Weather Blog*
Just what the internet needs...another "blog" that only interests the author.
1.26.04: Finally, some snow here in Tulsa, in fact the first of the new year. After mild temps and record highs on the 2nd and 3rd, it's finally beginning to look like winter around here. Interestingly enough, the state of OK just set a new record...250+ days without a confirmed tornado.
3.17.04: One of the most picturesque Cumulonimbus I've seen in quite some time graced the sky east of Tulsa. Rock-hard, crisp updraft towers, nice anvil structure, all nicely lit. Quite a beauty.
4.23.04: Across OK, three days in a row of hybrid supercells complete with all the trimmings. The tornadoes were generally weak and formed from storms moving over areas with too many trees, hills, and bad roads. Hopefully May will bring better storms over better chase territory.
5.31.04: Not much time to go into details now, but I captured on video (and more importantly in my memory) most of the life cycle of the massive HP supercell that tracked over 200 miles across OK in perfect tornadic cyclogenesis fashion. Early in the chase, this monster almost had me for lunch near Greenfield, OK. I observed my second and third tornadoes of the day in Creek County, OK visible only by lightning. From Thomas, OK to the OK/AR border...this magnificent beast would not give up. I now proudly sport several new golf ball size hail dents in my vehicle, the "Purple Hearts of storm chasing" if you will. This was a once-in-a-lifetime supercell thunderstorm that had to be seen to be believed.
9.9.04: An already amazing Atlantic tropical season continues. Tropical Depression Ten has just been recognized and with in the past few hours, Hurricane Ivan has strengthened to Category Five status on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale. Hurricanes actually have a beneficial purpose by dispensing excessive heat in the tropics into cooler upper levels of the atmosphere. It's just nature's way of keeping things in balance. Locally, we have not hit the big 100 degree F. in Tulsa this year. And that long-promised Spring 2004 chase account will be here...eventually.
11.24.04: Looks as if we're going to get the first freeze of the season in the Tulsa metro area in a few hours. This will temporarily bring some respite to an unusually mild and wet autumn.
12.22.04: Might we have a "white Christmas" in Tulsa this year? Not likely. One occurred in 2002 with several inches on the ground. Another I remember well. On Dec. 5th, 1975, from my bedroom window I watched the first tornado I'd ever seen move through parts of northeast Tulsa. Twenty days later, from the same window I watched almost two inches of snow fall on Christmas day. Only in Oklahoma.
12.28.04: Interesting week. Up to thirteen inches of snow for a white Christmas in southern Texas, major weather-related delays for holiday travelers, California getting drenched with unseasonably heavy rains, and a 9.0 earthquake in southern Asia has the whole planet ringing like a huge bell. Unfortunately, the resulting tsunami has killed over 150,000 people. Tsunami is a Japanese word meaning "harbor wave". By the way, the "t" is silent...it's pronounced "soo-nam-ee." I can hear the proselytizing now...the end is near. Nope...sorry. I'm here to take the air out of the wind bags. Our planet, which is this incredible, spectacular living being in it's own right, has merely caught us with our pants down...again. It's still the boss, and don't forget that.
2.11.05: To date, a very mild winter in Tulsa. Maybe the forces that be will sling something wintry our way that will bring us to our knees for a few days. For those tiring of the cold, hope is on the horizon. Spring will "officially" be arriving in a few weeks, and I have a "Leave Of Absence" from late April to early June...just in time for the peak chase season.
3.21.05: A good start to the severe weather season in the Southern Plains. Several clusters of low-topped supercells moved across OK, Southern KS, and N TX. Two clusters of tornadoes stood out; one in Alfalfa Co. OK, and the other in Okfuskee Co. OK. Finally, it's beginning to look like spring!
4.5.05: Along a dryline in east-central Oklahoma, linear convection developed and quickly became severe. Across the Tulsa metro area, large hail was reported in a wide swath which can be seen on this map. At my location, I measured hail up to 1.75 inches in diameter.
5.3.05: Hard to believe it's been six years since the tornado outbreak of May 3, 1999. My, how time flies. That event was one of the most incredible (and exhausting) chase days ever for me. In this year (2005), an unseasonably cool spring has an iron-fisted grip on the Great Plains and has prevented the usual influx of severe weather. Computer models do not show any relief from this dearth of excitement in the near future so I'll continue to drum my fingers on the desktop until the next good chase day.
