May 31, 1983David Hoadley, Editor3415 Slade CourtFairfax, Virginia

STORM-TRACK$3.20/year

Vol. 6, No. 4 Bi-monthly (Checks payable to David Hoadley)

I. COMMENTARY

My chase this year has revealed, for the first time, how Federal budget cuts are beginning to impact thedata gathering, essential not only to storm chasers but also to meteorologists responsible for issuingpublic weather watches and warnings. Two FAA stations at Gage and Hobart, Oklahoma are no longer open 24hours a day (there may be others). This leaves a very large data hole in Oklahoma, immediately west ofthe most tornado prone region in the world! Although these stations are closed at other than prime stormtimes (from late evening to early morning), tornadoes do occur at night and before dawn (rememberHouston this year?). This portent is ominous for the continued refinement, even accuracy, of severeweather forecasts. I know that some at the National Severe Storms Lab in Norman share this concern.These research meteorologists and studentchasers, as well as other forecasters, areincreasingly relying on surface data tosupplement upper air reports in developing sub-synoptic, meso-scale forecasts. After 27 yearsof closely analyzing surface data, I have foundit possible to regularly forecast accurate watchareas (including at least one tornado or funnel)which are half the size of Kansas City's (NWS)boxes and up to 9 hours before the onset ofsevere weather. In several instances, thistechnique identified the only tornado to occurin the midwest. In 1983, it was accurate 71% ofthe time. This is not to belabor my particulartechnique (each chaser has his own) but tounderscore the value of and critical need forsurface data.

The general contraction in Federal funds is moving toward the reduction rather than expansion of datareporting -- or at least making it more costly and less accessible. The crux of this issue may boil downto poorer forecasts and some slight, but measurable, decrease in public safety! I don't wish tooverstate this, but the loss of previously available data, magnified several times as cuts continue,seems to lead this way. What do you think? Write Storm Track and share your views.

A few minor corrections to the tornado sound study in the last ST. The cover date was wrong again (acasualty of late night preparation) and should have read March 31. The named reference in the secondparagraph on the second page should have read "Wakimoto". Finally, in the Key to Figure 10, the thirdsymbol T for "Sound heard from tornado near ground" should be underlined T. These are the main errorsthat come to mind. [This was fixed for Storm Track CD-ROM]

II. ROSTER

Name Address Chase country - range

David Coursey N5FDL 10323 Estate Lane Has chased everything in Dallas County area Dallas, Texas 75238 for two years. (Biography: age 24; journalist and Ham radio operator in Alan Moller's SKYWARN program in Dallas; has produced tornado safety programming for Warner-Amex cable TV systems; would like to work with others interested in spotting, warning and public education programs.)

III. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

David Coursey advises ST that there will be a late February/early March "STORMCOM" conference in Dallasfor storm spotters, chasers and Ham radio operators. Dave is also a television media producer of suchitems as tornado safety films. He has done a recent 40 minute show for cable T.V., hosted by Mike Mogiland Alan Moller (available on tape or disc). I believe it includes a question and answer segment, aswell as excellent tornado footage. Write to Dave for more information on these areas and on anadditional film "Great Twisters We Have Known." He also provides scripts and supporting material foranyone wanting to do their own production.

Dave also reports that the local citizens of Corsicana have jerry rigged from surplus gear and localfunding a working Doppler radar with a range of over one hundred miles -- also wired into the local T.V.Now, there's free enterprise! Congratulations to the innovative people in Corsicana, Texas!IV. BULLETIN BOARD/COMMERCIAL MARKET -$- FOR PICTURES

V. CAMERA TIPS

One bit of advice worth repeating. I "saved" several difficult lighting pictures this trip bybracketing: i.e. taking a picture at the correct, light meter reading and then two more at 1/2 f stop(or more) on either side of that reading. The meter can be fooled and won't always bring out what youwant to see. Illumination levels can change rapidly near a dynamic storm's base. This is also essentialwith polarizers. Don't be stingy over a few cents worth of slides. Bracket! Bracket! Bracket! That bearsrepeating.

