MovingPictures

Just a Short Note...

There were 15 tornadoes reported in TX yesterday as we chased, we bagged three. There were five reported today in TX, MS and AL. Time for bed, have about 1000 miles to drive to get home tomorow...

Back in Wichita...

We drove from Eastland, TX to Wichita, KS today to get most of the way back to Kansas City for the return trip home. We need to get Nancy somewhere so she can fly out Saturday and return the van. Chris and I will take off for the 12 hour trip home after that. There is a lot of driving to be done in the next two days, but the prospect of getting home to my own bed, and family will make the marathon worth it.

As much as I love storm chasing - "There's No Place Like Home"...

God Bless Texas...

White tornado, north of Colorado City, TX. Click photo to view full sized.

We closed out the 2008 MESO storm chase with a home run. We caught 3 tornadoes today about 45 miles west of Abilene, TX, between Colorado City and Snyder.

Our chase kicked off with a fine breakfast at Granny K's Kitchen in Scotland, TX. We highly recommend stopping at this little hole in the wall for a bite to eat, you will leave stuffed and satisfied. From there we headed South and West to I-20 and then further West from there. We went NE from Roscoe, into Snyder after a cell which had shear on it for well over an hour. From Snyder we went Southwest to find our first tornado have a short lived touchdown on the horizon. We tracked the cell avoiding the rain and hail, and got a very pretty white tornado briefly and then a third funnel cloud with a spin-up on the ground.

We went South of I-20 to try and regain position on the cell and ran into a flooded Loraine, TX. Water was running down all of the main streets of the town. After driving South on a gravel road that was not going where we wanted it to, we stopped and chatted with a truck parked where we were about to turn around. The driver was Greg Morgan, KOSA-TV, CBS 7 meteorologist out chasing storms. We teamed up with him for a few minutes then parted ways, but we made another friend in the storm business.

We then resumed the chase after our cell but decided to call it off after a successful day and spend the night in Eastland, TX. We had Texas Chinese food tonight - not bad. Tomorrow we will start to make the trek back to KC, sight seeing on the way.
Tornado 3 with a brief spin-up.

Abundance of Chasers, Lack of Storms...

A cell East of Purcell, Oklahoma at sunset.

We began our chase in Purcell, Oklahoma, and ended it in Purcell, OK. In the mean time we went south on I-35 to Davis, OK to stay East of the dryline and ran into one of the biggest convergence of chasers I have seen in eleven years chasing. The crowd included us (MESO), Roger Hill (and his tour of 13 people plus crew), Josh Wurman (and his Doppler on Wheels), Sean Casey (owner of the TIV, Tornado Intercept Vehicle) and his Discovery Channel crew, possibly Shane Adams (at least it looked like him), a group of Italian storm chasers, and many other individual chasers all with their unusual chase vehicles in the parking lot of the Snack Shack gas station. We took after a cell around 7 p.m. and were the first group to head back up North to Purcell and then East on SR 39 to pursue the best thing in the neighborhood. We found a nice vantage point on 77 South and enjoyed the last show for the day as the sun set under the base of the cell. We then headed to Wichita Falls, TX and are working our way into position for tomorrow. There was only one report of a tornado in the plains, in Missouri near the Kansas border.
Sean Casey in front of his TIV (Tornado Intercept Vehicle) as featured on the Discovery Channel.

Chaser Convergence Breakfast...

Chris Howell and I just had a continental breakfast at the Super 8 in Norman, Tony Laubach, minus the jersey, Tim Samaras and a couple other of their team members were all choking down some dry donuts. Several other chase vehicles sit in the parking lots, The Austins (Florida Based Storm Trackers), and the Danish Severe Weather Society. Everyone seems to be on the same page as far as targets, and MESO will be out in the hunt later today, will keep you posted...

We just had lunch at Arby's, Beef and Cheddar and of course, curly fries (the ones that look like little tornadoes) waiting for things to pop, another hurry up and wait day...

Getting Ready for Tuesday...

Chris Howell checks his computer for storm data.

All of the greatest "Minds of MESO" not to be confused with the Mind of Mencia, of the Comedy Channel, even though things can get pretty comedic on a MESO road trip, are trying to come up with a target for tomorrow's storm chase. The Storm Prediction Center is showing a good risk for tornadic storms tomorrow. We will be taking off early tomorrow in hopes of a good chase. Today noted no storm reports across the United States, a welcome break after Saturday's deadly storms in the great plains.
Nancy Bose dozes off after a long day of computing.

20 Tornadoes in the East Today...

After a deadly day of tornadoes yesterday, there were 21 more tornadoes as the storm system moved off to the East coast today. Tornadoes were spotted in NC, SC, GA, KY, TN and one in Ohio. The Storm Prediction Center is putting quite an emphasis on Tuesday across the Plains. People in the area should really pay attention to the weather on Tuesday. The rest of the MESO team is currently parked in Norman, OK and are currently doing laundry and working on photos and house keeping to pass the time till Tuesday. Chris and I tok Nancy to the RIverwind Casino for a few hours of fun. I walked out even, so I consider that a win. We all made Mother's Day calls and caught up with family and friends.

Another Cool Sight in the Plains...

On our way back from Fort Smith, AK, we found another set of Hot and Cold water towers, similar to the ones in Pratt, KS. The towers can be seen from I-40 at exit 221, in Okemah, Oklahoma.
Click on the image to view it full size.

Update on the Tornadoes in the Plains...

The death toll from last night has been updated to 23, with ten deaths in Seneca, OK and six in Picher, OK. The number of tornadoes has been raised to 52, including the states of KS, OK, MO, AK, GA and SC.

Deadly Day in the Plains...

Cars drive through a hail storm in Fort Smith, AK.

Lesson 1 - Never Chase in Arkansas...

Lesson 2 - Seeing tornado deaths is never easy. We struck out during our chase today, we were on a nice cell to the SE corner of Oklahoma, but just could not keep up with it. The winding roads made it hard to navigate and catch the cells. We got a call from John Diel, a MESO member from Ponca City, OK, and he told us about Picher, OK being hit by a deadly twister. At the time of me writing this blog entry, there have been 33 tornadoes, and 11 deaths so far in four states. We got some golf ball sized hail in Fort Smith, AK today and some pretty photos on our way through the Arkansas hills. The drivers around Fort Smith went nuts at the first ping of hail, swerving under overpasses and we had a BMW slide into the highway divider in front of us. There were also three vehicles off the road on I-40. All in all it was a long day, departing from Norman, OK and ending the night in Fort Smith.
A cell blows up in south Oklahoma, over a hill.

In Arkansas Waiting for the Cells...

We are sitting here just 6 miles south of Fort Smith, Arkansas on SR 71 waiting for three cells screaming towards us at 65 mph, this is a day where you have to get in front of the cells and let them come to you, especially here in Arkansas. The road network is bad and it seem nobody is in a hurry here - except us, but what is new...

Saying Goodbye and Travel Day...

Today we drove to Hays, KS to get a rental car for the guys leaving for home today, Joe Falci, Brian McNoldy, Matt Kassawara, Wes Carter and John Diel. They headed back to KC to pick up cars, and fly back home. The first week of the MESO chase was quite successful and we are now in Norman, OK. Nanct Bose, Chris Howell and I just checked into the Quality Inn and are in position for the Moderate Risk issued by the Storm Prediction Center. I have not had enough time to tone up my photos from yesterday, but did do this one that I think is pretty cool, looks kind of like a painting. It was shot in a blinding rainstorm as we headed to Ford, KS for safety last night.

Back to Dodge...

A diner patron watches reports of storms on the TV as he eats at the Chuckwagon Restaurant in Liberal, KS. Click on the photo for larger image.

After a long day of chasing in Western Kansas on the same supercell, we had dinner in Ford, as we let a storm pass. John Diel lost his back window while stationary in the parking lot of the Blue Hefford Reataurant, must have been some rogue hail. I will write more about today's tomorrow as well as post photos tomorrow afternoon, it is late and we have to get the guys that are leaving tomorrow to Hayes, Kansas by 10, so it will be an early morning.

A Liberal (Kansas) Theme for the Chase...

Click on the above photos to view full sized.

As Obamma and Clinton go head to head. MESO and Mother Nature have come head to head in Liberal, Kansas in each of the last three days. We came down here from Garden City, KS the previous two days, only to head back up in time for cells to initiate. Today, we came down here to spend the night, see a movie (Iron Man) and to get into position for tomorrow. We left Pratt, KS this morning and drove through Greensburg again, it still brought a lump to my throat seeing the town in its obliterated state, amazing. Shot a couple of cool photos on the way down, and we ate an early dinner and visited the Dorothy's House tourist trap.

No Chase Day Today...

The MESO team checking the Day 2 model runs, L-R, Joe Falci, John Diel, Brian Mcnoldy, Matt Kassawara, Chris Howell and Shanequa from the Maury Povich Show.

The storms last night screwed up the day today. We are currently looking for things to do here in central Kansas, not many results so far...

Another Day, Another Storm...

A rain shaft, East of Garden City.

I awoke with another of my dread feelings in Garden City, I think it is somewhat of an anxiety attack, but not that bad. I managed to get back to sleep, but this screwed up my morning for sure. Our MESO group decided to go a little south where they thought the storms would initiate, so we left Garden City, KS and headed to Liberal, Kansas, just as we did yesterday. After a few hours of waiting, a cell broke the cap just north of Garden City, just like yesterday. We headed back North and intercepted the cell from the South perfectly, had a nice show, good lightning and ended in Great Bend for dinner. We tried to stay in Great Bend, but every hotel was filled. We got some rooms in Pratt for the night, and will stay there, until we see what the storms from tonight did to tomorrow's forecast. As we drive to Pratt, we are getting a beautiful lightning show.

Sun shafts near Garden City, Kansas.

On The Mooove...

Our MESO team is currently choking down an overpriced meal of overcooked meatloaf and undercooked (raw) broccoli and cheese at the Garden City Travel Center as we prepare to get into position for the days chase. The ever-present odor of the local feed lots makes the meal even more less palatable than normal. the SPC has us currently under a 5% tornado risk and a Moderate Risk up north for hail and wind. The weather brains of our group are checking data as I write this. Will let you know what is happening in later posts as I can.

All Hail Broke Loose...

MESO began the day in Dodge City, Kansas - then we got out of Dodge...

We took a slow leisurely drive to Liberal, KS and then as a few cells broke to the county North of us, we began the chase. We intercepted the cells in Garden City, KS. and had a long, slow chase. The cells were moving 10 to 15 knots, which made them very easy to keep up with. After driving through one small hail shaft, we were free from the ear pounding beat of the hail stones. We followed the rotation and saw some great formations and funnel clouds. As we checked storm reports, we found the area we left behind was pummeled with hail the size of tennis balls.

After our show for the day was winding down, we were driving back into Garden City on SR 400 East into the city when we came upon on truck spun out in the median and then a van in flooded ditch, driver inside, unable to get out without getting into three feet of freezing water. We called a tow truck for the guy and waited around until police arrived. The road ahead of us was covered in at least four inches of hail, making driving treacherous. The hail was removed by snow plows from KDOT, Kansas Department of Transportation.

One of our new members Joe Falci from Ohio has experienced his first Great Plains hail storm. Shaking with excitement, he cheered as we went through the hail, and even got a quick prank by me as he stuck his hand out the window to try and catch some hail. Welcome to MESO Joe.

Tomorrow looks good for chasing, and we can stay the night in Garden City at the "Soft Pillow Inn" formerly a Super 8 and wait for things to develop tomorrow. See more of my photos from today in the StormChase2008 gallery to the right and on my website.

A funnel cloud near Garden City, Kansas.

Rollin', Rollin', Rolling...

This is a first for my blog and MESO, I am sending this to all of you while working on a wireless network, between our two trucks while traveling at 70 mph. Our resident geek, Matt Kassawara configured a wireless network using another members wireless card, turning it into a server with a wireless router. Amazing! So we are checking all the weather data, without stopping to get wireless internet, stormchasing has come a long way in eleven years!

Clearing Our Heads in Greensburg, Kansas...

Nancy Bose looks at the Dillon's store used as a triage base last May 4th.

May 4th, 2008. After one year, today we went back to Greensburg, Kansas.

The town has made many great strides, and barring today's celebration marking the one year anniversary, it still would look like a ghost town. Homes are slowly going up, and being repaired, main street downtown has a building here and there. City Hall is a modular trailer. Foundation slabs outnumber new construction, but the spirit is there.

Under a brilliant blue sky, today thousands of people from all over the United States visited Greensburg, Kansas to show theirs support for the remaining residents. Bikers lined the main Street to the high school holding flags, making a path for President Bush to follow to Greensburg High School for a commencement address. The flags. which flew straight out in a stiff breeze reminiscent of May 4th, 2007.

Our MESO members returned to show our support and donate a plaque in honor of the 12 people that died in the EF5 tornado. Five of us returned for another reason, to clear our heads of deep memories that have played over and over again daily since the night we skirted the tornado, cheated death and limped into the destroyed town of Greensburg, just minutes after the tornado wiped out 95% of the small rural town.

Some of us have sought counseling, some received it on the job and some of us thought we could handle it and went on with our daily lives. As the trip and anniversary approached, I found it harder and harder to deal with. Memories were triggered by the photos I took that night, smells, and in short, I had a few bad timed bouts of anxiety. I felt dread. I wanted to go back, but I didn't. I woke up from a deep sleep and was afraid to go back to sleep. Last night I just was afraid. Members of our group had a hear to heart with me, Nancy Bose hugged me, talked to me, and really helped me through the tough time.

Today as we drove into Greensburg, the feelings welled up, we have never seen the town in the daylight after the tornado, we had only stumbled through the rubble filled town in the pitch dark. I was amazed at the wide open town. The lack of homes and the stripped, bushy trees. As I shot photos, the fear and dread drifted away, my camera became a barrier between me and the reality of Greensburg, Kansas' past. The journalist in me kicked in as it did last May. I know I will sleep better now. I felt a relief as we drove out on West SR 54 toward Dodge City, exactly as we did last year on or way to get into position for a chase on Monday. It's back to business for the MESO chase team.

Something to note, yesterday was also the nine year anniversary of the F5
May 3rd, 1999 tornado in Oklahoma, City. I covered that tornado also, but seeing the human toll first hand in Greensburg, has left a lasting impression on me that I will never forget.

Kansas State Trooper Steve Little watches as President Bush flies into Greensburg, Kansas in Marine One.

53 Tornadoes, 7 Deaths in 5 States Yesterday...

As Chris Howell and I drove to Kansas City to join the MESO chase, there was a tornado outbreak in the southern states today. Seven people died in the wake of 53 tornadoes across Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama and Tennessee. We has a mini chase across the middle of Illinois and has a cell that produced some pretty clouds and hail, nothing severe. Tomorrow we will have a BBQ lunch at our "Aunt Meg's" house, Sue Melena in Southern KC and meet up with the remaining members heading to KC.
Some storms in the middle of Illinois, click on the photo for full sized image.

19 Tornadoes in the Plains Last Night...

The were 19 tornadoes reported in four states including Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. The Storm Prediction Center has issued a Moderate Risk for Southern Illinois and surrounding states for today. Chris Howell and I will be checking into these storms as we head to KC tomorrow to meet up with the rest of the MESO crew.

Virginia Tornado, "Get in the Closet"...

Let the 2008 Chase Begin...

I am packing as we speak, will wait till my son gets home from school, head to Toledo to shoot a job for the Optical Shop, and then point my truck North to meet up with my MESO chase partner Chris Howell. I will spent the night in Michigan and we will take off as he gets out of work tomorrow. We will be driving headlong into a slight risk of storms over Illinois and Missouri. Ironically on our way to storm chase, a good start to say the least! The storm prediction Center has issued a moderate risk for storms in the Kansas City area for today. I will be updating from the road as we chase here on my blog and eventually extended galleries will be posted on the storm chase 2008 link at my website.

13 Tornadoes Yesterday on the East Coast...

Thirteen tornadoes were spotted in at least 4 states yesterday with a EF3 tornado reported in Southern Virginia. There were 200 reported injuries, amazingly only 6 are in critical condition and no deaths. One tornado was reported on the ground for 25 miles. The tornado believed to have caused damage over a 25-mile path from Suffolk to Norfolk touched down repeatedly between 4:30 and 5:00 p.m.

Tornado Stats Update...

The Storm Prediction Center updated its monthly tornado statistics page. The trend so far this year is above normal. There have been 679 preliminary reports of tornadoes through April 28th, compared to the same number last year, which was reached at the end of May after several outbreak days early in the month.
Click on the graph for a full sized version.

MESO Heading to the Plains Friday...

My storm chase group MESO will be meeting this Friday in Kansas City for our annual two week storm chase. Four of our members are from the original group that chased for the first time eleven years ago in 1998. Nancy Bose, Brian McNoldy, Chris Howell and I will be spending our 22nd week of vacation together chasing storms. Most of us have spent more time on vacation with MESO than our immediate families. Our MESO family has been through many tough times, births, deaths, family crisis' and come hail or high water, we make a pledge to come back one more year. I will be updating my blog daily from the road and my website when possible so please check back daily for our travels.
Brian McNoldy during our original 1998 chase near Gueda Springs, KS.

Ballroom Blitz...

If you are a fan of the traditional Chicken Dance, the Electric Slide and the Hokey Pokey - you need not attend this wedding.

This weekend I went to Pittsburgh to shoot the wedding of Stephanie Goode and Steve Vieger. This wedding was one of the of the most unusual, but truly traditional weddings I have ever shot. The wedding was a totally ballroom dancing affair. The couple met while taking ballroom dancing classes and carried that theme through their wedding. Guests were offered a few quick dance lessons as they arrived to the reception  at the Soldier's and Sailor's Hall in downtown. Once the dinner was served, the newly married couple had their first dance, ballroom style before their friends and family.

The night was an elegant affair, despite the priest showing up to the wedding one and 1/2 hours late. I will post some more photos of the night in the wedding gallery on my webpage at allandetrich.com soon.

Too Funny NOT to Post...

Feels Almost Like Summer, Yea Right...

We hit a high of 85 degrees today here in Fremont, Ohio almost made me feel good, until I looked at the weather for next week. Our high on Monday is forecast to be 46 and rainy. Mother Nature, please make up your mind...

10 Tornadoes in the Plains Last Night...

The North part of Kansas along the Nebraska border into Iowa was the hot zone last night. Ten tornadoes were reported, seven in Kansas, two in Iowa, and one in Nebraska. The Storm Prediction Center has issued a slight risk for tornadoes today, over areas of Wisconsin, Illinois and eastern Texas. We has some thunderstorms roll through Fremont, Ohio last night. It was great, sleeping with the window open, listening to the rain and hearing the thunder. Will hopefully see more storms when MESO converges on the plains for our annual two week storm chase next weekend. 

14 Tornadoes in the Plains Last Night...

There were fourteen tornadoes in the plains last night, ten in Texas, three in Nebraska and one in Oklahoma. There is a Moderate risk issued by the Storm Prediction Center for today. Greensburg, Kansas is on the southern end of the bullseye of the 10% risk area for tornadoes and the 45% risk area for large hail. If you are near that area or North, keep an eye on the skies today...

A Wonderful Thanks From Greensburg, KS....

I got this letter in the form of an e-mail the other day, and it hit me like a haymaker from Joe Frasier. On the night of May 4th, we did what was needed, search and rescue, triage, and holding the hands of the people that needed comforted, and then we left Greensburg, KS after major amounts of help arrived. We dealt with the emotions among ourselves and as we prepared to return this May 4th, those emotions and memories of what happened that night are boiling to the surface once again. Most of us have had no contact with anyone from Greensburg, not knowing if they remember us or if we even made a difference that night. Until now...

Click on the photos from Stacey to see the full version.

    Hi there! My name is Stacey, and I am a survivor of the Greensburg tornado. I don't know you but let me first say thank you for what you and your group of friends (MESO) did the night of May 4th. I am sure you helped many people that night...probably more then you know.

As for Greensburg...we are doing great!!!! The progress here is amazing! We were actually one of the first families to build back here and we moved into our new home 8 months to the day of the tornado. They said this town wouldn't be back but we are and its gonna be a great place to live. Houses are going up like crazy here!

The one year anniversary is coming up and there is gonna be a big celebration that day (actually the whole weekend)! Its gonna be a hard day but yet a day to be VERY thankful for what we have all overcome and what lies ahead of us.

Anyways I just wanted to tell you THANKS and God bless you all! - Stacey

Here is a list of the weekend events as sent to me by Stacey

Front Row Seat...

Man rides out tornado in La-Z-Boy recliner

February storm in Tennessee destroyed home, except for La-Z-Boy recliner.

Talk about holding onto your seats.

John Spencer was sitting on his La-Z-Boy recliner in his home in Lafayette, Tenn., on Feb. 5 when a massive tornado hit his house. His home was destroyed, along with hundreds of others in Macon County in wide-spread storm that swept across the southern United States, but amazingly Spencer survived, and so did his La-Z-Boy.

“Normally they’ll say when there’s (a storm) coming, but I missed that,” Spencer said. “I was sitting in my recliner and I didn’t really hear the storm coming — and all of a sudden the windows were blown out.”

When rescue officials arrived nearly two hours later, they found Spencer’s house demolished, but Spencer and his La-Z-Boy survived without a scratch.

“The wind tried to pull me out of the recliner, but I (thought) no, I’m just going to sit back and relax a little bit — and then it was over,” Spencer said. “I lost everything except for my chair, and I guess I happened to be in the right spot at the right time.”

After hearing Spencer’s survival story, La-Z-Boy has given Spencer a $1,000 gift certificate for new La-Z-Boy furniture to match his “lucky” recliner when he moves into a new home.

Headquartered in Monroe, Mich., La-Z-Boy is North America’s largest manufacturer of upholstered furniture and the world’s leading producer of reclining chairs.

Greensburg, Kansas on Angry Planet...

My footage of the the May 4th tragedy used on the TV show Angry Planet...

A Couple of Days of Remembering...

From the night of May 4th, 2007, after an EF5 tornado wiped out 95% of the small town of Greensburg, Kansas. A night that we all will never forget...

Unusual Night...

There were 6 tornadoes reported in 3 states, Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia tonight. Looks like there was some damage but no deaths or injuries...

New Artist Photos...

Shot some cool photos of a rapper in Toledo, Ohio the other day, Matt Stephens, aka, J. Billz. His website will be going through a make over soon with some of the many photos I shot for his promotional material this week. Check it out and stay tuned for maybe a music video in the near future...

Click on the photos for full sized version.

Shake, Rattle and Vibrate...

This morning our cast iron hot water radiators in our bedroom started to vibrate. My wife awoke to the noise which lasted 15-20 seconds. Here in the state of Ohio we felt a 5.2 magnitude earthquake on April 18 at about 5:38 a.m. EDT. No damage was reported from Ohio. This earthquake was felt across the Midwest and is typical of periodic earthquakes that occasionally strike the region. Unlike California, the geology of the mid-continent allows seismic energy to travel great distances. This earthquake was recorded by the Ohio Seismic Network 290 miles from the epicenter and the energy took one to two minutes to reach Ohio. I now have an earthquake to add to my tornado, hurricanes - I lived through (or slept through) stories...

If you felt the earthquake and you would like to report it to the Ohio Seismic Network, please click (HERE).

Click on map for full size image.

Please Lend Your Signature...

Please CLICK HERE to lend your support to the Sirius-XM merger. A merger that will affect only the people that are subscribers in a POSITIVE way. The merger has been approved by the shareholders, and the Department of Justice, but the terrestrial radio companies are paying off Kevin Martin at the FCC and our U.S. Congressmen in order to block the FCC approval of the merger. For years now, the terrestrial AM and FM radio companies have been losing listeners due to lousy programming. I am a subscriber to Sirius Satellite Radio and have not listened to regular radio in over three years, and I urge you to join the nearly 15 million happy satellite radio listeners! Please take a minute and add you signature to the electronic petition, do not do it blindly as I have showed in the blog entry below, read the text of the petition and help if you find it a worthy cause. Thank you for your help in advance...

Lets All Ban DiHydrogen Monoxide...

Simply amazing...

A Sad Day...

I got an e-mail from my brother Matt today telling me that they had to put their dog Tacoma to sleep this morning. Just a short time ago they lost their Yellow Lab Boston after he was hit by a motorcycle and now Tacoma, their Golden Retriever mix had liver failure. I know he and his wife and kids loved their dogs dearly and it will be the hardest thing in the world to tell their daughters, ages 6 and 9 the bad news. I explained to Noah today that they put Tacoma to "sleep" with some medicine so he will not wake up again. I don't know if it truly sunk in to my seven-year-old. I am saddened by this for selfish reasons. Our Chocolate Lab Bonnie is older than Tacoma was, and I know I will be faced with this same scenario someday. Bonnie is getting slow and I am sure she has terrible arthritis. We had a scare last summer when she had a blockage in her intestine from trash diving. Fortunately she "worked it out" if you know what I mean. We were lucky enough to escape bad news this time. I wish my brother and his family the best as they work through this terrible time. Hopefully a new puppy will spring into their lives soon. I suggest a lab mix puppy from the nearest shelter, just my .02 cents worth from a big brother...

Blog Design Contest...

I would like to thank each and every one of you that voted for my design StormyWeather in the TypePad design contest. I ended up with 703 votes, which count for only 5% of the overall entry. I was amazed the amount of traffic my blog received during the contest from all over the world. I hope some of these readers found something interesting in rantings. I was in first place for a long time, then "Shiny" had literally 300 plus votes over night. I then regained the lead and just about that time the website was slammed and then "Shiny" gained 500 votes in a span of two hours and it got over 1000 votes that night - AMAZING! I think something is rotten in Denmark, but will roll with the punches. I got so many e-mails from people liking my design since it was so different. I will let you know if I finish in the top three when I hear more...

A Couple Days of Rest...

After a couple of days of storm chasing, minus the storms, and another trip back to Monroe for a video project. I am going to take sometime to recover and get my truck put back together. While in Monroe yesterday, I sprung a leak in my right front tire, which would not give up. I filled the tire up, used two Fix-a- Flats and it still had a leak. I had to stop every 15 miles or so to fill the tire back up. I made it back home and parked my truck at the local Expert tire place, so I could get a tire today. I got 94,000 miles out of this set, not too bad. My friend Jason Evans runs the Expert tire in Fostoria, and I ordered a set through him. He will make a call for me and get at least one tire put on here, so I can get the rest put on in Fostoria by him. I can just hope I can get another 94,000 miles out of the next set also...

Back From Michigan Chase

Well the tornado threat was diminished by the lack of available moisture, we had a nice chase and got a couple nice photos. Here are some of the photos. The nice thing about storm chasing is that even though you do not get a tornado every time, you get something very beautiful and unique. Chris Howell and I did about a 250 mile chase, had a great warm-up for the main event in May... Click on the photos for a larger version.

Ready to Roll, Again...

I could go through all kind of song analogies; On the Road again, by Willie Nelson, Riding the Storm Out, by REO Speedwagon, and numerous others. If I can believe the forecast by the SPC, we have a 5% chance of tornadoes over all of Ohio and SW Michigan. I have been in contact with my MESO chase partner Chris Howell and we are planning to hit the road here shortly. Will keep you informed what we find for sure...

There's No Place Like Home...

Three states, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri. Chase is a bust. No outbreak! 1178 miles, on the road for 32 hours, got home at 1:45 a.m., going to bed, to get ready to chase tomorrow in Ohio and Michigan...

Torn...

Marion, Illinois as a cell moved through. Click for larger image.

I am sitting Marion, Illinois and in the immortal words of Tom Petty, "The waiting is the hardest part." I have visible satellite running and the clearing is coming, radar shows the morning storms are moving off to the East. SPC has intensified the and tightened the tornado probability. I am sitting in a tornado watch box. It is all HERE!

The thing about storm chasing is it seems to be a hurry-up and wait game. I am torn about heading down to western Tennessee or staying here for a while...

Moving Into Position...

I have traveled on 57 south am currently in Marion, Illinois, maneuvering into position, SPC moved the highest risk area slightly east this morning. It is now 11:06 Illinois time, 110 miles in.

Getting Everything Set...

I awoke this morning to a phone call this morning, and on the edge of a tornado watch box. I figured it was one of my storm chase buddies ready to give me a forecast, but no, it was my brother-in-law Jim Bower, wondering where he might be able to get an old Sony memory stick, ha. I tried not to sound too tired and told him to buy a new camera, but we settled on him looking on eBay. Won't be hard to get an antiquated memory stick cheap.

I could not go back to sleep after that, so I got up, checked the forecast had a target e-mail from my MESO chase partner Chris Howell, and he said he will call me a little later with a more detailed  target. I am good, he is one of the best there is, I also have nowcasting from Chris Rozoff in Madison , WI and other friends from Ohio.

My hotel had one of the greatest hot showers I have had in a long time, this may not seem important to most, but I usually follow my wife into the shower, and this means I get maybe three minutes of good hot water. I even thought about taking a second shower later, it felt so good.

I am still in Effingham, Illinois, and am thinking about moving a little south to Marion or Sikeston, I just got a call from Chris Howell and he confirmed the move. There have been some tornado warnings in S. Missouri this morning, heading this way at 75 mph. I am going to get ready to move here quickly and will check bac in later this morning...