2005 Chase Logs
The 2005 chase year was more difficult than previous years. While there were a few golden eggs, there were very few days with more than one cyclic tornadic supercell. In addition, there were several days during which I could not chase, due to my own graduation as well as my brother's graduation. I didn't get much in the way of video or tornado pictures, but at least the season ended with a few pleasing (though largely tornado-less) chases.
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March 21st -- Northeastern TX
Total Distance: 515 miles
Target Area: Durant, OK, to Dallas to Paris, TX
Chase Area: Same as Target Area
Maximum SPC Risk category: Moderate
Watches: Tornado Watches 56 and 57,
Mesoscale Discussions (MCDs): 317, 319, 320, 322, 323, 324, 326, 327, 328, 329, 330, and 332
A pretty typical early-season severe weather event was forecast for the southeastern OK, northeastern TX, southwestern AR, and western LA area, as a deep cyclone moved (and slowly weakened) from southwestern KS to northeastern OK. Meanwhile, the chase area... CLICK HERE FOR MORE!
April 05th -- SC OK / NC TX
Total Distance: 450 miles
Target Area: East of an Ardmore, OK, to Gainesville, TX line
Chase Area: Madill, OK, to Durant, OK, to Paris, TX, to Greenv
Maximum SPC Risk category: Moderate
Watches: Tornado Watch 125
Mesoscale Discussions (MCDs): 489 and 493
Another day with modified continental air advecting into the southern plains ahead of a strong upper-level cut-off low and deep (though filling) surface cyclone. I was hoping to get mid-60 dewpoints into southeastern OK and northeastern Texas, where shear ... CLICK HERE FOR MORE!
April 10th -- Southern / Central OK
Total Distance: 450 miles
Target Area: Waurika to Ardmore
Chase Area: Dibble to Norman to Wellston
Maximum SPC Risk category: Moderate
Watches: Tornado Watches 141 and 146, Severe Watches 143, 145, and 147
Mesoscale Discussions (MCDs): 536, 538, 541, 542, 543, 544, 546, and 547
One of the most difficult chase forecasts I've been faced with so far in my chasing career. Another day of modified Gulf air courtesy of a scoured Gulf. Models had been showing another cuf-off passing through the area from the west. A dryline was progged t... CLICK HERE FOR MORE!
April 21st -- NE OK / SE KS / SW MO
Total Distance: 700 miles
Target Area: Tulsa to Bartlesville, OK
Chase Area: Columbus to Cherokee, KS, to Jasper to Mount Vernon, MO
Maximum SPC Risk category: Moderate
Watches: Tornado Watches 175, 178, and 181, Severe Watches 177, 179, 182, and 184
Mesoscale Discussions (MCDs): 624, 627, 629, 630, 632, 633, 634, 636, 637, 638, 639, 643, and 644
Finally, it appeared that there would actually be some substantial low-level moisture in place across the TX/OK/KS region as characterized by mid-upper 60s dewpoints. However, opposite of the previous chases this year, mid-upper level flow was progged to b... CLICK HERE FOR MORE!
April 25th -- Northern TX
Total Distance: 440 miles
Target Area: Gainesville to Denton, TX
Chase Area: Sanger to Ladonia, TX
Maximum SPC Risk category: Moderate
Watches: Tornado Watch 202, Severe Watches 201, 202, and 203
Mesoscale Discussions (MCDs): 682, 683, 684, 685, 686, 687, 688, and 689
Yet another chase with possible 'just in the nick of time' type of moisture. Low-level shear was forecast to be very strong in the warm sector, east of a dryline across western north Texas. With 200-300 0-1km SRH in place, we felt that the upper 50 dewpoin... CLICK HERE FOR MORE!
May 07th -- TX Panhandle
Total Distance: 520 miles
Target Area: Shamrock, TX
Chase Area: BUST
Maximum SPC Risk category: Slight
Watches: Severe Watches 223, 224, 226, and 227
Mesoscale Discussions (MCDs): 756, 759, 761, 764, 765, 766, and 769
No Log Posted.
