Picture of the Norman tornado from 5/10/10

This picture was sent to me today by Fred Manning, a resident of Norman, and is a great shot of the tornado on the northeast side of town on May 10, 2010. Great pic, thanks Fred!

Updated storm chase accounts from April & May

Sorry for the long delay in posts to this blog. What can I say, storm season is hectic! I have witnessed six tornadoes so far this chase season, dealt with a little hail, and lost an anemometer. April 22 in the Texas Panhandle has been my most successful chase in 2010, but May 10, 11, and 12 in Oklahoma and Kansas were also quite interesting. My hometown of Norman, OK took significant tornado damage on May 10, as did much of the surrounding area. I personally know several people that experienced this firsthand as their homes were hit. But, we are a resilient group here in Oklahoma. My friend Jason, whose house in Moore suffered damage on Monday, was alongside me just two days later on Wednesday afternoon in Harper County, Kansas, directly underneath a tornado-warned area of significant rotation. We Oklahomans will pick up the pieces and move on with our lives. This certainly wasn't the first tornado we've experienced, and it certainly won't be the last. Severe weather is a way of life around here.

Anyway, with all that said, click here to view my latest escapades in 2010.

Snow on the first day of spring in Okla.

As many of you are aware, a strong, very late-season cold front swept through the southern Plains over the weekend, ushering in a wave of winter weather, ironically on the first day of spring. Below I have embedded a video I shot on the OU campus in Norman, showing some of the sights of our lovely campus and a particularly heavy snow band that was moving through.

Hoping for severe weather later in the week and in the first week of April, stay tuned!

March 8 Oklahoma tornado, March 13 flooding

I unforunately missed the March 8 tornado in western Oklahoma, due to other obligations that day. Not always easy to go out chasing on a Monday... anyway, most of the world has seen this, but Andy Gabrielson of Severe Studios filmed this tornado at extreme close range, and it's worth posting here.



On another note, dangerous flooding is going on in West Virginia and Virginia, with nine counties currently under flash flood warnings. Much of this is likely due to snowmelt, and in fact sandbagging is going on in Pulaski, Virginia, to try and keep their local 911 center from becoming inundated. Check back for updates.

Another winter blast

An ice and snowstorm of epic proportions will affect much of the country later this week...current thoughts in Oklahoma are for a large-scale ice storm, including up to an inch of freezing rain, with as much as a foot of snow on top of it. This will hopefully not prove to be as bad as the doomsday scenario being forecast, but it definitely has the potential to be quite damaging. Stay tuned here for pictures and video of the event.

On another note, please follow me on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook! Just use the buttons on the left side of this page. I will post pertinent weather information, as well as links to pictures and video of severe weather.

Oklahoma Blizzard

It's been a couple of days now, and things have finally simmered down in Central Oklahoma, after a record-setting Christmas Eve blizzard pounded us with 12"+ of snow, brutal 50-60 mph wind gusts, almost zero visibility and wind chills near zero. Travel has been a nightmare ever since, and there are a great many cars still stuck and immobile. Some of it has melted off, but there is still a lot of snow and ice out there. This snow will be with us for a while. Below are some pictures and video to document the experience.

The height of the storm
Christmas morning...
At my parents' house Christmas morning
My parents' backyard

The obligatory video account of the blizzard

Tornadoes in Texas, snow coming to Oklahoma

Severe weather hit east Texas today, ahead of the winter storm that will bring a very white Christmas to Oklahoma, as well as many other places in the Plains and Midwest. There is only one confirmed tornado as of yet, near Longview, TX. Click here to see pictures of this tornado.

I will post pictures and/or video of the winter storm here in Norman tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Major snowstorm in the Northeast

As everyone knows, a major and historic snowstorm has hit the northeast U.S., bringing record-setting snowfall to some areas. Preliminary totals include 16.4" in Washington, DC, 17.8" in Roanoke, Va., and 22.5" in Philadelphia (source: The Weather Channel). Click here to link to a CNN iReport showing at least 15" of snowfall in Freetown, Mass., about 30 miles south of Boston.

A couple of snow-related YouTube uploads from yesterday:

2010 National Storm Chaser Convention

Looking forward to "ChaserCon" Feb. 12-14 in Denver! CentralOKStorms.com is now one of the sponsors! Check out the ChaserCon website here, and check back for updates as we get ready for the convention.

Updated storm chase accounts

Sorry for the recent lack of activity. What can I say? Storm season is hectic! Parts of my hometown and surrounding areas are still picking up the pieces from the tornadoes on Monday, May 10. I spent the day in northern Oklahoma with some of the multiple-vortex tornadoes up that way. All of my newer stuff is available on the 2010 storm chases page. Just click "storm chases" above.

National Weather Festival, Nov. 7

I attended the 2009 National Weather Festival at the National Weather Center on the campus of the University of Oklahoma yesterday. There were a lot of national and local meteorologists on hand, a lot of presentations, and a storm chaser car show, in which I participated and tied for second place for "Best Looking Chase Vehicle." I got to meet up with a lot of chasers, many of which traveled from out of state to attend the event. Lots of people attended, many of which stopped by to check out my vehicle and chase gear and ask any questions they had. Here are some pictures:

Me with the chase vehicle
All washed and waxed...
Hard to see, but I'm doing a TV interview in front of the chase vehicle
Some other chasers and their vehicles (and tornado probe)

Tornadoes reported in Arkansas and Louisiana

Several tornadoes were reported today in southern AR and northern LA, from the same storm system that brought heavy rain, strong wind, and small hail to central Oklahoma around 6 am this morning. Hardest-hit seemed to be the city of Shreveport, where possibly tornadic winds blew a steeple off a church downtown, tore up signs, and downed powerlines. Click here to read the accounts from Shreveport's ABC affiliate KTBS. If video is posted of any of the Oct. 29 tornadoes, I will put up a link here.

Today's severe weather outlook

There is a slight risk of severe weather today stretching from Ohio to west Texas. The greatest risk of tornadoes is in a band from eastern Oklahoma to Indiana, with the highest risk in northeast Arkansas, southeast Missouri, and southern Illinois. Should be a volatile day. I am stuck in Oklahoma today, however, unless I can get to a storm later this evening in the eastern part of the state. More updates to come as severe weather warrants. Below is today's tornado risk from the SPC.

Now blogging from the iPhone!

Check this site often during severe weather! I will update this blog during storm chases and whenever weather makes headlines. Also, follow me on Twitter @centralokstorms.

Ontario tornadoes Aug. 20

Parts of Canada were hit hard with tornadoes last night. Below is a YouTube video from Vaughan, Ontario, a suburb on the northwest side of the Toronto metro area. Amazing video also available here, courtesy of CTV.

Tornadoes in the Midwest

Although yesterday was a bust in Oklahoma, Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin were hit hard. Below is a tornado video from western Illinois uploaded by storm chaser John Farley.

Chase Day - Tues., June 9

This may prove to be THE day of the season...heading north to Wichita and points east early in the afternoon. I expect storm initiation east of the Kansas Turnpike around 5 pm, possibly in the Winfield/Arkansas City/Ponca City corridor. I expect at least a couple of strong tornadoes today. I will post updates as events warrant.

Today's chase - June 7

SPC has issued a moderate risk for much of eastern KS, and parts of NE, IA, and MO. Leaving shortly for my initial target of somewhere between Emporia and Topeka. I may have to adjust north, but hopefully not as far as the Nebraska border. Should be a good day!

Chase day - May 15

Let's face it, this May just hasn't been the tornado craziness it normally is. But with that said, I am heading shortly to southern Kansas in hopes of a last gasp before yet another long tornado drought. I'm going to position just south of the Wichita metro, with easy access to the Kansas Turnpike if things break further northeast. We'll see how the day goes.

Wednesday, May 13

After a bust yesterday in the Texas Panhandle, and the only tornadoes in Nebraska, I am opting for the southwest target today in NW and N Oklahoma. Storms will be going crazy in southern Missouri, in TERRIBLE forested chase country, and most of those cells will likely be horribly rain-wrapped. For that reason, I will hang a little closer to home and see if any discreet cells can produce before the whole shabang goes linear and a severe MCS forms. A very stormy night is forecast for much of Oklahoma, with large hail likely. I think some photogenic tornadoes will occur today in western Illinois, but that is out of reach at this point. Check back for updates!

Chasing today....

Heading out shortly with a target of Shamrock or McLean, TX. Today's setup is marginal at best, but a tornado or two is not out of the question. A dryline should set up across the TX Panhandle this afternoon, with supercells (hopefully) firing just before sunset. I will be posting updates to my Twitter account (centralokstorms), as long as I have cell service, which is a little spotty out in rural TX. Tomorrow may bring a large-scale tornado outbreak, so stay tuned!

Tornadoes possible in NW Texas today

I will be leaving shortly for NW Texas, trying to avoid flooding from 5+ inches of rain in parts of SW Oklahoma this morning. Isolated supercells will fire this afternoon, with tornadoes and large hail a distinct possibility. Below is the forecast CAPE of over 5000 j/kg at 0z. The RUC is likely grossly overestimating this, but it is apparent that instability will not be a limiting factor. Follow me today on Twitter (centralokstorms). I will be posting as long as I have cell service.

Tornadoes possible in OK/KS/MO this afternoon

A very narrow area of isolated supercell activity is possible in northeast Oklahoma, southeast Kansas, and southwest Missouri later this afternoon. Tornadoes are also possible in eastern and southeastern Oklahoma along with much of Arkansas this evening and overnight. I will be heading solo to Vinita, Oklahoma this afternoon, hoping to catch a rogue tornado before the whole shabang goes linear. It is still early in the season, and these will be fast-movers over an area with a less-than-stellar road network and a lot of hills and trees. It beats the jungles of SE Oklahoma and Arkansas though, which is a big reason why I chose this target. Below is the RUC forecast CAPE for 0z. Note the bubble of 3000+ in NE Oklahoma. Instability, moisture, and wind shear should all be in place, so this will be an interesting afternoon! More updates as events warrant.

Tornadoes possible in the Plains today!

Tornadoes are a distinct possibility from Nebraska south to Oklahoma today. Modest CAPE (it's March) and very strong wind shear should make for an interesting early-chase season day. I will be heading out around 4 pm, check back for updates!

Tornadoes strike Kansas

Not the kind of outbreak we're accustomed to in the southern plains in April or May, but a tornado or two in March can't hurt. I was on the sidelines on this one, watching the radar intently, but several small tornadoes did touch down in south-central Kansas on Saturday afternoon. I've not seen any damage reports, but one of the twisters did just miss the Hutchinson airport. Below is chase video from Brandon Ivey of thestormreport.com. Possible severe stuff in Oklahoma on Monday!

Tornado in Georgia, Feb. 18

The Southeast experienced a lot of severe weather on Wednesday, including the video below of a tornado/funnel cloud (hard to tell) in Taylor County in west-central Georgia. Only a couple of weeks until March....

Hawaii tornado; Oklahoma update

The day after the very unlikely tornado outbreak in Oklahoma, an even less likely tornado touched down on the island of Oahu, very close to downtown Honolulu (see picture below, courtesy of the Honolulu Advertiser). This was a relatively weak tornado, although there was one confirmed injury, when a man was thrown ten feet into a building.



Update: the deadly tornado in Lone Grove, Oklahoma has been rated an EF4. There are now nine confirmed deaths, and dozens of people in the hardest-hit area are still unaccounted for. Oklahoma governor Brad Henry toured the site today, and President Obama has promised federal aid for the victims. This will be tragically remembered as one of the deadliest tornadoes in Oklahoma's history.

Severe weather plagues Oklahoma

Yesterday, February 10, a very early-season tornado outbreak ravaged parts of central and southern Oklahoma. Hardest-hit areas were northwest Oklahoma City, the west side of Edmond, and the small town of Lone Grove. Sadly, as of this post, there are at least 25 serious injuries and as many as 8 fatalities. Below is an amateur video taken by a resident of Edmond, as the tornado approached. Click here to see KFOR's spectacular helicopter footage as the tornado was at its strongest. Because of a scheduling conflict, I was not able to chase this storm system, although I did have to drive in some of the heavy rain and hail as the squall line reached Norman. More posts to come about this unprecedented event.

Severe weather in Europe

Spain and Greece both experienced tornadic weather on Sunday. A rain-wrapped EF1 struck the southern Spanish city of Málaga, as seen in the first picture, and a funnel cloud formed over eastern Greece, near the Aegean coast, as seen in the second picture. Severe weather is possible in the Southern Plains early next week, stay tuned for updates.

Funnel clouds over Maui

While much of the lower 48 were dealing with frigid temperatures, the weather in Hawaii on Tuesday was a bit interesting. These funnel clouds were spotted over the island of Maui that afternoon. The picture is courtesy of KHNL, the NBC affiliate in Honolulu. Click here to see their report.





On another note, hats off to Chelsey B. Sullenberger III, the pilot that guided doomed US Airways Flight 1549 into the Hudson River in New York City yesterday. He saved the lives of all 155 people on board, not to mention the thousands that might have been injured or killed in adjacent highly populated parts of New York and New Jersey. He proved himself to be a brilliant pilot and a hero.

Illinois tornado from December 27

This one slipped past me somehow...I am usually right on top of tornado video surfacing in the media. Anyway, this tornado was filmed last Saturday afternoon in Monee, Illinois, not too far south of Chicago. Strangely enough, this tornado does not show up on the SPC's reports from that day. Let's hope the video is authentic, but it is very well done and this looks like quite a damaging tornado.