May 14th Big Spring Texas Tornadic Supercell.

[Stu]

Started the day In Wichita Falls, TX after a somewhat disappointing chase day the day before. Our Target was Central Texas where a surface low was pforecast to pull Gulf moisture up towards the Higher terrain of New Mexico and into an eastward moving dryline. Lunch was stopped short at Abilene as cells started to fire along the dryline to our west. We targeted a cell that was North West of Big Spring near to Ackerly. The cell was showing good rotation and a brief landspout tornado was observed for a good two minutes under the updraft (note that dust plume did not reach up to the cloud base)

In order to keep up with the updraft we dropped back down to the interstate where a smaller cell to the south merged with our cell. We then observed a 5 minute elephant trunk tornado near Iatan, TX, just North of Interstate 20. This followed by a brief pencil tornado 5 minutes later. Time for the elephant trunk tornado was 4:56-5:01.

We almost got cut off by the cell but were able to get ahead of it again by driving through the core East down I20. At Abilene we took the option to re Gas before dropping South East down highway 36 – unfortunately we were cut off by hail and once the hail size reached 3 inch (teacup) we broke off the chase – shame really as we were just two miles from our East option and our only option to keep ahead of the storm.

Great calibration steak dinner in Abilene afterwards :o

Picture is of tornado No2 North of the Interstate.

[Roger J Smith]

A thing of beauty there, unless of course you're right under the tube.

[chionomaniac]

Well done Stu. I wasn't sure that that was a tornado looking at the live streaming last night but suspected it was.Thanks for giving us live pictures.

[Cakie]

Wow, you lucky peeps. Makes all the driving worth the effort I'm sure. Thanks for sharing the pics

[Nick F]

Well done Stu for capturing that tornado, annoyingly we were following the same storm, but must have been some way behind you as we headed east down the I-20 and missed it rope out. Once we got to Colorado City we decided to exit the I-20 and head south and east over country roads as we saw the hail core on barons up ahead on the interstate, and after being pelted by a few hail golf balls earlier, didn't want to risk continuing.

[ANYWEATHER]

Hi Paul,Nick and Ian. Been following your adventures, but missing being out there with you great guys. Thanks 4 such a great time cant wait to do it again! Hows this year shaping up to the previous years? Enjoy, and stay safe!

Best Wishes Ian.

[Paul Sherman]

Hi Paul,Nick and Ian. Been following your adventures, but missing being out there with you great guys. Thanks 4 such a great time cant wait to do it again! Hows this year shaping up to the previous years? Enjoy, and stay safe!

Best Wishes Ian.

We are really missing the banter between the cars Ian. This year is running much like other years with 2 days of Storms then nothing etc, looking like a week of Sunbathing coming up so we need a nice Hotel! Seriously though we will be going to the StormChasers BBQ On Saturday before going to Colorado to play in the snow and then pick Andy up for the last week of May.

Stu - Went flying past you yesterday and were just behind you guys on the I20, Saw the rope out stage of the Elephant Trunk just west of Colorado City (I think) Cant remember much from yesterday apart from hitting a Partridge at 90mph on a wet dirt track which smashed off the casing on our front right wingmirror, having Wild Boar running in front of us and various other incredible chase action.

Paul S

[craig1uk]

Good work fella! Great pic, glad you guys got some reward for your chasing, good luck for the rest of the trip

[Stu]

Hi Paul,

Did you pass us when we were pulled over on the hard shoulder? if you did then you were seconds from seeing the tornado. Howerver a few minutes later a thin rope tornado formed -(I did not see it) did you catch it at all??

[Nick F]

We did pass two white vans on the hard shoulder near Colorado City, so yes we must have just missed it, we did see what looked like a remains of a thin rope on the base of the cloud near that time, though unforunately we didn't take any pics while carrying on down the I-20 before turning south at Colorado City to avoid the hail core further down the interstate!

[Cookie]

stunning image mate well done