Supercells in Weatherford, OK Vicinity
SUMMARY
Short Version: Intercepted 2 supercells and weak tornado between Foss, Thomas and Weatherford in wrn OK. Very pleasant supercellular sunset. Good company both during and after chase.
Long Version: Right after sending my FCST post, a final look at VIS imagery nudged our outbound path toward the N end of the target area, heading W along I-40 toward CSM instead of SW along 62 toward LTS. Let’s hear it for last-minute diagnostics!
There were towers already bubbling and even glaciating along the dryline N of the Interstate, and it was only a matter of time until something along or S of the Interstate did likewise.
One of the towers to the N became the tornadic Vici storm, which we had no chance to intercept in time.& En route, another storm formed and crossed I-40 near Sayre, and we were beginning to think that we left too late — even by our 1230 CST departure. We were concerned we might miss something early. Still, the environment was right for a potentially tornadic storm, at least in a zonally narrow (but meridionally elongated) corridor across the region.
|
Breaking out of the gunge to see this crisp anvil behind the fractus helped also. Then, a few minutes later, an eastern approach perspective that is surely dear to the heart of any bonafide pursuant of atmospheric violence. The storm looked elongated, precip-filled and somewhat chilled by the time we got to it near Foss, however. I started berating it. Al P called to inform us that this was the best show going, nonetheless. We stuck with it northward past Foss Lake park. A new meso formed to the NE of Foss Dam in poor contrast conditions from our vantage. On our way to get ahead of it, we found this hail – which we actually mesured with a ruler in the car at up to 2 inch diameter). The hail had covered a side road 2 S of Butler. Look close; there’s a vehicle path through the hail cover and across a flash flood! We saw sporadic but even larger hail on the road 5 E of Butler (same hail swath), 5-10 minutes after it fell. I can vouch for the authenticity of the 2.5 inch hail report in that area.
Still I insulted the storm. Following it past Custer City, it unfailingly looked elongated and distorted, with only weak and intermittent cyclonic shear eddies in the base just ahead of the core. I looked for a spot SW of Thomas to pull over safely, found a W road and began to turn. I was amidst another episode of heaping derision upon the storm when Elke interrupted to inform me of a tornado dangling from it.
OK, so the “cold, rainy, strung out POS” was producing a hose! We saw a snakelike and somewhat wavy condensation funnel extending up to 90% down, and I managed to reel off a few Provia slides before the funnel shortened. It was good to get the first one of the season in March (my earliest ever), and we were quite grateful. I have had many tornado-free seasons, so even a “junknado” like that definitely was appreciated.
Soon after, the storm took a big dump. Upon exiting Thomas E on 33, I spied to the NW (N of Thomas) a somewhat smooth, tapered lowering somewhat removed (SW) of what appeared to be the main area of cyclonic cloud base shear and lift. Though it looked like a funnel, I was hesitant to call it so unless able to make out definitive rotation. I was driving at the time and unable to watch it for more than glimpses. By the time I found a safe place to pull over, it was falling apart. If there was a vortex with this feature, it must not have been that special anyway, or it would have wound itself into a real tornado. Soon, W of Watonga, it looked worse than ever. We met Rich and Corey; and Rich provided his non-verbal opinion of the situation. (K & L) They followed us back SW for an intercept of the Weatherford supercell. View to SW from a mile N of Weatherford… (M) … and later from 1 SSE Hydro, where we also saw CFDGer Jared Guyer (N & O).
Not optimistic about tornadoes, but hoping for some structure shots, we went E. Corey and Rich parked with us, at a pull-off well removed from the main highway 1/2 mile S of the Hinton exit, and we watched for around an hour as the storm passed us to the NW, N and NE. Elke and I even got out some folding lawn chairs from the trunk and sat in them awhile, soaking in the majesty of the storm, standing alone in the N and NE sky, dominant and powerful in its domain, yet at the same time, delicately painted in the warming pastels of the waning sunlight (P-V).
Of course there was a very fitting moment of levity… (W)
As VOF Doswell mentioned, we had a great dinner later in abNorman, swapping the day’s chase tales and ideas about improving training and understanding among operational meteorologists. Congrats to all who were able to chase today and appreciatingly took in the skies, tornadic or not. I must say that one of the human highlights of the day was seeing the sheer joy Corey was deriving from the retreating sunset supercell and all its intricately sculpted, ever-evolving detail, someone thoroughly enraptured by a portion of the sky alight with convective wonder, and despite not having seen any of the hoses that day. He was right — that scene alone was worth all the effort of the intercept.
Thanks to Alnado and Chuck for their calls and observations (Chuck’s afield, Al’s from the CRT screen in Illinois). And I didn’t have to destroy any wayward tripods today. 
–RE