NORMAN, OK — The first storm system of 2012 came rumbling through Oklahoma this week, but did not produce any severe weather in Central Oklahoma. Since the setup did not look particularly great this morning, I opted to storm spot from Norman instead of actively chasing.
The decision to go storm spotting instead of chasing ended up being a good one, as the storms did not produce any severe weather. The day, however, was not a total bust, as one of the stronger cells came through Norman around 11:40 AM. The storm brought small hail (about dime size) and wind gusts around 30 mph. I did go try to collect some of the hailstones from my backyard, but had to wait close to 40 minutes for the lightning and rain to stop. By then the hailstones were all gone. I got another possible opportunity to collect hailstones when the front/dryline came through in the afternoon, but the storm fell apart long before it got to Norman. It felt good to be back in the swing of things, and the start of tornado season is only weeks away.