Storm Chase Details
Miles Logged: 163
States Chased: OK
Severe Risks: SPC Outlooks
Severe Reports: Storm Reports
Forecast
A well forecast event synoptically evident days in advance, Thursday would be the first of a couple days chasing and potential tornado days.
Evening soundings on March 4th showed reasonably good moisture at BRO/CRP/LCH/SHV/FWD/DRT stations and very steep lapse rates at MAF/EPZ/ABQ/AMA. The devil would be in the details as these ingredients mix over the great plains on the 5th
21Z Norman Sounding and Mesoanalysis
Norman launched a 21Z Special sounding which showed a great supercell environment. When launched, the surface temperatures in Norman had not warmed. After the balloon was in flight, the sun came out in Norman, and temperatures rose to 74/64 at the Norman Mesonet. I modified the surface in the right Skew-T, which gave us a bit more CAPE.
Vince Waelti with Project WeatherEye also posted a 20Z sounding from Childress around the same time. I made the choice to stop at the OK-49/Medicine Park exit.
I sat north of Lawton at the Loves before heading north on US62. I took my time heading north and eventually found myself at the Gas Station and Casino at US62/281 and Highway 9 intersection west of Anadarko. Chance showed up and we eventually went into the Casino. Both of us won some money inside while we waited.
22Z/4pm CST SPC Mesoanalysis
Storms firing in Western Oklahoma
The storms started firing 30 miles to my west as we neared sunset.Visually they looked elevated, and did not have a very favorable radar presentation. The smart move would have been to drift north towards I-40 at this point. Instead, we sat and watched the updrafts struggle while they moved away from us.
Chance and I sat around and chatted a few more minutes before deciding to call it and head home. The sun was down, all the storms kind of looked like garbage and it was looking to be an active week. As I was rolling through Anadarko shortly after 8, my weather radio goes off for a Tornado Warning for Woods and Major county. A tornado was near Orion and Jeromy Carter was on it.
I should have gone after those storms when they fired 30 miles west of us. The storms would go on to produce multiple tornadoes in Northern Oklahoma while most chasers were in the Texas Panhandle. Overall bust for myself, but the forecast decision to stay back towards Central Oklahoma was the correct one.
