MOORE, OK — May 3rd, 1999. It’s a date that anyone with ties to Oklahoma knows very well. If you don’t know, an F5 tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma that day, packing winds of 318 miles per hour (no, that’s not a type-o), which to this day remains the strongest wind […]
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GRANITE, OK — I chased three separate clusters of storms across western Oklahoma. I first captured an isolated supercell north of Clinton, but did have to battle some hills and a less-than-ideal road network. When that storm began to weaken, I dropped south and captured some gorgeous pictures of a […]
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FREDERICK, OK — The April 17th severe weather event was easily the highlight of April. I got to chase as part of one of my classes, which was a lot of fun. A warm front had stalled over the Interstate 44 corridor, with extremely unstable air on the warm side […]
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On May 19, 2012, I observed and photographed a landspout and two tornadoes near Harper, Kansas. The term “landspout” is not used very often so I will attempt to explain what it means and how it differs from a tornado. Tornadoes Most tornadoes are driven by a mesocyclone in a […]
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HARPER, KS — After a three-week hiatus from chasing due to exams and lack of storms, I resumed chasing with a huge score in south-central Kansas. My initial target was storms along the dryline near the Kansas-Oklahoma border, adjusting north or south as needed. The morning model runs did show […]
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RINGWOOD, OK — A day that seemed destined for an epic bust in Western Oklahoma left me about 20 miles short of hitting the jackpot as the sun set on a line of tornadic supercells near the Kansas border. The day started like any other typical chase day…pouring over SPC […]
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NORMAN, OK — Two straight days of taking a gamble and targeting areas close to home left me with the two extremes as far as results go: one day put me up close and personal with a fairly serious tornado less than a mile from my house, and the other […]
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WOODWARD, OK — What will go down as one of the most memorable chases of the year netted me my first tornado of the new season and pounded me with hail well over 4 inches (softball size). My target for a few days had been the area surrounding Woodward. The […]
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On March 31, 2011, nine tornadoes broke out across West Florida as a strong front moved across the region, leaving heavy damage in its wake. While the Tampa Bay area does see the most tornadoes per square mile than anywhere else in the country, the tornadoes it does see are […]
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All thunderstorms, from the smallest rumblers to the biggest supercells, go through the same 3-stage lifecycle. Like anything that is actually living, thunderstorms do require a healthy balance and a constant fuel source to maintain them. Stage 1: Cumulus Stage If you’ve ever been outside on a nice day, you’ve […]
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2011 has shattered all sorts of weather records across the United States. In Oklahoma alone, the state recorded one of its biggest snowfalls on record in February. It was followed by a very active spring tornado season and the hottest summer on record. Fall brought 3 of the 4 strongest […]
Read MoreNORMAN, OK — Coming to Oklahoma to study tornadoes and severe weather, earthquakes were some of my farthest thoughts. When I woke up this past Saturday morning, I saw on the news that a 4.7 earthquake had struck overnight northeast of Oklahoma City. Figuring that since it didn’t wake me […]
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