FUNNEL FUNNIES (See Feature #1) VI. TRAVEL TIPS

- Now, the Editor digresses for a moment from the recent trend in ST to become a little"stodgy", reflecting its growing circulation and increasing sophistication of thereaders. The following fanciful journey will be keenly appreciated by veteran chasers,who will see through the smug central character to all the real disasters andfrustrations that can befall. So settle back and relax. This one turns out just right.

VII. FEATURE #1The Ideal Storm Chase

by David Hoadley

After a restful night's sleep at the opposite end of the motel from the all night Quik-stop (gas, gobbleand go) store, our peerless chaser arises late (anytime after 7:30 AM) and tunes in the last JohnColeman (ABC-TV) weathercast of the morning. He notes with satisfaction that, the right corner of hisbed is in the exact center of a "moderate" risk area for severe weather.

After a relaxed breakfast of ham and eggs,coffee, juice, and melon wedge, he stops for gasat the local station that just opened for theday's business with no line. Without asking, thethoughtful attendant checks the radiator,battery and tires and cleans all the windows --and bug screen. Our prepared chaser new goes tothe local airport and drives into the lastremaining parking space beneath a large, oldcottonwood. Leaving film and cameras locked inthe cool shade, he proceeds to the FAA (FederalAviation Administration) flight service station.During an extended lull in pilot briefings, hemoves to the display table, copies "hourly"station reports from the ungarbled teletype andplots a detailed surface analysis at the freedesk which is volunteered for his use.

He then goes next door to the NWS (National Weather Service) office and reviews upper air maps from anyof the three AFOS machines, which have been operating continuously (without breakdown) for the past 30minutes. After receiving several consecutively verifying LFM forecasts over as many days, he notes withquiet satisfaction the "14" center, approaching ominously on today's map. Impressed by his obvioussavoir faire, the MIC (Meteorologist-in-Charge) requests a copy of the modest chaser's analysis, atwhich he whips out a silver-handled rubber stamp and time/dates and signs his forecast. Reholstering thestamp, he resolutely strides out, as someone whispers "I've never seen him before without his mask."

Our intrepid chaser drives all of fifty (50) miles to the centerof his forecast area. Seeing no buildup in his area andconfidently ignoring the first penetrating-top 100 mile anvil justto the north of it, he calmly drives to the nearest small town andstops at the local Dairy Queen, conveniently upwind from thestate's largest stockyard. Unobtrusively, he takes his lemonade ata shaded table next to the annual Sunflower High Schoolcheerleaders picnic (in costume).

Thoroughly refreshed, he spies the first small cumulus in hiswatch area -building in 70 deg F dew point southerly winds, gustahead of a 40 deg F dry line. Leaving town, be takes the east-westhighway leading directly toward the easterly drifting cumulustowers, and drives to an optimum photographic position overlookinga small valley, with picturesque farms and cattle.

Pulling off on a conveniently paved shoulder, he nods atthe passing Bear, who's been tailing him for the last 30miles right at 55 MPH.

Placing his fresh film supply (expires in 15 months)within easy reach, he sets up a tripod for the 16 mm Bolexand begins filming time lapse pictures as the cumulustowers shear and start to anvil, along the outflowboundary of the previously noted storm, now hailing outnortheast of his watch area. He also records the storm ona wide-angle Hasselblad and telephoto Leicaflex. Aftersetting up the portable barometer/hygrometer/ slungpsychrometer, he decides to relax a few minutes and islulled into a classical reverie by his 8 track stereo ofMoussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition".

Startled by a nearby lightning strike, he looks about and belatedly sees a newly formed wall cloud,which has developed to the southeast.Now 15 miles out of position, he quickly gathers up theequipment and takes off, driving hard toward the wallcloud down a two lane country road, through pouring rain -- and immediately three farmers pull over to let him pass.Finally, the radio issues Kansas City's tornado watch,verifying that they finally have enough VIP 5 echoes todraw their box (incidentally, verifying our chaser'sforecast made 8 hours earlier).

