STORM CHASE 2005: JOURNAL
Sunday, 5/15/2005 at 14:02 EST
The final equipment log is updated in the notebook. Important notes: Not enough power to work inverter (warning light on, and laptop not charging). No hits on UIView32 past Pulaski, VA.
Went the Northern route: 64 to 70. Currently stopped in Grayson, KY at the KY highway rest stop. Thankfully, they have Ale 81. It looks like Tuesday will be the first busy day, headed towards KS.
APRS dropped to low power (5W) at 14:16 EST.
Sunday, 5/15/2005 at 19:24 EST
The Motel 6 in Dale, IN has high speed internet, but we are not headed to Dale, IN, we are going all the way to Mt. Pleasant, IL tonight to stay at a Comfort Inn. Leaving the Dale, IN Dennys and headed west.
Monday, 5/16/2005 at 8:XX EST
A trough is developing in the plains. Low in NE/SD, dryline through TX. Low level flow from south, and instability present. At 850mb, there is some mixing, W KS, W OK, W TX temperatures getting into low 80's. The instability shows a CAPE max is around 2000 in central KS, southern NE. The best helicity is in S NE, W IA. The deep layer shear is around 35kts in KS.
This hotel was pretty good, wireless and all. We are headed to Hays, KS.
Monday, 5/16/2005 at 14:35 CDT
Conditions for chasing are not so favorable. There is almost no deep layer shear, no moisture and almost no heat. Temperatures throughout the midwest and plains are at a uniform upper 60s, lower 70s, with dewpoints in the 40s and 50s. The lower level shear is in NE, and the CAPE is mediocre in N KS, with a dryline set up in W KS and W NE. IF the dryline bulges in NE, some shear might develop in KS, but the chances are slim. St. Louis NWS has been saying 'spotter activation is not anticipated.' Stormtrack.org spotters are almost all calling tomorrow a bust, some heading to N KS, others to Dodge City, KS We are headed to Hays, KS and will make a decision later on.
Radiowise, the 12V socket shows 12.72V when the engine is not running, yet the inverter does not work. I programmed 435 memory channels in the software program, only to have to reprogram them again in the van. Finally, all repeaters are programmed into the Yaesu.
Tuesday, 5/17/2005 at 11:30 CDT
Conditions are similar today as yesterday except it is windy today. Midlevel stability present over W KS. We are headed to Hays, KS to get updates on models. The strong southern wind might eventually bring some moisture. Low level shear is excellent, but with no moisture and low temperatures, it could be a busted day.
Tuesday, 5/17/2005 at 14:24 CDT
RUCS Model (through SPC) shows a southern low broke away and intensified (992mb) which will pull into N KS along the NE-KS border. We need to be SE of low where wind pulls in from SE. Questionable moisture, intensifying low, CAPEs in 3000s, low shear. Shear may increase as low intensifies. NE was clear earlier, so it is sunny, and might get to cook longer. Dew Points at 69 (North Platte, NE). Dryline buldge-intensifying low. Mike Brown was in North Platte, and other chasers in McCook, NE, so someone should intercept something if storms fire.
Wednesday, 5/18/2005 at 8:XX CDT
Successful chase yesterday. We caught an isolated cell just before it morphed into part of a squall line. The interception occured just north of Lexington, NE. I radioed a repeater there (a new one, that was not listed) and they radioed the NWS and issued the warning. We drove through golfball sized hail, but the hail was slushy and broke easily, even on our windshields. The hail was also really tan colored, from all the dust that had been pulled into the updraft, I suppose.
Today, SPC shows a 2% tornado threat for W and C KS. MO, KS and OK should have dewpoints in the 60s, 2000-3000 J/kg CAPE, and 40kt deep layer shear. Earl's page is showing 1750-2000 J/kg N of Saline, KS and Manhattan, KS, with the Gulf of Mexico opening slightly. The best LCL heights are 800m in Northeast KS. GOES shows a few boundaries, no cloud cover.
Wednesday, 5/18/2005 at 14:12 CDT
We are headed to Witchita, KS. CAPE looks to exceed 4000 J/kg, LCL heights are around 1000m, deep layer shear is around 40kts, and dew points are approaching 70. Lower level shear is only around 15kts, but it should be good enough. The cap is strong, but is expected to break. My phone battery died, and is currently charging.
