A storm chase that was thankfully for me, uneventful -- tragic, elsewhere.
Synopsis:
1. May 31, 2013, 5:34:44 PM Frontenac, KS, USA -- 1st sighting of wall/funnel cloud north of Pittsburg,
Kansas
2. May 31, 2013, 5:56:53 PM Baker, KS, USA -- Shelf cloud west of Pittsburg, Kansas
3. May 31, 2013, 5:57:54 PM Pittsburg, KS, USA -- Wall cloud sighted from south side of Pittsburg
looking northeast. Wall cloud was north of Pittsburg, Kansas.
4. May 31, 2013, 7:36:12 PM Welch, OK 74369, USA -- Shelf cloud on tornado warned storm, had no data
so I went as far west as I dared -- about 8 miles west of Welch.
5. May 31, 2013, 7:50:12 PM Welch, OK 74369, USA -- Stopped a little bit east of Welch OK and
saw wall cloud.
May 31, 2013, 7:50:12 PM
May 31, 2013, 7:50:12 PM
Welch, OK 74369, USA
May 31, 2013, 7:50:12 PM
Welch, OK 74369, USA
6. May 31, 2013, 8:40:00 PM Shoal Creek, MO, USA -- On I-44 on tornado warned storm with no data --
looking for shelter -- tornado sirens in Joplin, MO.
7. May 31, 2013, 9:05:59 PM Carthage, MO 64836, USA -- Sought shelter in Carthage, MO, waited storm
out. Torrential rain, gusty winds and some pea sized hail.
May 31, 2013, 9:05:59 PM
Carthage, MO 64836, USA
May 31, 2013, 9:05:59 PM
- 2013/05/31 Friday 03:19:13
- 2013/05/31 Friday 14:25:12
QuikTrip
1 (816) 741-8589
4510 Northwest Gateway Avenue, Riverside, MO 64150
Same verse, different day
I caught a train in Fort Scott, Kansas...
In Pittsburg, Kansas, I caught this wall cloud that could a would a should a but didn't, I hung out a bit long for this as a monster was developing to the southwest. I eventually stairstepped down past the KS/OK border and west of Miami, Oklahoma. I called out this wall cloud and now I know my dashcam stream was working because moments later, a producer from CNN called me.
On one of my many loops through town, I passed through downtown Pittsburg...
West of Pittsburg, Kansas, I saw this wonderful shelf cloud. I stayed clear of the hail and didn't let this monster overtake me.
I came back through Pittsburg, Kansas, and stopped on the south side of town to watch this ground dragging wall cloud move to the north of town.
I headed south as to not get overtaken by the northern edge of a monster supercell which was straddling the Kansas/Oklahoma border about two counties to the west of me. I had to try to get south of the radar indicated rotation to try to be in a safe spot. The cell north of Pittsburg started looking good, crossed over into Missouri and became tornado warned, but I didn't feel safe staying on it with another storm looming to my southwest. I passed through Baxter Springs Kansas and took Route 66 into Miami, but this time, it wasn't a vacation trip.
West of Welch, Oklahoma, I caught up with the monster supercell, which was tornado warned, and was producing a good looking shelf cloud and also some wall clouds. I went as far west as I felt was safe to go, and got some pix and bugged out, not wanting to be overtaken and caught up in the rain and hail with a possible rain wrapped monster tornado that wouldn't be visible until it was too late.
For some reason, to me, thought the chase proved uneventful on my part, I felt like it was a very dangerous day. Maybe having just replaced the windshield in the mini van and not wanting to have to explain to my wife why I destroyed it in a hail storm gave me cause to be extra cautious. Perhaps having the dogs with me for company made me want to think of their safety -- I don't know. I headed east through Miami as it was getting dark. My data disappeared as cell phone service was spotty, and I didn't much like being blind. I didn't stick around long, especially as it got dark. I bugged out to the Oklahoma turnpike and headed east. As I came through Joplin, I heard the tornado sirens -- first time for this year to hear that sound for me. It was erie passing through that town under a tornado warning in light of recent history. I was hearing on the Pittsburg NPR station all the warnings and was getting scared to be on the highway at night with a possible tornado close by and no good reliable cell service. When I got overtaken by torrential rain, pea sized hail and heavy wind in Carthage, I pulled off into town and found the nearest gas station awning. I waited it out there. I went by the Boots motel to say hi to the owner or caretaker, but the tornado warnings must've scared them into a basement. I went to Caseys to have my bad fattening storm chase food (Casey's pizza and donuts). They told me they had just reopened after the sirens went off. I then headed north. I heard St. Louis and Oklahoma City had gotten hit. When I had good data on my air card, I put www.Chasertv.com on my computer and saw the monster hook echo over el Reno, Oklahoma, and watched a bit of somebody's stream -- I think NW Walker, a chaser from Alabama. Through tweets, I heard about Mike Bettes' unfortunate intercept with the tornado. I heard some other chasers had some close calls. I didn't know until Sunday, about how tragic to the chaser community the el Reno tornado was. I also found out on Tuesday, that another chaser was caught and killed by the tornado. I also found out that the el Reno tornado, once thought to be an EF-3, turned out to be a monster EF-5, with a record breaking over two mile wide path. The storms can be un predictable and dangerous. If professional chasers like Tim Samaras, Paul Samaras and Carl Young can get caught and killed, then no one is immune, and much respect must be paid to the inherent danger of these forces at work. I am so sad for the loss of these people and to the loss of all the lives in this severe weather event. It sounds to me like most of the deaths were people in cars as the storm hit during rush hour. I plan to stay far away from chase clusters if I can avoid it. I knew back in 2008, when I saw my first chase cluster, that this was a disaster waiting to happen. Also, last year, during the Salina tornado, all the chasers, gawkers and other traffic mingled in with emergency first responders made for a huge traffic jam that I would rather not be a part of. It is better to miss the tornado, than to get caught up in it and become a victim just simply because I am stuck in a traffic jam. However, the other thing I find that I hate with chase clusters is that the most unsafe part is having too many drivers with their eyes on everything but the road. That is an accident waiting to claim more victims.