5.26.05: This chase season has been one of the slowest in many, many years. Though some picturesque thunderstorms have graced the Great Plains, the number of tornadoes to date has been far below normal. Keep the faith folks and MAYBE Mother Nature will perform as promised. Hopefully we'll get some good shows with minimal effects to life and property.
6.14.05: As of today, an amazingly slow severe weather season has (or hasn't) been taking place across the plains. While there have been a shortage of good chase days, several chasers including myself have seen some of the more picturesque elements of storm interception; vivid sunsets, crepuscular rays, and spectacular lightning. One bizarre note for May: If I'm correct, not one single tornado was documented in Oklahoma for May, 2005. This beats the previous record of only two tornadoes in May, 1988. The past few days have seen the typical setup for severe weather taking place; clusters of thunderstorms forming on the high plains and, after congealing into a large MCS (Mesoscale Convective System), they drift southeast across portions of KS, OK, and TX during the night. These weather systems, generally nocturnal in nature, are responsible for a large portion of the annual rainfall in the southern plains.
7.15.05: A wild and wooly start to the Atlantic tropical storm season. Things didn't really get going until Hurricane Dennis made landfall near Pensacola, FL. As of today, Hurricane Emily is vacillating on the brink of Category Three/Four status as it moves west/northwest on a course that will take it close to Jamaica then (maybe) close to or over the Yucatan peninsula. Indeed, it has been an early start to the hurricane season for the Atlantic. Locally, summer has settled in like molasses running uphill. The air around the southern plains is so thickly stagnant, heavy, humid, and hazy that a mid-winter's day at the South Pole seems positively appealing.
8.17.05: August in Oklahoma, USA. For those of you familiar with this situation, you'd agree that if you ever experience another summer in the southern plains, it will be nine years too soon. Precious few boundaries capable of kick-starting convection are able to pummel their way through the ridge overhead but when they can, the rains are quite welcome. The Atlantic hurricane season has been quiet for the last few days. Hurricane Irene is quickly loosing her tropical punch and will likely become extratropical on a path that leads her to the chilly north Atlantic. Considering how much time is left in the Atlantic and Pacific tropical seasons, there's plenty of time for the best or worst of situations to occur.
9.2.05: The aforementioned worst of situations has occurred. Hurricane Katrina, after crossing the Florida peninsula as a Category 1 storm, briefly strengthened to Category 5 status then "weakened" to Category 4 before making landfall between New Orleans and Biloxi. An archive of data on Hurricane Katrina can be found here. Damage could potentially be on a scale not seen since Andrew, Camille, or the 1900 Galveston hurricane. As is the situation in many tropical storms, the major effects are from flooding taking place in low lying areas or, in the case of New Orleans, areas that are below sea level. Strong winds were an issue, especially over areas where the right quadrant of Katrina's most intense convection passed, but it's doubtful in my mind that a detailed meteorological survey will ever be done of wind damage patterns. With the focus elsewhere, precious little information is likely to be collected on Katrina for posterity.
9.17.05: The death toll from Hurricane Katrina is closing in on 700. Not surprising considering the lay of the land that she raked over. Meteorology and politics don't mix well, but I will make a momentary diversion. FEMA really dropped the ball on this one. Even worse was the third-rate performance of local and state government in Louisiana. The NHC and local NWS offices did an OUTSTANDING job keeping the public informed of forecasts and public advisories. In spite of the dire warnings, people went about their business with the "it always happens somewhere else" attitude. If you live in a hurricane prone coastal city that's built at the bottom of a bowl, you're asking for it. Most of the US eastern seaboard and Gulf Coast is a disaster waiting to happen. It's only a matter of time before it happens again. Me cynical? No, just realistic.