Stopping just east of the wall cloud, our fearless chaserpulls off on a convenient side road, perpendicular to thestorm. Comfortably seated in his car, he beginsphotographing a rotating rain curtain across a row oftelephone poles ablaze with St. Elmo's fire.

Next, baseball hail is photographed one mile to the north as it catches the low sun angle to etchthousands of white stars, dropping against a dark rain curtain. Four symmetrical suction vortices beginto rotate around a slowly condensing F3 tornado, while the chaser snaps dozens of perfectly exposedslides, and his window mounted, electrically driven Bolex grinds away smoothly.

As the first tornado lifts, a second F4twister thunders down, framed in eachcamera's aperture by two ball lightningdischarges, moving along a rail fence,between the chaser and the tornado. As thesecond vortex lifts over the efficient,chaser (who has just changed lenses for the10th time without dropping or smudging aglass), he incredulously looks straight upthrough the rotating cylinder to clear sky atthe top of the storm and takes the firstpicture ever of a Lear Jet with Ted Fujitalooking straight down. The third tornadodrops down five miles east of the chaser,tastefully complemented by an iridescentdouble rainbow, immediately to the left inthe rain laden downdraft, wrapping around thetornado circulation. As the last of thetwelve (12) tornadoes fades in the recedinglight, the setting sun illuminates anenormous anvil in gold and bronze, with mile-wide mammatus.

Finally, sheet lightning begins to take over and crackle silently (at a distance) through the greatanvil, as our enterprising chaser records this final display on the last of his 15 rolls of slides and500 feet of movie film shot this day.

At last, he puts away his gear and turns toward the darkening horizon. Having "glut his maw" (Beowulf)with storms, our exhausted chaser drives back through starry skies to the lilting strains of Sheherazad-- into town that night just in time to secure the last available room in the only motel within 50miles. Arriving at the local steak house five minutes before it closes, he orders a sumptuous repast ofprime ribs, potatoes au-gratin, fresh corn and a nice, light Chablis and reflects on a day that is nowhistory.

Stopping at the same NWS station later that night for a final report on the day's severe weather, hefinds the local -- and harried -- MIC still there, receiving and sorting storm reports on a chaoticclip-board. Stopping just long enough to get the information, he empties a few ash trays and brings acan of pop to the grateful official. Then, turning and walking out the door, he looks back and shrugs tothe MIC's question ..."But, how did you know?"

Later, as our tired chaser reaches for his bags and walks to the ground floor motel room (at theopposite end from the all night truck stop, next door), he pauses to look up at the stars and sees inthe distance blue-green curtains of northern lights silently shimmering in the night sky. He collapsesinto bed to sleep and dream of future storms -- like Hemingway's "Old Man and the Sea", who dreamed onlyof the lions in Africa and the endless surf from an endless ...endless ocean.

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VII. FEATURE #2Highlights of Storm Chase '83

By David Hoadley

Storm Chase 1983 was a very good one for the Editor. It was the first that he (1) chased in a "HighRisk" area; (2) saw three tornadoes in one day; and (3) drove to within a mile of one, all on Friday the13th. Fortunately, the Editor's good luck was shared by others, since no major damage or fatalities werereported. During this trip, five tornadoes and one funnel cloud were seen, although slides of only threetornadoes were recorded. The first "missed" tornado was a gust front, wrap-up south of Waukomis,Oklahoma on May 12 between about 7:50 and 8:10 PM.Unfortunately, it dissipated before I could get a picture,but did wrap up briefly into a laminar tube, halfway tocloud base (Fig. 1 from memory). The next day, I saw threetornadoes, but the first one (near Estelline, Texas) was notrecorded, due apparently to undue haste in recoupling a lensto the camera body. The new f-stop was not properlycalibrated to the camera's timing mechanism. Lenses werefrequently changed this day, and it was a "haste makeswaste" case (@*#*!!). To compound the error, I failed to usea back-up camera, while hurrying to overtake the Estellinestorm. Fortunately, it did not present a high contrastcolumn from my location 6-7 miles west (Fig. 2 from memory)and was not, therefore, a significant loss.