Storm Chase Map 5-31-13
Live Broadcast Schedule:
Click on the link to open a new window....
21:00 to 01:00 Wed through Sat -- Battlecam.com/Chrometuna
Chrome could use your help these days as his living situation
has become like so many others, desperate. Click on his
channel for details.
WEDNESDAY 29 MAY 2013
EBU -- OP Smash and Grab
CODE YELLOW
- 2013/05/29 Wednesday 14:23:14
WDAF
1 (816) 836-9323
3030 Summit Street, Kansas City, MO 64108
http://goo.gl/maps/v4qpp
WDAF
1 (816) 836-9323
3030 Summit Street, Kansas City, MO 64108
http://goo.gl/maps/v4qpp
taco via
My Location@3:36pm,5/29
8900 W 95th St, Valley View Shopping Center, Overland Park, KS 66212
http://goo.gl/maps/4W1H7
View Larger Map
- 2013/05/29 Wednesday 16:11:53
LaMar's Donuts
1 (913) 469-0699
8615 College Boulevard, Overland Park, KS 66210
http://goo.gl/maps/U4NoY
View Larger Map
- 2013/05/29 Wednesday 16:37:25
QuikTrip
1 (913) 469-1836
11902 Riley Street, Overland Park, KS 66213
http://goo.gl/maps/kDz7h
QuikTrip
1 (913) 469-1836
11902 Riley Street, Overland Park, KS 66213
http://goo.gl/maps/kDz7h
- 2013/05/29 Wednesday 17:02:14
Overland Park Police Department
1 (913) 895-6300
12400 Foster Street, Overland Park, KS 66213
http://goo.gl/maps/7mtVD
Overland Park Police Department
1 (913) 895-6300
12400 Foster Street, Overland Park, KS 66213
http://goo.gl/maps/7mtVD
- 2013/05/29 Wednesday 17:58:45
Dale Williams / Barber / Executive Hills Style Shop
1 (913) 485-7814
8660 College Boulevard, Overland Park, KS 66210
http://goo.gl/maps/9z9ea
Dale Williams / Barber / Executive Hills Style Shop
1 (913) 485-7814
8660 College Boulevard, Overland Park, KS 66210
http://goo.gl/maps/9z9ea
LaMar's Donuts
1 (913) 469-0699
8615 College Boulevard, Overland Park, KS 66210
http://goo.gl/maps/U4NoY
WDAF
1 (816) 836-9323
3030 Summit Street, Kansas City, MO 64108
http://goo.gl/maps/v4qpp
- 2013/05/29 Wednesday 23:53:45
svo
svo
THURSDAY 30 MAY 2013
DAY OFF -- ABORTED STORM CHASE
CODE RED
Friday, May 31, 2013 02:49:50
I tried to get some lightening shots as the storms blew in early in the morning....
Thursday, May 30, 2013 13:45:22
Mammatus cloud formations indicating turbulence in the skies
Tima in the navigators seat...
Stella riding bitch....
Thursday, May 30, 2013 13:48:12
I set out to go storm chasing in NE Oklahoma. I had to turn around after a call from Suyen with an emergency. The emergency turned out to be nothing, but it spoiled my chances at a chase, which was good because nothing developed.
SATURDAY 1 JUNE 2013
VO Patrol -- 9 to 5 -- Brother to Brother
Code Yellow
- 2013/06/01 Saturday 08:10:46
Panera Bread
1 (816) 453-2770
311 NE Englewood Rd, Kansas City, MO 64118
http://goo.gl/maps/MVsnw
Panera Bread
1 (816) 453-2770
311 NE Englewood Rd, Kansas City, MO 64118
http://goo.gl/maps/MVsnw
The day after in Kansas City was cloudy and cool
WDAF
1 (816) 836-9323
3030 Summit Street, Kansas City, MO 64108
http://goo.gl/maps/2xQPN
View Larger Map
Olathe Northwest High School
1 (913) 780-7150
Olathe, KS
http://goo.gl/maps/mkDy4
View Larger Map
Shot "From One Brother to Another"
It was a package that MPU logged and wrote. Olathe NW football club is sponsoring a drive to provide needed goods for a football team in Moore Oklahoma after the May 20 tornado.
Boulevard Brewing Co
1 (816) 474-7095
2501 Southwest Boulevard, Kansas City, MO 64108
http://goo.gl/maps/vbNhY
View Larger Map
First every Boulevard Garage sale with 10 percent of the proceeds going to the red cross for Moore, OK tornado relief
- 2013/06/01 Saturday 12:22:46
WDAF
1 (816) 836-9323
3030 Summit Street, Kansas City, MO 64108
http://goo.gl/maps/2xQPN
View Larger Map
Sent to 435 and 210 to check on a motorcycle wreck that must've cleared before I got there.
Downbeat
1 (816) 533-5446
4706 Holly Street, Kansas City, MO 64112
http://goo.gl/maps/4NdWv
View Larger Map
I talked with Emily
WDAF
1 (816) 836-9323
3030 Summit Street, Kansas City, MO 64108
http://goo.gl/maps/2xQPN
- 2013/06/01 Saturday 17:53:17
svo
svo
SUNDAY 2 JUNE 2013
MONDAY 3 JUNE 2013
TUESDAY 4 JUNE 2013
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