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Storm Chase 5/26-28 2017

Started by JMoses24, May 29, 2017, 02:14:02 AM

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JMoses24

This past weekend, I completed a trip to Tulsa, OK by way of West Plains, MO. The goal on Friday was to position for chasing severe storms on Saturday.

Friday: Leaving Cincinnati via I-275 West to I-74 to I-465 around the south side of Indianapolis to I-70 to I-55 to I-44, with a side trip via Historic US 66 into Cuba, MO for dinner before getting back on I-44 via MO 19, then following US 63 to West Plains.

Notes: Construction continues on the I-465/65 interchange south of downtown Indy. I-70 construction projects included continued work east of Effingham and near Terre Haute. I-44 at MO 141 also had construction (and thank you to the member who responded to my inquiry in the Central States section).

Saturday (until 10pm CT) was chase day. US 63 north to US 60 to I-44 in Springfield, then following 44 to Tulsa. After dinner at Freddie's BBQ, we then began the chase. Routes included I-44, I-244, OK 66, OK 97, OK 28, OK 82, OK 20, US 64, US 69 and US 412. We eventually found our way to I-40 near Checotah.

Notes: It appeared most work was suspended for the weekend and/or due to the moderate risk of severe storms. There weren't any major projects of note. The OHP does not mess around with speeders on the Will Rogers Turnpike...if the limit is 75, you had better be doing 75 and not one MPH over. Saw one trooper haul out of the median near Vinita doing what had to be 100 to catch one. 

The chase itself did see a ton of lightning and a rotating wall cloud, but no visible tornadoes (fortunately or unfortunately depending on your point of view). I will post pictures as soon as I can.

Route home: I-40 east from Checotah, OK to I-65 in Nashville, TN to I-264 around Louisville to I-71 to I-75 then back home.

Notes: It rained VERY hard from Checotah all the way to near Nashville! This made for tricky driving on I-40 -- which has NO overhead lighting, even in Little Rock. Well, except the BLINDING lights in a couple of work zones. Transitioning from 40 to 65 in Nashville requires being very aware of where you are because if you take the wrong turn, you can end up in Clarksville or heading back towards downtown Nashville. 65 north is under construction south of Elizabethtown.


JMoses24

New counties picked up on this trip:

Missouri: Howell, Jasper, Lawrence, Newton, Texas, Webster and Wright
Arkansas: Conway, Crawford, Crittenden, Faulkner, Franklin, Johnson, Lonoke, Monroe, Pope, Prairie, Pulaski, and St. Francis
Oklahoma (NEW STATE): Craig, Creek, Delaware, Mayes, McIntosh, Muskogee, Ottawa, Rogers, Sequoyah, Tulsa, and Wagoner
Tennessee: Benton, Carroll, Cheatham, Davidson, Decatur, Dickson, Fayette, Haywood, Henderson, Hickman, Humphreys, Madison, Shelby, Sumner, and Williamson
Kentucky: Barren, Bullitt, Edmonson, Hardin, Hart, Larue, Simpson and Warren

hm insulators

Cool! I've always wanted to storm chase.
Remember: If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

I'd rather be a child of the road than a son of a ditch.


At what age do you tell a highway that it's been adopted?

JJBers

Quote from: hm insulators on June 14, 2017, 01:34:49 PM
Cool! I've always wanted to storm chase.
I would too, but I don't believe that Connecticut has many tornadoes.
*for Connecticut
Clinched Stats,
Flickr,
(2di:I-24, I-76, I-80, I-84, I-95 [ME-GA], I-91)

JMoses24

Quote from: JJBers on June 16, 2017, 08:24:01 AM
Quote from: hm insulators on June 14, 2017, 01:34:49 PM
Cool! I've always wanted to storm chase.
I would too, but I don't believe that Connecticut has many tornadoes.

I have always said that storm chasing is very dangerous. It would be even more so in the northeastern US due to the trees and hills. The National Weather Service officially discourages chasing, but unofficially, since they get plenty of good information from chasers in the field, turns a blind eye to it.

CapeCodder

Quote from: JMoses24 on June 20, 2017, 01:03:18 AM
Quote from: JJBers on June 16, 2017, 08:24:01 AM
Quote from: hm insulators on June 14, 2017, 01:34:49 PM
Cool! I've always wanted to storm chase.
I would too, but I don't believe that Connecticut has many tornadoes.

I have always said that storm chasing is very dangerous. It would be even more so in the northeastern US due to the trees and hills. The National Weather Service officially discourages chasing, but unofficially, since they get plenty of good information from chasers in the field, turns a blind eye to it.

Missouri is not that great for chasing. New England to me is off limits.

Rothman

Quote from: CapeCodder on July 31, 2017, 06:00:46 PM
Missouri is not that great for chasing. New England to me is off limits.

Huh.  I would have thought Missouri would be an okay place for it, but I suppose for some reason, it's less prone to tornadoes than surrounding states?
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

CapeCodder

Quote from: Rothman on August 01, 2017, 08:40:18 AM
Quote from: CapeCodder on July 31, 2017, 06:00:46 PM
Missouri is not that great for chasing. New England to me is off limits.

Huh.  I would have thought Missouri would be an okay place for it, but I suppose for some reason, it's less prone to tornadoes than surrounding states?

Terrain and road networks are a factor. During a  chase in the Ozarks I came up on a tornado that I couldn't see due to the hilly terrain.

hm insulators

I'm taking a road trip to Branson, Missouri, and on the way back if my schedule allows, I plan to stop in Norman, Oklahoma to take a guided tour of the Storm Prediction Center.
Remember: If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

I'd rather be a child of the road than a son of a ditch.


At what age do you tell a highway that it's been adopted?

ET21

Only have done intrastate chases in Illinois, mainly along the I-88 and I-80 corridors. We did catch a spin up tornado and ran to get a good view down the middle of I-180
The local weatherman, trust me I can be 99.9% right!
"Show where you're going, without forgetting where you're from"

Clinched:
IL: I-88, I-180, I-190, I-290, I-294, I-355, IL-390
IN: I-80, I-94
SD: I-190
WI: I-90, I-94
MI: I-94, I-196
MN: I-90



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