Figure 1

The next vortex one hour later, however, was fully recorded about three miles south of Dodson, Texas,against excellent back lighting on all three cameras, less than a mile away. The third was photographeda half hour later with weak contrast, 10-11 miles away between Reed and Vinson, Oklahoma. But, we'regetting ahead of ourselves. Let's return briefly to the sequence for "Chase '83."

A writer from Science Digest magazine (September publication?) and I left, Abilene, Texas Mondaymorning, May 9 to check out the northern Texas panhandle. A severe storm watch was issued for southeastNew Mexico and the west Texas panhandle. We drove into the northern end but only saw an old storm westof Tatum, New Mexico and so returned. Tuesday and Wednesday, we worked a dry line in western Kansas butsaw nothing.

Figure 2

A brief panic gripped the Editor each evening,as he belatedly found out about tornado watchesin the Texas panhandle. However, subsequent,checking with the Lubbock NWS office provedthese to be "bust" forecasts by Kansas City. Onone day, a few funnels occurred northwest ofAbilene, but nothing in the watch area. On thenext day, nothing severe was reported in oroutside of the watch. On Thursday, we left DodgeCity, Kansas and drove to Wichita, south toOklahoma City and, then, back north to Enid,There, we encountered our first tornadicthunderstorm, (we were approaching it about 30miles to the southwest, when the initial severestorm warning was received. For the next severalhours, we moved along the south flank but saw nodefinite signs of tornadic/cloud rotation, otherthan a broad scale anticyclonic rotation on thesoutheast flank, as it began to outflow.

Howie Bluestein’s chase team of student meteorologists and several vehicles from Oklahoma University was

south of Waukomis. We made a hasty stop to exchange greetings and speculate on what the storm would donext. There was a lot of activity, with people jumping in and out of vans and cars, grabbing cameras andstraining to see through the gathering twilight what the storm would do now. The magazine writer heardone harried chaser, who had just set up three tripod cameras, exclaim ..."I can't believe it. I've gotthree cameras out and none of them are loaded.'" Such is the occasional panic and chaos that infectschasers, when trying to do comparatively simple, logical and organized things, while leaning into 30-40MPH winds against a sky filled with swirling, ominous darkness. Shortly after this, the pick-up truckwith "Toto" ( a 400 lb. instrumented cylinder, whose life is dedicated to being off loaded in the pathof a tornado) drove a few miles north, and we followed. When we caught up, it had indeed been off-loadednext to the highway in front of a farm house. After a brief assessment that nothing significant wasabout to happen, we started south, pondering whether anyone in the farm house was curious about a fourfoot white cylinder sitting in the front yard, and had any notion as to what its proximity mightportend.

We saw frequent transitory and low level dust swirls south and southeast of us, along the outflowboundary. Then, about four miles south, one low swirl almost instantly wrapped up into a laminar tube(Fig. 2 from memory). Unknown to me, Chuck Robertson was immediately next to it. When he later saw mysketch, he remarked; "Wow! I saw this dust swirl nearby but didn't know it looked anything like that!"...Another close call.

Early Friday morning, we left Moore, Oklahoma and checked the "AC" outlook at the Will Rodgers NWSoffice in Oklahoma City. We then drove to Hobart, where I did an 11:00 AM surface analysis. The southcentral Texas panhandle looked good, so we drove west, receiving a tornado watch from Lubbock radio forthe entire panhandle just before leaving Oklahoma. To the south, we saw the early buildups of anothertornadic storm that would later produce several along the Red River, To the west and northwest we sawmany low clouds and 7/10 or more sky cover from early build-ups. Looking for the clear air both forvisibility and more rapid surface heating, we drove south to Paducah and then tracked west to Matador,along the clear/cloud boundary. By 3:25 PM (CDT), we saw a hard tower building rapidly to the northwest,folding inexorably into a large anvil. That was it!! Charging north on Texas 70, I made a final check ofother small, new CBs over my shoulder to the southwest. Anvils were building rapidly but remained narrowand long, with no steady enlargement after the initial anvil stage. By that time it was obvious that theCB to our northwest would dominate the atmosphere locally for the rest of the afternoon (Fig. 3).

The first tornado reported was 5 miles west of Quitaque at 3:40, at the same time as the CB in Fig. 3.We cleared Turkey at 3:58 and headed west to Quitaque. We got several pictures of an impressive wall andtail cloud to our northwest -- at 4:03, almost dragging the ground (Fig. 4).

Figure 3

We turned back east to Turkey, throughstrong, gusting southerly inflow winds ofabout 40 MPH that rocked my compact car. At5:20, we saw the first tornado nearEstelline, from 7.7 miles west of town (Fig.2). Judging by its size, it appeared to bethe strongest of the three we saw -- at leastan F3. As already noted, my slides did notturn out.

One interesting characteristic of this vortex, that would be repeated for tornado #2 -- it appeared todevelop along the southeast flank of the storm base (Fig. 5), along the inflow band. None lasted morethan a few minutes.Also of interest, no extensive solid precip corewas seen until late evening, as compared toother storms (or as with Enid, the day before).After Estelline, we proceeded down to Childressand then north on US 83 to the intersection withUS 62. There we met Lou Wicker and other Normanchasers, who had photographed the Estellinestorm from the east. At this time, the anvil'swestern towers (almost overhead) appeared verysoft at higher elevations -- not all hard.

Figure 4

This was not a good sign (becoming too warm aloft?), but the overall storm remained well organized --the base was still close to the anvil and had not decisively outflowed. We all decided to head east onUS 62, and I drove on ahead, watching with growing interest: two new inflow bands moving in, from eastand southeast of the base. At Farm Road 1642, I turned north toward Dodson. The previously soft towershad suddenly changed character.

Approximate outline of storm base for observed tornadoes #l & #2 and old base (right).Figure 5

They were now hard, boiling and tightly compact; merging with the CB beneath the leading southeast edgeof the anvil. The towers in this flanking line were building rapidly above a shelf like band (Fig. 6)that curved or wrapped into the base.

Figure 6

My perspective may have been misleading,but it suggested an inflow band parallelto, and surmounted by, towers (Is thispossible?). Two and a half miles north ofUS 62, we turned west 1/4 mile on Farm Road1034 and stopped. A slowly rotating wallcloud moved across the road immediately toour vest, tightened up with increasingrotation and dropped tornado f2 one milewest-northwest at about 6:30 (Fig. 7).Inflow winds were light to moderate in the30 MPH range (20 to 35). Numerous suctionvortices formed beneath the core rotation,which sloped gradually down from cloud baseto just a few hundred feet (at the most)above the ground.

I would estimate it was capable of doing F2 damage. It moved to within 0.8 mile and parallel to the FarmRoad, before we turned around after several good pictures. All of my slides showed the same basicconfiguration as in Figure 7; there was no solid, broad condensation column to the ground while I waswatching (between lens/ camera/light meter changes).Thirty-six minutes later and 71/2 miles northeast of Gould,Oklahoma, we saw tornado #3about l0-ll miles to the north-northwest, between Reed andVinson, Oklahoma (Fig. 8). Itappeared to be capable of F3damage (F2 to F3). Noteworthywas its location about 8 milesnorthwest of the still vigorousremnant base of tornado #2 (Fig.7), which extended southeast towell back to the southwest of itand #2 redeveloped near Granite-- but too dark for normalpictures.

Figure 7

At this point, the only chaser to record anything clearly was Jim Leonard, with his new JVC CB-P5,Japanese color/sound, compact video camera. What's remarkable about this packaged system, in addition to(1) the compact camera size (2.75 lbs), (2) instant replay through the aperture (the camera itself is aminiature television set), and (3) capability of immediate replay on a local motel television set thatnight, is its ability to "bring in" available light for late evening (and indoors) work. It literallymakes 8:00 look like 5:30. The resolution is excellent and color balance looked very good. The pickuptube even sustained the light overload of an immediately adjacent lightning strike, and went on torecord three tornadoes near Medicine Lodge, Kansas four days later.

Jim shared his work with the rest of us back in Norman on a couple of "off days" while we were betweenstorms. It is certainly a highly dramatic medium, with sound and motion instantly available after theevent. Good show, Jim! You've shown us the future!The next day, Saturday, May 14 we went down to central Texas between Fort Worth and Waco but saw nothingother than strongly outflowing line squalls and hazy, overcast skies. The writer flew home Sundaymorning with many notes and much to reflect on. The Norman chasers gathered that afternoon for abarbecue to swap "war stories"(more on this in a future issue) and look at Jim's exclusive telecast.Tuesday, I started from Hobart with a surface analysis pointing to south central Kansas and northcentral Oklahoma. Between Goldwater and Medicine Lodge, Kansas, I ran into Mike Watts and a friend fromWichita. We chased together briefly beneath enormous towers and anvils on all sides, that were juststunningly beautiful. I then drove north of Sharon to check out a building cell with an inflow band andwall cloud. Jim Leonard and Barbara White came up from the south and filmed two very crisp, cleartornadoes southwest of Medicine Lodge.

Figure 8

We all came together on the third one a fewmiles southwest of Sharon (although I didn'tknow it at the time). That night, I drove until3:00 AM to Joplin, Missouri (through continuousrain), anticipating the next day's severeweather location. However, due to a sleepdeficit, I blew the next day's forecast. Imisread my own forecast plan and lost anortheast Kansas tornado. Thus, it was smallconsolation when Kansas City's tornado watchagreed with my mistaken one for south centralMissouri -- because nothing happened there. Inthe middle of their watch area and at the middleof the watch time, there was nothing going onwithin at least a hundred miles visual range.Aaah, well.

Thursday evening, I was back in Texas in another tornado watch, trying for time exposures of alightning-lit base to a 70,000' top storm west of Anson/Stamford. A hook echo was reported with thisstorm, and I encountered the strangest inflow winds of the trip with at least 40 MPH sustained (somehigher gusts). Just south of Anson at about 9:30 PM. However, the lightning wasn't close enough and noneof the slides turned out. I did not pursue the Houston storms the next day. Trees are denser in eastTexas, coming right up to the side roads and reducing visibility. Also, it's a much more moist air masswith more low clouds and imbedded storms, greatly reducing the visibility necessary for successfulchasing. Friday the 20th, I started from Abilene with a forecast centered on Lubbock. However, I workedthe southern half of my area, closer to the dry air and was a little too far out of position for theearly tornadoes (3:28+) that started near Plainview. At 2:10, I started up Texas 70 from Roscoe (thetornado watch either side of a line from Lubbock to Oklahoma City, was from 3-9 PM) but was just an hourshort all the way. I did reach Hall County at the start of its tornado warning (radar report), but themesolow was poorly organized and shortly outflowed with a very impressive show of ground dragging cloudsfrom a dark green storm base It pushed me back to Childress, where I intercepted Chuck Robertson and afriend. We chased the next hour or so, hoping for new development, but finally gave up later thatevening and drove back. Joined by a returning NSSL chase vehicle, our CBs crackled long into the eveningas we passed the time swapping stories and whimsy, as the sun set on the Editor's Storm Chase, 1983.

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One impression among many this year: The slides are back now and appreciated, of course, as a lastingrecord of great events. However, no camera ... no lens can compress the enormity of a sky in motion anda seething darkness that inexorably joins the horizons. It is a scale of interaction that quicklysurpasses any medium and becomes something ultimately that lives only in the memory.

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The next issue will feature Tim Marshall's unusual March 3rd tornadoes in the Texas panhandle, some JoeGolden notes on Australian tornadoes, a recent listing of good regional weather radio stations from MikeWatts, and more. Barring receipt of additional articles from subscribers on unusual 1983 stormencounters, the September issue will feature John Weaver's excellent Wyoming chase story, "CloseEncounters of the Revolving Kind."