Wednesday, 5/18/2005 at 14:18 CDT
More detail on yesterday-a set of supercells which evolved into a squall line by evening. I found a repeater in Lexington, NE and reported quarter to golf ball sized hail. Hasting issued a severe thunderstorm warning based on our observations 12-15mi north of Lexington on Rt. 21. Warning was issued for Dawson County, NE. The back end of the squall line was beautiful, as we got to see the back end highlighted by the sun on our way to the hotel for the evening.
Wednesday, 5/18/2005 at 15:39 CDT
Headed to Wellington, KS. Ethan was talking to his friend in Medicine Lodge, KS. FRS radios have become problematic: always cutting out. I think the problem is in chase van 2.
Thursday, 5/19/2005 at 8:XX CDT
SPC shows a slgiht risk which extends through IL, IN, OH, WV, KY, VA, TN, AR, MO and IA. There is a hatched area for hail in central MO. Mostly hailers today. IL has a weak cap, 40-50kt jet, 1000-2000 J/kg CAPE. The low in OK moves out, heating will increase CAPE to 3000 J/kg, forcing weak, deep layer shear favors supercells. MO, IL and AR, storms from above, caps weakinng over MO. LCLs are best in NE OK (800m), but SW MO, C OK and SE KS are at 1000m. wxcaster.com.
Thursday, 5/19/2005 at 18:18 CDT
Today consisted of a to8ur from Blackwell, OK through Ponca City, OK, through the Osage Nation. We headed north at Bartlesville, OK to Independence, KS. After watching a cumulus field die into a cloudless sky, we called it a night and headed west towards the KS turnpike through Arkansas City, KS. The destination for the night is Emporia, KS at a former Super 8. They are giving us government rates, since we are chasing storms.
I did get quite a few photos of the countryside of NE OK and SE KS. Despite the humidity and heat, I have a feeling the photos will have been worth it.
I cannot get my phone to update its roaming services. Not sure why.
Friday, 5/20/2005 at 8:41 CDT
EHI will be 4.1 in E NE, 0-1km shear out of SW, S 15-25kt in central IA, VGP: >0.2 favorable, and it will be 0.5 in E NE. CAPE approaches 6250 J/kg in KS, but it is capped, 3000 in E NE. LCL heights will 1000m-1200m in W IA. Shear is 70kts in S, C IA, but favorable everywhere, as it will be 50-60kts in NE, IA, MN, SD, MO, KS, etc. A moderate risk is possible tomorrow. Isolated tornado threat. We must find the low and be ahead of it, such that the wind is from the southeast, pulling what little moisture is available from the Gulf of Mexico. A travel day for us, from Emporia, KS to Bellvue, NE.
Friday, 5/21/2005 at 10:45 CDT
A general rule: When 700mb is at 12°C, it's a cap that won't bust.
SPC: W KS, W NE, E CO 25% Risk Area for day 2. CAPE will be at 3000 J/kg, shear > 40kts, maybe 70kts.
Busted day yesterday. They predicted a cap of -25, but it was actually -288. No storms of any magnitude occured anywhere in tornado alley, despite their giant watch box. We 'core punched' a storm with a whopping 19,000ft top, which dispenced BB sized rain. The teddy bear's cage had nothing of interest, though we did get a few pictures of this stormette in the sunset. I also got several good photos of the SD sunset. We stayed at a Comfort Inn in Vermillion, SD, which SD is a new state for me.
The alternator might not be generating enough current to run the inverter.
Sunday, 5/23/2005 at 13:42 MDT
Friday night was spent at the White House Inn in Bellevue, NE. It had internet hookups in the rooms, and was a REALLY nice place. I went for a walk that night and tried to put pennies on the track, but no train came until I was too far away to do anything. BOO that! I called mom, since I could update my phone here and I chatted with her for an hour or so. I also found a baseball laying in the grass, so I have that as well.
My laptop is dead. The battery light flickers, and sometimes even goes to a DOS screen that says 'Battery critically low.' The power supply shows 19.97V, so it is supplying the power. This leads me to believe that the powerjack on the motherboard might be to blame. Maria's van probably blew a fuse, as they lost several devices at once.
We are headed to Burlington, CO. A few towers are going up and SPC has a 25% hatched area in eastern CO. Colorado is a new state for me as well.
Monday, 5/24/2005 at 15:16 MDT
We are located in Yuma, CO, after having had an active chase day yesterday. We saw several rotating wall clouds in eastern CO. The road network was not good, so we had to turn around several times to avoid hail. I saw N3ARN, and his truck looked like it had taken some hail damage. The DOWs, Blown Away Tours, Tornado Chasing Adventures and several others were in Goodland, KS when we arrived for the night.