Reports & Pictures - Chase Day 24

[Paul Sherman]

This day was completely insane, you guys wanted cows flying.......well we came pretty close. I lost count of the Mid level funnel clouds we saw, insane Gustnados and one which had a bowl shaped lowering above which literally rolled a few cows over as it was spinning like crazy a few hundred yards behind us. I was on that storm from birth, think I have a fractured finger from a jaggedy Golf Ball sized Hailstone, nearly got nailed by Lightning which hit the tarmac between the cars and all the instruments in both cars shorted out. Dont know if we can claim a Tornado from this but take a look at the videos about to be posted and judge for yourself.

- Mid level Funnel Roping out

- Structure

- This bugger has fractured my Finger

- Dow trucks a scanning

- Wall cloud behind the DOW Truck

Paul S

[Arron]

Amazingly crazy day, highlight for me being a violent gustnado/tornado that knocked over a few cows in the field! I've uploaded an HD video of it below.

Shear funnel video in HD

Few photos too

[Roger J Smith]

Great pics and videos, just one question ... isn't that gustnado rotating like a high instead of the usual cyclonic direction? Closer side seems to be going right to left. I've heard of such backward rotation, think it's rather rare. (in the northern hemisphere, of course)

[Arron]

[DubWeatherAddict]

My summary for today up on my blog.

www.irishtwisterchaser.blogspot.com

...... Lightning hitting right in front of us was the highlight for mise and also the gustnadoes of course!

[Gorky]

Rope tornado near Okeene. Was on the ground with faint dust swirl to start with then the more focused area below for about 4 minutes. During all 4 minutes, I forgot to hit record on the camera. Set up focus and everything else.... Doh! Still.. wasn't exactly the biggest tornado to grace this planet....

Structure on the Kingfisher cell near nightfall.

Large hail which fell in Edmond at the hotel I'm at. Luckily the large stuff (2.25 inches at least as it's wider than my credit card) was very sparse with most being quarter to golfball maximum. Car survived ok!

The most stressful bit of the day was near Enid. Storms had been moving ENE and right moving East all day. A storm just north of me grew a hook right over me and started moving SE. Another storm had formed behind with a couplet too so no going back. Once I got a radar update with VIL maxed ontop of me and a 120kt couplet on top of me, I bailed south on the first non mud road I could. Winds were easily 50mph from the north wrapping round the back of the hook and so precip filled I had no idea if there was something in the rain ahead of me. (North winds meant I was behind any circulation at least but liable to get hail wrapping around towards me). With the exception of the first storm, they were all very outflow dominant. Complete lack of any notable 0-1km helicity probably did the tornado threat in. That certainly won't be the case tomorrow...

[Snowangel-MK]

Amazingly crazy day, highlight for me being a violent gustnado/tornado that knocked over a few cows in the field!

Great pictures and videos guys

….the cattle must have been heifers not small steers because 'wee-bulls' wobble but they don't fall down!

Good luck for today and stay safe

Edited May 24, 2011 by MKsnowangel

[John Hanrahan]

Crazy chase day! One of the best ever for me. Monster hail, multiple funnels, violently rotating gustnadoes, CG hit no more than 6 feet from the car (this is not an exaggeration). Cows getting knocked over. 2 quick vids from me before I head to bed... all I have the energy for. More will follow. Both in HD

Cownado

Rotating Funnel

Edited May 24, 2011 by John Hanrahan

[grab my graupel]

Fabulous stuff, guys. The size of those hail stones always amazes me. I'm glad we don't get hail that size over here, though, as I value my car too much

@Mksnowangel, That joke was terrible :lol:

[SteveB]

Fantastic stuff guys, love the hail video & gustnado.

[Andy Bown]

Loving the 'cownado' and hail videos, was anyone recording when the CG hit so close to the cars? Or did it short out videoing too?

[Stoxs]

big shout to Arron on the live feed camera and the constant updates all evening.

big thanks and keep it coming

[ZONE 51]

excellent photos

Edited May 25, 2011 by ElectricSnowStorm

[Arron]

Thanks Stoxs

Highlights from this chase day below including some hail and gustnados

[Arron]

Video on the close strike that landed between the two cars

Hmm the encoding of that seems to have missed the flash! Here's a youtube link to it in HD Video is from Tour 3 Guest Kim Anderson

[dogs32]

good memories