Seize the storm

A time and a place

Around 6:45 last night, I got a call from my mom to come over and help them move some furniture as they are in the process of getting wood flooring put in.   As I head over there, I notice a nice supercell forming in the distance.   I check the radar and see that it’s at least an hour and a half to two hours away and only has a short term forecast on it.   So I finish moving the furniture around and check the radar again – now it’s severe thunderstorm.   Not wasting any time, I filled up and got the bare essentials I needed for chasing and took off east on Highway 14.   I did notice when I picked up my stuff at home that it was now Tornado Warned.   I only came to find out later that the storm had already produced a tornado and began the process of dissapating.

Blazing speeds at times, I kept a vigil for deer.   It was only when I looked down at my map to triangulate the warnings coming over the radio that two deer ran out a quarter mile in front of me.   It still scared the crap out of me.   So I intensified my vigil, vowing not to ruin my chasemobile.

As I caught up with the storm I noticed something peculiar – I could see under it.   There was nothing – no rain, no nothing.   You can see in my pictures that I was so  concerned with getting to the storm, I didn’t pick up on the fact that it was rapidly dying.   So much so that now, I’m convinced there has to be microburst damage somewhere.   It was like air being let out of a balloon.   It just collapsed.

I still managed to get some beautiful pictures.   I’m working on my first panoramic but have discovered that I really shouldn’t do it with Microsoft Paint.   So I emailed a graphic buddy of mine at work and asked him to piece it together for me.

After all the gas in getting me there faster, I trudged on home at a miserly 55 mph.   I think the pictures are worth it though.   I shared my sunset with some guy on a motorcycle, well, he was stopped a quarter mile back up the road.

So, in keeping with the title, there is a time and a place set aside where I will get my first tornado.   Till then, I wait and enjoy the scenery.   Corn anyone?

Miles covered: 140