9.21.05: Another entry for three reasons; 1. The death toll from Hurricane Katrina has officially topped one thousand, 2. Summer has a death grip on the southern plains that won't get broken anytime soon (and I was hoping for an early fall), 3. Hurricane Rita has, for the moment, reached Category 5 status and is the third most intense hurricane on record. The intensity is based on a number of strict criteria that the system must meet, wind speed being only one of them. It is indeed a tough feat to accomplish considering conditions have to be just right for tropical cyclones to form in the first place. Watching these massive spinning heat engines whirl their way across our oceans is fascinating and, if possible, watch Rita move across the Gulf of Mexico and make landfall on the Texas coast via online satellite and radar data. Awe inspiring indeed but not so for the unfortunate souls who will have to ride this thing out. There's a possibility that Rita will weaken somewhat before reaching populated areas, but, at this time, it's very clear that she will make landfall somewhere around the TX/LA border as a major hurricane. Anyone in her forecast path needs to get out. Now.
10.30.05: Hurricane Rita has come and gone but not before giving the 4th largest metro area in the USA an exercise in mass evacuations. Waiting for Hurricane Wilma to make up her mind before she moved over the Yucatan peninsula was really testing the limits of my patience. Fortunately Wilma was considerably weaker when the system moved over the southern FL peninsula. Now, for the first time in recorded history (which isn't a very long span of time...keep that in mind), we've run out of names and are into the "Alpha, Beta, etc..." list. While it's true that the US has had more than it's share of encounters with tropical cyclones in the last two years, most systems never posed a threat to land masses whatsoever. Hence, the risk exists to coastal areas, but few systems will make landfall on an average year. Hurricane Katrina will no doubt knock Andrew ('92) off the pedestal of the costliest natural disaster in US history. Media outlets have essentially forgotten the devastation from Katrina, Rita, and Wilma for more ratings friendly stories. Keep in mind that some hurricane-damaged areas will be locked in a recuperation process that may take 15+ years. Some areas, especially along the MS Gulf coast, look more like Hiroshima or Nagasaki than Biloxi/Gulfport. Locally, some fall foliage color is coming along nicely and the weather has been unusually clement the last few days. If summers in OK were this pleasant, I'd have another reason besides the spring severe weather season to stick around Tulsa.
11.29.05: The "official" last 24 hours of the Atlantic hurricane season has arrived. Keep in mind that nature doesn't respect or honor a specific date or month on our calendars. It has its own agenda that supercedes anything we compartmentalize for our own peace of mind. The twenty-sixth tropical system of the season named Epsilon is almost 900 miles east of Bermuda and presents a hazard to nothing more than shipping interests. Indeed it has been an amazing year for tropical storms and hurricanes with several spectacular storm making landfall along the US coastline. The resulting damage and cost to human lives is almost incomprehensible. The most important thing we need to take from all of this is the vulnerability of our population to such disasters. It can and will happen again. On a brighter note, Tulsa had a few snow flurries yesterday...a pleasant surprise for an otherwise tame autumn season.
3.19.06: The winter season on the Southern Plains was a mild and dry one. A serious lack of rainfall has resulted in countless grassfires across the region that have burned hundreds of thousand of acres. For the first time in months, we're now getting some decent rainfall. The first significant severe weather event occurred on March 12, 2006. This high-risk day included several PDS tornado watches and numerous reports of strong to violent tornadoes. A page detailing tornado activity in the Tulsa NWS forecast area can be found here.
4.9.06: Within the past two weeks, severe weather has increased in frequency with hundreds of hail/wind reports and dozens of tornadoes reported. Most, if not all, of the over three dozen fatalities have occurred in southern states. Tornadic supercells occurring in this region are often deadly for any number of reasons; the storms often take on HP supercell characteristics making tornadoes difficult to visually identify, the fast-moving storms can be on top of residents before they can take proper shelter, and night-time tornadoes moving over rugged, hilly terrain with thick vegetation can be quite a surprise...even with adequate warning.
7.30.06: Summer has existed with a vengeance across the Great Plains for the past several weeks. For those of you fortunate enough to be unaware of what that means, think heat, humidity, high electric bills, malaise, short tempers...well, you get the picture. Personally, I'm hibernating until mid-September...and only then stepping outside with a degree of trepidation. Several robust hurricanes have roamed the Pacific whilst the Atlantic hurricane season is off to a lackluster start.
8.27.06: Recent rains have given us a nice respite from the dry conditions that have plagued the Southern Plains for weeks. Tropical-type and multicell convection were the norm. In the Atlantic, Ernesto is wavering on the brink of hurricane status while giving us a valuable lesson in vacillating intensity. All of the current computer models point to a possible landfall along the western Florida coast. We'll see...
