Storm chase tour 1 - the chase virgin tour

[Paul]

It's almost time to start chasing - the team are already out in the USA setting up and the first guests arrive later today, with the 'official' arrival day tomorrow, and first chase day Saturday. It's looking like a busy start too....

We've got 2 chase vehicles on this tour, and all of the guests are chase virgins on their first ever storm chases, it's going to be a fun one!

Here are the runners and riders:

Staff

Paul Sherman

Tom Lynch

Ian Michaelwaite

Guests

Stevie (Chase virgin)

Madeliene (Chase virgin)

Holly (Chase virgin)

Mike (Chase virgin)

David (Chase virgin)

Jeremy (Chase virgin)

Elise (Chase virgin)

Weather wise, Saturday is currently a moderate risk day - so likely to be a full-on start to the tour.

DAY 3 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOKNWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK

0255 AM CDT THU MAY 07 2015

VALID 091200Z - 101200Z

...THERE IS A MDT RISK OF SVR TSTMS ACROSS PORTIONS OF OKLAHOMA AND

KANSAS...

...THERE IS AN ENH RISK OF SVR TSTMS AROUND THE MDT RISK AREA FROM

NORTH TX TO KANSAS...

...THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS AROUND THE ENH RISK AREA FROM

TX RIO GRANDE VALLEY TO WRN MO AND WEST TO A SMALL PART OF ERN CO...

...THERE IS A MRGL RISK OF SVR TSTMS FROM TX TO THE MIDWEST...

...SUMMARY...

A SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK APPEARS POSSIBLE ACROSS PARTS OF THE GREAT

PLAINS ON SATURDAY. WIDESPREAD INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD DEVELOP

OVER PORTIONS OF OKLAHOMA...KANSAS...AND TEXAS DURING THE AFTERNOON.

TORNADOES...VERY LARGE HAIL...AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE LIKELY IN THESE

AREAS.

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/outlook/day3otlk.html

So as it stands the team look set to head north from DFW into Oklahoma.

Don't forget. you'll be able to follow all of their exploits throughout this and the other tours on the live stream:

http://www.netweather.tv/index.cgi?action=chaselive;sess=

Paul

[Paul Sherman]

As Paul says its shaping up to be a very active start to the Netweather Tours, it is like a Sauna over here with incredible moisture and dewpoints in the 70's.

 

We will be testing the equipment today on a local chase and a 5% Tornado Risk.

 

DFW Have finally caught up with the digital age and you no longer wait 2 hours to see a mean Policeman type person now, machines scan your passport and you are through in 5-10 minutes, which means a rude awakening tomorrow evening and a possible Moderate Risk pretty much North of Dallas Fort Worth.

 

Saturday is looking very Dangerous a possibly will be upgraded to a High Risk, what a Start!

 

Sunday looks like another dangerous day in Iowa/Nebraska

 

Monday looks like a very active day in Illinois.

 

Hope the Virgins are ready for this!

[CycloneGail]

Wow Paul, you'll be racking up the miles very quickly this year by the look of things if your aiming for Illinois by Monday.  

 

Have a great time, hopefully you'll bag a wedge and see you in a couple of weeks.

 

To all the new chasers - hope you have a blast

[AndyR]

Wow Paul, you'll be racking up the miles very quickly this year by the look of things if your aiming for Illinois by Monday.

Have a great time, hopefully you'll bag a wedge and see you in a couple of weeks.

To all the new chasers - hope you have a blast

Totally agree with ya. They are getting gonna have the time of there lives. At the end of the tour. They will be sick of thunderstorms lol.

[IanM]

All set up and ready to do a test chase this afternoon to make sure everything is good to go from tomorrow.  

 

No bonus chases this year, but we have to position for the risk on Saturday, and it just so happens that means heading into a risk area tomorrow evening too.  A running start for T1!

 

 

[chionomaniac]

Excellent. Do stay safe, but nab those 'nado's!

[IanM]

First Braums burger of the season completed, as we head toward Wichita Falls.

The kit is working, but as we're in one car there isn't enough connections to stream this little tester, sorry. Hopefully we catch some goodpics and will try to share them as we go.

[AndyR]

Have a great time out there. Be safe n see you all soon

[PolarWarsaw]

 

SPC has a special Day 2 (Friday) MOD watch out now too. You literally couldn't have picked a better time to start...other than perhaps yesterday!

[NL]

Tomorrow's risk has now gone MODERATE..

 

   SPC AC 071726

   DAY 2 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK  
   NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
   1226 PM CDT THU MAY 07 2015

   VALID 081200Z - 091200Z

   ...THERE IS A MDT RISK OF SVR TSTMS ACROSS PARTS OF NORTHWEST
   TX...WESTERN OK AND SOUTHERN KS...

   ...THERE IS AN ENH RISK OF SVR TSTMS ACROSS PARTS OF THE SOUTHERN
   AND CENTRAL PLAINS...

   ...THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS ACROSS PARTS OF THE SOUTHERN
   AND CENTRAL PLAINS...

   ...THERE IS A MRGL RISK OF SVR TSTMS FROM SW TX TO IL...

   ...THERE IS A MRGL RISK OF SVR TSTMS ALONG THE CAROLINA COAST...

   ...SUMMARY...
   SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL
   GREAT PLAINS.  VERY LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...AND TORNADOES ARE
   EXPECTED...ESPECIALLY ACROSS WESTERN OKLAHOMA.

   ...SOUTHERN/CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS...

