Home
Up

Tornado Chase 1995

This year I once again went to the Midwest to hunt tornadoes. And this year, unlike last year, I actually saw one (Liberal, KS May 22), along with several gustnados.

I chased most of the week with Patrick Kerrin of London, Ontario. Midweek we met up with Betsy and Matt Crowther, my chase partners of last year. We ended up caravanning around with them and also with the production crew from The Weather Channel for a few (frustrating) bust days.

Here is what happens when everyone uses the same software and the same data to do their chase forecast:

This little truck stop out in nowhere Texas became the temporary lurking spot for about eight chase teams, most of whom arrived independently because they all forecast the same spot (the moisture convergence bulls-eye on WXGRAPHICS) as the most likely for tornadogenesis. Needless to say this convergence of chasers made the folks at the truck stop a bit nervous when they discovered why we were were lurking in their parking lot! Of course, nothing happened that day - the tornado was way down in Del Rio or somewhere far away.

In the photo, from left to right, are: Patrick Kerrin, Chris "Service A" Anderson, John "Gusty" Holsenbec, Corey "Anvil Top" Mead, and Unknown "No-Echo" Chase (i.e., we don't know who this is).

last update 07/24/95