and we arranged to have Toms name put on Insurance for the rental car.

Tom arrived half an hour later when we all made our way to the hotel. On our arrival we were gutted to find the KK had gone!!! however we made our way to Denny's for a slap up plate full, later to the walmart and bought some simular Donuts to KKs, finaly making it to bed some 27hrs from the start of our travels.

Good Day Day 2. May 4th first chase day, thing were looking good a real god chance 30% tornado risk target area Kansas, we set off early from Norman Oklahoma and headed North. making our way to Pratt Kansas where 2 water towers are labled "HOT" and "COLD" we left town and headed 30 miles west to Greensburg where we parked up in 80f

heat on a old disused road, wasnt long and we found some other chasers who came over to say Hi

The OUTLAW CHASERS were a group of 4, 3 men and a woman who were real fun and we had a laugh chatting and swopping storys with them, we also met a Storm spotter who later on that everning appeared on TV to tell his woes of what was to happen that night.

We must have spent over 3 hours in that waiting for something to happen, eventually we spotted a single cell some 100 miles to our south so we headed southg to meet it coming North, the cell was big towering collieflower white clouds and nice dark base we had given up 2 which had split to go for this one, it produced a nice short funnel and some 2" hail which we thought was great till we moved back northa mile and found tennis ball size hail! so a great day was had we set off returning to Pratt to book a hotel for the night, on the way back reports were coming in of a large Tornado on the ground, we were all very tired but approuching Pratt this TORNADO was just about 10 miles or less from us so I drove straight through town and out the other side towards Greensburg where we has spent so much time earlier, I stopped short some 15 miles out of Pratt emergency vehicles were running up and down the road but beside that our csar was being blown along by the winds!!! so i stopped. Geting out was quite a worrying senario as the trees next to us were bending over due to the 50mph winds being sucked into a 1 mile wide Tornado, which alas we did not see but we could feel its enomous power. Greensburg had taken a direct hit with reports of death'

Morning revealed that a mile wide top F4 Poss F5 HAD DESTROYED most of the town 9 people dead 50 inj I felt so sorry for those people effected which of course is the downside to these violent storms.

DAY 3 MAY 5th Today was supposed to be the money day, the day that was the best set up for Tornados, we started off in Pratt Kansas, the news and talk in the town was full of the devastation Greensburgh from the night before, the national guard had set up road blocks and the whole town was closed for emergency personel only, the TV showed arial shots of the town, wow! Lettuce! Greensburg had been leveled !!!! Imean it was destroyed-flatened like some huge roller had done it good a half mile wide path of total destruction.

Leaving this behind we set off north towards poss Mc Cook as a target area this shortened to Hays Kansas, grabbed a burger then off out of town to catch a line of Tstorms moving in from the South west, these were a cluster "F" which we dont like sitting East of Hays in the country we watched some lightning and the bases move by forming then falling apart, the day smacked of a big promised day only to be a big bust, however we parked up at a closed garage after running up and down the same road about 3 times I think it was Alton on the highway 24 after an hour of waiting around we went yet again east up the 24 along side a developing storm, it looked calm but then a beaver tail developed with a coveyerbelt of motion running up the top edge into the storm, this was firing up ! shortly after Pete spotted a rope !!! YES it was our first Tornado ON THE GROUND Pete got the total shot on a great still, it lasted a ony a few seconds and we got it! this was great a confirmed Tornado small yes! but it was ours and having seen many chasers move south we were smug in the fact this was ours, contented we were but i pointed out that this storm was slowing down the base was slowing and mixing scud started to rise quickly into the base and striations started to form as a meso was forming within minuets a cone formed it was large it was dark and it was spinning! cameras all on the go we wittnessed the birth of our best Tornado to date as a group a fantastic large white Tornado planted as Debree spat up off the ground, it moved NE quickly towards a small town called OSBORNE KS we chased and filmed and shot all the way as we moved through Osborne with the side doors open Tornados Sirens were wailing! fantastic rush, at the end of town the Tornado had turned over a HGV trailer and destroyed a roof and part of a building, our chase ended as the tornado disapated after a life of approx 15mins , the cell that spawned it quickly fell apart and it was gone! just like that! we moved east to Beleville or BUG TOWN (Dune Bugs) we had been here before hotel nice on top of a hill but internet was down food choice in town poor although nothing could dampen our spirits from our most sucessful chase day to date! but it wasnt over Tornado warnings continued carried on throughout the night we were treated to some great lightning and thunder crashes which carried on even after we had all gone to sleep.

DAY 4 MAY 6th

Woke up 07.00hrs it was cooler grey over cast, sky looks all beat up , forecast on tv say we are still in risk area for today, not sure if this is from the storms of last night firing up again or new initiation from new elements?? we will go and find a wi-fi signal and find out......................

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[Paul Sherman]

Hi Steve

Sounds like you are having as much fun as us, we were tracking the Greensburg Tornado as well on the 4th, let it go after dark, yesterday saw about 30 Wall clouds Funnels the lot, took refuge in Ellsworth and had Hurricane straight line winds at 2am, now moving south.

Paul & Team

[Paul R]

Sounds like you had an exciting couple of days. Glad you stayed safe.

[pottyprof]

Great report there Steve.. Keep 'em coming but stay safe mate.. :blink: