Chase DetailsFebruary 28, 2007 (Eastern KS Nighttime Tornadoes)
Chase Type: Tornado
Chasers: Reed Timmer
Location: Eastern KS
Distance: 750
Tornadoes: 3
Max Hail Size: Golfball
Max Wind Speed: 80 mph
Summary
We left Norman, OK at around 2:00 pm for an initial target of Tulsa, OK. The RUC model consistently forecast initiation beginning in southeast KS/northeast OK by around 5:00 CST, and extending into central OK after sunset. Despite slightly higher CAPE and low level shear in central OK, we thought our best chances of seeing a supercell before sunset were in southeast KS/northeast OK.
As we were driving northeast on I-44, Joel was concerned the storm of the day would happen in central OK, and thought we would be flying back southwest in a few hours. I we would more likely be heading north into southeast KS than back southwest. Just west of Tulsa, we ran into a grass fire along the interstate (see General Photos #1,#2, and #3 below). Conditions were prime for large grass fires with the dry conditions and strong winds.
By 3:00 pm, a W-E line of towering cumulus (General Photos #4 and #5) was developing along the north edge of the moisture return (warm front). At this time, the Storm Prediction Center issued the Mesoscale Discussion below for southeast KS and northeast OK for the issuance of a tornado watch. Our plan was to head north out of Tulsa towards Bartlesville and intercept any storms west or northwest of there. As we were heading north on I-75, two storms developed within the line of towers in southeast KS, and were moving rapidly northward at ~40 kts. We knew the only way we could catch one of these storms is if they became supercellular and turned right, assuming a more ENE storm motion. Fortunately, this occurred with the southern cell (Radar Images #1, #2, and #3) (General Photos #6-#13).
As we approached the southern cell, we noticed a very large base, and explosive towers along the flanking line. This supercell looked as if it were in an environment of 3000 J/kg CAPE! The supercell we intercepted was located very near the surface low pressure center in east-central KS in the surface map below from 6:00 pm. Dewpoints were in the low- to mid-50s , and CAPEs were between 500 and 1000 J/kg. Profilers from within the warm sector showed 40-50 knot winds at 500m, and with light SSE surface winds, low-level shear values were very favorable for large tornadoes.
As we approached the supercell from the southeast at around 6:00 pm, we saw a wall cloud had developed rapidly at the interface of the FFD and RFD (General Photos #19-#37 below). We positioned ourselves a few miles to the east of the now rapidly rotating wall cloud, and thought a tornado was guaranteed. A textbook clear-slot was rotating across the east-side of the wall cloud, with cascading motion on the east side. A large cone funnel/large wall cloud nearly touched down, with rapid, closed rotation at the base (General Photos #33-#35 below). This wall cloud failed to produce a tornado, and it dissipated rapidly as it approached our location and moved overhead. If the supercell produced when the wall cloud was moving toward us from the west, the video would have been INCREDIBLE! The contrast with the setting sun was perfect, and we were directly in its path.
We then noticed a second lowering further northeast with the next cycle, so we decided to continue the chase on dirt/gravel roads to the east of I-75. Just when the new wall cloud was beginning to look impressive, our only east option was blocked by a fallen tree, so we had to drop south and catch the storm after dark.
In about 30 minutes, we drove through the town of Colony, KS with the tornado sirens sounding. When we got to the east side of town we could see a very low wall cloud just a few miles to our east during lightning flashes. We didn't know it right away, but this was actually a tornado with the condensation funnel not yet extending to the ground. We realized this a few miles east of Colony, when we crossed the damage path from this tornado with police and emergency vehicles already on the scene. The damage consisted of downed power lines, a barbed wire fence wrapped around a tree, and some sheet metal from a nearby farming structure.
A few minutes later, a long lightning flash revealed a stovepipe tornado had developed (General Photos #38 and #39 below). At first, we weren't sure if this was a tornado or just scud, but a few seconds later, several power flashes illuminated the large debris cloud. We attempted to catch this tornado from the south, but it quickly became wrapped in rain and likely dissipated. This tornado was rated an EF-1, and the path is shown below in the NWS tornado track map.
After we lost sight of the first tornado, we moved east on SR-31 to regain position southeast of the base. As we were driving east, about 10 miles west of Blue Mound, a prolonged lightning flash illuminated a newly developed wall cloud, with several pieces of scud extending nearly to the ground. We pulled over, and the next lightning flash showed a fully-developed stovepipe tornado once again! (General Photos #40-#44 below). There were several elongated pieces of scud that were rapidly rotating around the main stovepipe, and the rotation appeared violent. These two non-rotating scud clouds and the main stovepipe tornado were reported as three separate funnels by storm spotters in the area...that merged into one wedge tornado. However, this was just one violent stovepipe tornado with several pieces of scud (connected to the wall cloud) rotating around it rapidly. Still though, this stovepipe morphed into a 1/2-mile wide wedge in a matter of minutes! (General Photos #45-#48 below). This violent wedge produced several power flashes, and destroyed a home 5 miles NNW of Blue Mound (Damage photo below). The wedge received an EF-4 rating due to the damage to the home below, and also some surrounding farm structures. Under the old Fujita Scale, this tornado may have been very close to an F-5! The damage track from this tornado was over 20 miles long (see NWS damage track map).
The wedge tornado also became rain-wrapped northeast of Blue Mound, but we continued the chase. We flew north on SR-69 east of Mount City, hoping that if we could position ourselves northeast of the rain-wrapped wedge, we may be able to see it from the "inflow notch". While we never saw the actual tornado, we likely passed very close to the east of it near the end of the damage path on SR-69. Thinking a rain-wrapped tornado was likely on the ground just to our west, we drove east on SR-52. We pulled over a few miles east of SR-69, but the tornado must have been completely concealed by rain. A loud roar that sounded like a violent tornado could be heard just to our west. Either this was the weakening EF-4 wedge, or it was the nearby RFD.
We continued to chase this storm well into Missouri, and saw several ominous lowerings and quarter size hail, but no tornadoes.
As we were driving northeast on I-44, Joel was concerned the storm of the day would happen in central OK, and thought we would be flying back southwest in a few hours. I we would more likely be heading north into southeast KS than back southwest. Just west of Tulsa, we ran into a grass fire along the interstate (see General Photos #1,#2, and #3 below). Conditions were prime for large grass fires with the dry conditions and strong winds.
By 3:00 pm, a W-E line of towering cumulus (General Photos #4 and #5) was developing along the north edge of the moisture return (warm front). At this time, the Storm Prediction Center issued the Mesoscale Discussion below for southeast KS and northeast OK for the issuance of a tornado watch. Our plan was to head north out of Tulsa towards Bartlesville and intercept any storms west or northwest of there. As we were heading north on I-75, two storms developed within the line of towers in southeast KS, and were moving rapidly northward at ~40 kts. We knew the only way we could catch one of these storms is if they became supercellular and turned right, assuming a more ENE storm motion. Fortunately, this occurred with the southern cell (Radar Images #1, #2, and #3) (General Photos #6-#13).
As we approached the southern cell, we noticed a very large base, and explosive towers along the flanking line. This supercell looked as if it were in an environment of 3000 J/kg CAPE! The supercell we intercepted was located very near the surface low pressure center in east-central KS in the surface map below from 6:00 pm. Dewpoints were in the low- to mid-50s , and CAPEs were between 500 and 1000 J/kg. Profilers from within the warm sector showed 40-50 knot winds at 500m, and with light SSE surface winds, low-level shear values were very favorable for large tornadoes.
As we approached the supercell from the southeast at around 6:00 pm, we saw a wall cloud had developed rapidly at the interface of the FFD and RFD (General Photos #19-#37 below). We positioned ourselves a few miles to the east of the now rapidly rotating wall cloud, and thought a tornado was guaranteed. A textbook clear-slot was rotating across the east-side of the wall cloud, with cascading motion on the east side. A large cone funnel/large wall cloud nearly touched down, with rapid, closed rotation at the base (General Photos #33-#35 below). This wall cloud failed to produce a tornado, and it dissipated rapidly as it approached our location and moved overhead. If the supercell produced when the wall cloud was moving toward us from the west, the video would have been INCREDIBLE! The contrast with the setting sun was perfect, and we were directly in its path.
We then noticed a second lowering further northeast with the next cycle, so we decided to continue the chase on dirt/gravel roads to the east of I-75. Just when the new wall cloud was beginning to look impressive, our only east option was blocked by a fallen tree, so we had to drop south and catch the storm after dark.
In about 30 minutes, we drove through the town of Colony, KS with the tornado sirens sounding. When we got to the east side of town we could see a very low wall cloud just a few miles to our east during lightning flashes. We didn't know it right away, but this was actually a tornado with the condensation funnel not yet extending to the ground. We realized this a few miles east of Colony, when we crossed the damage path from this tornado with police and emergency vehicles already on the scene. The damage consisted of downed power lines, a barbed wire fence wrapped around a tree, and some sheet metal from a nearby farming structure.
A few minutes later, a long lightning flash revealed a stovepipe tornado had developed (General Photos #38 and #39 below). At first, we weren't sure if this was a tornado or just scud, but a few seconds later, several power flashes illuminated the large debris cloud. We attempted to catch this tornado from the south, but it quickly became wrapped in rain and likely dissipated. This tornado was rated an EF-1, and the path is shown below in the NWS tornado track map.
After we lost sight of the first tornado, we moved east on SR-31 to regain position southeast of the base. As we were driving east, about 10 miles west of Blue Mound, a prolonged lightning flash illuminated a newly developed wall cloud, with several pieces of scud extending nearly to the ground. We pulled over, and the next lightning flash showed a fully-developed stovepipe tornado once again! (General Photos #40-#44 below). There were several elongated pieces of scud that were rapidly rotating around the main stovepipe, and the rotation appeared violent. These two non-rotating scud clouds and the main stovepipe tornado were reported as three separate funnels by storm spotters in the area...that merged into one wedge tornado. However, this was just one violent stovepipe tornado with several pieces of scud (connected to the wall cloud) rotating around it rapidly. Still though, this stovepipe morphed into a 1/2-mile wide wedge in a matter of minutes! (General Photos #45-#48 below). This violent wedge produced several power flashes, and destroyed a home 5 miles NNW of Blue Mound (Damage photo below). The wedge received an EF-4 rating due to the damage to the home below, and also some surrounding farm structures. Under the old Fujita Scale, this tornado may have been very close to an F-5! The damage track from this tornado was over 20 miles long (see NWS damage track map).
The wedge tornado also became rain-wrapped northeast of Blue Mound, but we continued the chase. We flew north on SR-69 east of Mount City, hoping that if we could position ourselves northeast of the rain-wrapped wedge, we may be able to see it from the "inflow notch". While we never saw the actual tornado, we likely passed very close to the east of it near the end of the damage path on SR-69. Thinking a rain-wrapped tornado was likely on the ground just to our west, we drove east on SR-52. We pulled over a few miles east of SR-69, but the tornado must have been completely concealed by rain. A loud roar that sounded like a violent tornado could be heard just to our west. Either this was the weakening EF-4 wedge, or it was the nearby RFD.
We continued to chase this storm well into Missouri, and saw several ominous lowerings and quarter size hail, but no tornadoes.
Radar Images
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General Photos
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Highlight Video
WARNING: This may contain language not suitable for children! Be advised!
tornado video EF-4 Kansas storm chaser wedge F-5
Video of TornadoVideos.net storm chasers tracking two large nighttime tornadoes in Eastern KS on February 28, 2007. The second tornado became a violent EF-4 wedge in Linn County, and completely destroyed a home just northwest of Blue Mound. Fortunately no one lost their lives during this outbreak.
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