   LARGE-SCALE HEIGHT FALLS WILL SPREAD INTO THE DESERT SOUTHWEST
   DURING THE DAY2 PERIOD AS STRONG UPPER LOW TRANSLATES INTO THE
   4-CORNERS REGION LATE.  DIFLUENT HIGH-LEVEL FLOW WILL SPREAD ACROSS
   THE SRN/CNTRL PLAINS AHEAD OF THIS FEATURE WITH SUBSTANTIAL FLOW
   EXPECTED TO OVERSPREAD A PRONOUNCED DRY LINE DURING PEAK HEATING.
   STRONG SHEAR AND FAVORABLE HIGH-LEVEL VENTING SHOULD RESULT IN A
   CONCENTRATED CORRIDOR OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...ESPECIALLY ACROSS
   WRN OK.

   BOTH THE GFS AND NAM SUGGEST A WEAK MID-LEVEL SHORT-WAVE TROUGH WILL
   EJECT ACROSS THE SRN HIGH PLAINS AFTER 18Z...TRANSLATING INTO WRN OK
   BY 09/00Z.  THIS FEATURE IS EXPECTED TO AID CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT
   ALONG DRY LINE BY EARLY-MID AFTERNOON ACROSS THE HIGH
   PLAINS...SPREADING/DEVELOPING EWD TOWARD THE I-35 CORRIDOR BY LATE
   AFTERNOON.  SHEAR PROFILES FAVOR SUPERCELLS AND BOUNDARY-LAYER
   MOISTURE...ABSENT DAY1 CONVECTIVE DISRUPTION...SHOULD EASILY ADVANCE
   NWD TOWARD SYNOPTIC BOUNDARY THAT SHOULD ORIENT ITSELF IN AN E-W
   FASHION ACROSS SRN KS/SERN CO.  IF MOISTURE/INSTABILITY RETURN TO
   THE SYNOPTIC BOUNDARY...AS SUGGESTED BY LATEST NAM...ROBUST SEVERE
   THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ALONG A FAVORABLY SHEARED BOUNDARY THAT
   COULD ENHANCE TORNADO POTENTIAL WITH ANY SUPERCELLS.  EVEN
   SO...DISCRETE WARM SECTOR SUPERCELLS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ACROSS
   THE AFOREMENTIONED REGION OF NWRN TX...NWD TO THE SYNOPTIC FRONT
   WITHIN AN ENVIRONMENT SEEMINGLY FAVORABLE FOR VERY LARGE
   HAIL...TORNADOES...AND DAMAGING WINDS.  FORECAST NAM SOUNDINGS
   EXHIBIT PROFILES CHARACTERISTIC OF STORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HAIL
   IN EXCESS OF 2 INCHES AND PERHAPS EVEN A FEW STRONG TORNADOES.

   SCT SUPERCELLS SHOULD DEVELOP/SPREAD NEWD TOWARD THE I-35 CORRIDOR
   BY LATE AFTERNOON AS FOCUSED LLJ AIDS INFLOW.  DURING THE
   EVENING...SEVERE CLUSTERS SHOULD EVOLVE ALONG THE E-W SYNOPTIC FRONT
   WHERE LLJ IMPINGES ON BOUNDARY.

   ..DARROW.. 05/07/2015

   CLICK TO GET WUUS02 PTSDY2 PRODUCT

   NOTE: THE NEXT DAY 2 OUTLOOK IS SCHEDULED BY 0600Z
   CURRENT UTC TIME: 1745Z (6:45PM), RELOAD THIS PAGE TO UPDATE THE TIME

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/

[shuggee]

Great to see new faces on this tour.  As for the staff.... 

[A.J]

Will Tour 1 be live streaming this weekend?

[Paul]

Yep.

[A.J]

good stuff, looking forward to it.....the forecast's looking good for a cracking start to the tour

[Dorsetbred]

What do you say to a car full of v1rg1n storm chasers??

Panic and RUN.....

[IanM]

What do you call a car full of storm chasers??

Hungry?

[chionomaniac]

What do you say to a car full of v1rg1n storm chasers??

Panic and RUN.....

Tell them not to pee in front of the streaming car. Big Virgin error that one!

[nsrobins]

Days Inn - Denton. Equipment set-up and static test. Ironically may not have to go anywhere to see something pass over in next three hours!

Now tracking my mifi delivery - it was refused at reception despite clear instructions.

 

Should add I'm solo but hope to meet up with the tour at some point - maybe under a meso tomorrow LOL

[Nick F]

Some potential from the storms on the leading edge of the MCS tracking ESE from NW Texas. New MD out for north central Texas:

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/md/md0536.html

[nsrobins]

Some potential from the storms on the leading edge of the MCS tracking ESE from NW Texas. New MD out for north central Texas:

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/md/md0536.html

Indeed Nick - I don't need mesonet to tell me the atmosphere is strongly unstable here - super rich out there.

I'm nipping out to the local UPS depot to collect my mifi and antenna in about an hour - might catch something. In the meantime, where did I pack the gaffer tape LOL?

[Nick F]

Indeed Nick - I don't need mesonet to tell me the atmosphere is strongly unstable here - super rich out there.

I'm nipping out to the local UPS depot to collect my mifi and antenna in about an hour - might catch something. In the meantime, where did I pack the gaffer tape LOL?

Good luck, you're in prime spot there. Hope you share any photos/footage later. 3 weeks time and I'll be out there, possibly further north than Texas by then.

[nsrobins]

There is a cell about 6 miles to my West that has had a TVS and has some low level gate.

I'm just off to collect my mifi - might go an take a look before it gets dark here.

[IanM]

Getting a little lively near Decatur, quarter size hail and huge rotation. Might have to move on soon.

[IanM]

Tornado on the ground' shot just as it roped out. And it caused some damage to roofs and power lines. New Fairview, Tx

[chionomaniac]

Blimey that was quick work. What a great test day!