10.17.06: From the looks of things, a tranquil end to the 2006 Atlantic Tropical season is in store. Here in the southern plains, the "mini" severe weather season hasn't really lived up to it's potential either. Long range forecasts indicate that the coming winter will be milder than usual, but let's wait and see before you put off buying yourself those winter boots or apparel. You just might need them more than you think.
12.11.06: After a mild start to winter (the meteorological season, not the astronomical one), a large part of the southern plains got a nice taste of the frozen stuff. Officially 10.4 inches at Tulsa International Airport which sets records for monthly and daily snowfall amounts for the month of November. As usual, it started off with quite a bang...as sleet was starting to rapidly accumulate in the Tulsa metro area, neighboring counties to our east were in a tornado watch. The whole event, from passage of the cold front to the visible satellite image with a swath of snow across the plains, was a great show. Two thumbs up!
1.13.07: Happy New Year and Happy Ice Storm. Phase one of a three day ice storm has just finished. The good news is the precipitation was mostly in the form of sleet. At it's worst, only roads will become slick. We'll soon find out what kind of precip will come this way when the next systems move through.
2.1.07: Last month's ice storm packed quite a punch over eastern portions of Oklahoma. The east-central counties of Muskogee, Pittsburgh, McIntosh, and Delaware were particularly hard hit. The electrical power infrastructure was heavily damaged and it may be weeks before repairs are completed. On a different note, there's been a considerable amount of discussion regarding "global warming" as of late. Being a climate related topic, naturally I'd have a interest. I think the term "climate change" is better...the same effect but without the political/corporate/partisan strife. As humans, we tend to think in the short term. It's hard for us to realize that climate change will occur and when it does, the effects will be dramatic and life changing. Our climate is changing and is getting warmer. Maybe it's about time for a global warmup. But don't get me wrong. Our century long love affair with fossil fuels has only added salt to a wound that will not heal. Our current cold snap that we're experiencing in the southern plains (which evokes such gems from some folks as, "Well, so much for global warming.") has nothing to do with long term climactic trends that will last for decades, or even centuries. It's a simple fact of life here on earth that the planet we call home is in a constant state of flux, and always will be.
4.22.07: March was warm, early April was a bit chilly, but spring has long been going well on the Southern Plains. Several severe weather events have kept things interesting and, if the forecasts work out, this week could provide Tornado Alley with a substantial episode of interesting convection. This is the first time in my memory that the SPC has used a Moderate Risk on a Day 3 Outlook.
6.6.07: Major congrats to all the chasers this year who have documented some spectacular storms. I've been watching chase logs online and many of you have done a fine job. Just remember, be safe...and use that tripod! Due to several issues (work, college, et al.), I've only had one chase day (5.6.07) for myself which involved a trip to western OK. This week looks to be a busy one with tomorrow being a big day in the central and northern plains. So far this year, the ensemble forecasts have served me well with a few exceptions. Chasing via the computer, (what I call a "computer chase") can be fun and give you an idea of what it's like to multi-task while in an NWS office during a severe weather event.
8.12.07: For the past few weeks, summer has hit with a vengeance. Of course, those of you familiar with summer in the southern plains will know what I'm talking about. Today, the official high in Tulsa was 102 F. Coupled with dew points in the 70 F. range, and you have a recipe for disaster. Fortunately, most of the local populace is well prepared to deal with the stifling conditions and handle them rather well. A large and persistent area of high pressure has parked itself over the great plains and has no plans on moving anytime soon. In the tropics, the Atlantic season has been, so far, very quiet. But don't let complacency give a false sense of security. It was late in August, 1992 when the first named storm of an otherwise quiet season season made meteorological history in the USA...and his name was Andrew.
11.1.07: With the exception of Hurricane Dean, the Atlantic tropical season was rather normal, and somewhat tranquil overall. For a complete wrap-up of the 2007 season, check out the National Hurricane Center's archive page. On October 17th, northeastern OK experienced a severe weather outbreak that is not out of the ordinary in the autumn. Details on the severe thunderstorms and related downbursts can be found on this page from the Tulsa WFO. Otherwise, autumn is settling in nicely with many cool nights and mild days in the near future.
1.2.08: The ice storm that affected a large portion of the Midwest on December 9-10th, 2007 is one that will not soon be forgotten. Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, and Illinois all had an ice storm to one degree or another and the power outages to go with it, but no state took the brunt of that storm harder than Oklahoma. At the peak of power outage, over 600.000 customers (i.e. meters) were without power. Considering that every "customer" was anywhere from one to perhaps five people, and you're looking at well over 1.2 million people without electricity just within the the state of Oklahoma alone. Repair crews came from several states; Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and even North Carolina. A crew from the latter state were the fine gents who restored power to my home after ten days of no lights and heat. My phone/internet was finally restored on December 30, a full twenty-one days after service was lost. From an infrastructural standpoint, this was the largest power outage in Oklahoma's history. Damage estimates are within the $200,000,000 range. Most areas received at least 1.5 to 1.75 inches of ice. Both the Tulsa and Norman NWS WFO's have pages devoted to this event on their respective sites. It truly was a spectacular event that was eerily beautiful in many ways. Hopefully, some of the village idiots that don't want "ugly green boxes" in their backyards will be convinced the underground electrical lines are really the way to go. After all, my parents neighborhood has that feature...and their lights didn't flicker once.
1.13.08: Another interesting event for a winter day in the Plains and
3.8.08: The southern plains severe weather season is rapidly approaching and, considering the lackluster seasons I've had for the past two years, I'm looking forward to hitting the road for some good chases. There are some long term forecasts that indicate it MIGHT be a busy season. But remember, going out past three or four days on a forecast is really pushing the limit. We'll just have to wait and see. In recent weeks, the southern states have been raked over by some substantial tornado outbreaks. More data on these outbreaks can be found on the Storm Prediction Center website.
3.15.08: Happy 26th Storm Chasing Anniversary to me!!! Yes, it was 26 years ago this evening when I began my storm chasing career. A tornadic supercell was moving over eastern Osage County, OK and had developed significant supercell characteristics. At that point, my knowledge of storm structure was limited, so I kept my distance. From about 40 miles south of the storm, I took this photo at approximately the same time a tornado was doing damage in Bartlesville, OK. Of course, I had no idea what I was doing and decided to keep my distance. But I was thrilled with the image, which was a long exposure shot. The illumination by lightning just made the resulting photo seem more eerily fascinating to me. So, after tens of thousands of miles, a million gallons of gasoline, tons of film and video, and untold hours...even days...of agonizing over forecasts, what have I learned? Storm chasing is a difficult hobby, not for the easily frustrated, and can only be successfully done by those with a high tolerance of delayed gratification (and I do mean seriously delayed ) and a rational, analytical, scientific mind and temperament. Season twenty-seven is approaching rapidly, so stay tuned. I'm hell bent for leather this year.
4.2.08: Two thing to address with this entry. The first and most important, is the tenth anniversary of Tornado Quest! This site started out as a labour of love (and a mediocre online weather instrument catalog...I've never been good at capitalism) but eventually transformed itself into something more meaningful and beneficial to me and, hopefully, to you. A heart-felt thank you for all the regular visitors who, over the decade, have weathered (no pun intended) with me the myriad of site changes, hosts, designers, and my ever-increasing desire to maintain an up-to-date spot on the vast world wide web that is based on reason, science, and nurturing the intellect.
Now on to a technical matter...
My first chase of the 2008 season took place on 3.31.08 in the jungles of east central OK. This was an absolute mess out there. Blinding rain, poor storm structure, thick vegetation, and lousy road networks made for a nerve wracking outing. I have no idea what possessed me to chase storms though Okmulgee and McIntosh county other than the close proximity of the convection. It just further emphasized why one of my "set-in-granite" rules is that when a storm reaches the western edge of state highway 75 in OK, otherwise known as the "Jungle" (as many experienced storm chasers call it), we let the storm go on their merry way and let 'er wander over them thar hills. Driving down one narrow Okmulgee county road thick with trees and ragged trailer homes reminded me of a t-shirt a friend told me about recently, "Drive faster, I hear banjos!"
4.15.08: Another chase of the 2008 season under my belt and frustration was the key factor. Conditions for April 9, 2008 looked good including a moderate risk for a large part of OK and northern TX. My initial target area was somewhere between Lawton and Duncan, OK. After making it to that location, it was apparent that the best conditions existed between Wichita Falls and Abilene, TX. A fast trip farther to the south would have been a waste of time and $3.29/gallon gasoline. Once again, conditions looked good in the SPC Day 1 Outlook, the morning observations, and model output but when it came to reality, things didn't pan out. This is not the exception to the rule in storm chasing. In fact, it's the norm. Round trip was 435 miles and not a little aggravation.
4.27.08: So far this year, the awe-inspiring "20's" of April that have produced many historically significant southern plains severe weather episodes have been sitting on the cooler, or cooling their heels...whichever you prefer. A long awaited promising scenario on April 23 didn't pan out well at all. I found myself parked on a dirt road west of Goddard, KS watching the evening weather report from a Wichita television station. The only action were some multicells going up near Goodland. All was not lost though, I could make it in time for some good photos...via jet. I'd originally targeted an area between Hutchinson and Great Bend but by 6:00 p.m., it was all too obvious that the cap had it in for me and was going to hold on for dear life. Let's see, at $3.49/gallon and 410 miles, I just made some oil companies a little richer. Sarcasm aside, this is an ideal even to study in debriefing mode. Examine what did, or didn't happen and learn from that. Use those cautions or red flags in future forecasting and how they can apply to deciding when and where to go in hopes of observing storms. Yes, it was a "bust". But examined properly, a bust can be a rewarding experience. Except when it comes to padding the pockets of oil companies.
5.15.08: Sparing you the ugly details, I'll simply mention that I've had a couple of mediocre chases in the last couple of weeks. With gasoline prices at the top of the stratosphere, I'm being VERY selective when and where I chase this season. One of my last two outings does stand out in my memory. Though my trip was only about 20 miles, I was able to watch at a distance two large supercells that moved through northeastern OK the evening of May 10, 2008. The supercell to my northeast produced the long-track Picher, OK tornado that has now been rated at EF-4 by the Tulsa NWS. This tornado formed in northern Craig County, OK just south of the KS border and moved ESE. After moving through Picher, a secondary tornado formed to the north of the main funnel. In eastern Ottawa County, OK, the two tornadoes merged and became a much larger vortex approximately a mile in width. The physics and specifically the fluid dynamics of such a merger event are something that fascinate me. I doubt seriously that anyone witnessed the event or captured it on film or video. During the time of the Picher tornado, this supercell had a very pronounced overshooting top. It was apparent to me that this one one very volatile storm as I watched it from near Catoosa, OK. The other supercell directly east of me was closer, and equally impressive. Displaying what chasers call "mushrooming", it's development was explosive and though it didn't produce long-track violent tornadoes like some of the other supercells, it still was a spectacular sight. Getting up close and personal isn't always the best way to observe storms. There's a great deal of spectacle and knowledge available from a distance. Knowing storm behavior and characteristics goes far beyond the all too frequent and ignorant pursuit of nothing but a tornado.
6.3.08: June certainly arrived with a bang around here. Saturday morning (5.31.08) gave the Tulsa metro area a good blast from a mesoscale convective system (mcs) loaded with damaging downbursts, hail, and a robust shelf cloud. If that wasn't enough, almost exactly 24 hours later (6.1.08), another mcs with baseball size hail and winds to over 80 mph moved over Tulsa. This storm resulted in tens of thousands without electricity, several injuries, hundreds of homes and 1,500 automobiles damaged, and the Tulsa fire department lost two engines to falling trees. The 6.1.08 storm seemed to last for a very long time with strong winds that lasted long after the heavy precipitation core had moved on. That particular mcs lasted a very long time and, last I saw, was finally dissipating in west-central Alabama. Two derecho events in 24 hours is very unusual. For more information on this kind of weather event, check out the very informative derecho page from the Storm Prediction Center.
*With all the useless blogs crowding cyberspace written by people so dense that light bends around them, for the record I'm setting straight what this "blog" WILL NOT be...
- Incessant whining about how miserable my life is because the grass is greener elsewhere.
- Updated on a weekly/daily/hourly basis with previously described whines.
- Hyped, long-winded chase accounts or a day-by-day description of local weather.
- Anything else that might delude you into believing storm chasing is most anything other than failure, frustration, and exhaustion.
Updated only as needed.
Copyright © 1998-2008 Tornado Quest