May 08th -- Central / Southern OK
Total Distance: 110 miles
Target Area: None
Chase Area: Purcell to Wynnewood, OK
Maximum SPC Risk category: Slight
Watches: Severe Watches 233, 235, 238
Mesoscale Discussions (MCDs): 775, 777, 782, 783, 786, and 789
No Log Posted.
May 11th -- Northern KS
Total Distance: 805 miles
Target Area: Hill City, KS
Chase Area: BUST
Maximum SPC Risk category: Moderate
Watches: PDS Tornado Watches 248 and 249, Tornado Watches 250 and 255, Severe Watches 252, 254
Mesoscale Discussions (MCDs): 819, 820, 823, 824, 825, 827, 829, 830, 831, 832, and 833
No Log Posted.
May 21st -- N KS / S NE
Total Distance: 760 miles
Target Area: Concordia, KS, to Beatrice, NE
Chase Area: BUST
Maximum SPC Risk category: Slight
Watches: Tornado Watch 311
Mesoscale Discussions (MCDs): 951, 952, 954, 955, 956, and 957
Big Bustola. An on-the-fence decision was needed by mid-morning, as the target area of northern KS / southeastern NE would require a drive. Morning surface obs showed dewpoints only in the 50s across the area. Despite this, the 12z NAM was still indicating... CLICK HERE FOR MORE!
May 22nd -- Northern OK
Total Distance: 240 miles
Target Area: Wellington to Anthony, KS, to Cherokee to Ponca City, OK
Chase Area: BUST
Maximum SPC Risk category: Slight
Watches: Severe Watch 312
Mesoscale Discussions (MCDs): 959, 961, 962, 962, and 965
Yet another day with pretty poor prospects, though there was a pretty good chance of supercells along the KS/OK border area if there was convective initiation. With a monster ridge in the west continuing, weak northwest flow aloft atop easterlies at the su... CLICK HERE FOR MORE!
June 09th -- Northwestern OK
Total Distance: 450 miles
Target Area: Woodward, OK
Chase Area: Seiling, OK, to Wheeler, TX
Maximum SPC Risk category: Moderate
Watches: Tornado Watches 442, 443, and 444, Severe Watches 441, 445, 446, and 448
Mesoscale Discussions (MCDs): 1257, 1259, 1261, 1262, 1264, 1265, 1266, 1267, 1268, 1269, 1270, 1271, 1273, and 1274
I hadn't really planned on chasing this day, as the next few days looked to be significant chase days. As such, I did not pay much attention to the situation until very early afternoon. By that time, it was evident that there was a supercell risk across ... CLICK HERE FOR MORE!
June 10th -- Western OK
Total Distance: 300 miles
Target Area: McLean, TX
Chase Area: Elk City to Watonga, OK
Maximum SPC Risk category: Moderate
Watches: Tornado Watches 449 and 453, Severe Watches 451, 452, 454, 455, and 456
Mesoscale Discussions (MCDs): 1276, 1279, 1281, 1282, 1284, 1286, 1287, 1288, 1290, and 1291
As noted in the 6/9/05 log, I had planned on chasing this day since early week. As it happened, a morning MCS swiped through much of the target area, laying down cold, cloudy outflow air that killed any hopes of developing any significant instability acro... CLICK HERE FOR MORE!
June 12th -- Northwestern TX
Total Distance: 700 miles
Target Area: Childress, TX
Chase Area: Dickens to Hamlin, TX
Maximum SPC Risk category: Moderate
Watches: Tornado Watches 464, 465, 466, 469, and 470, Severe Watch 463
Mesoscale Discussions (MCDs): 1305, 1306, 1307, 1308, 1310, 1313, 1314, 1315, 1316, 1317, 1320, 1321, and 1322
Phil and I met up with the large group of folks at the Kettle restaurant (or whatever it was) there in Childress by mid-afternoon. The majority of them headed south towards a storm ne of Lubbock, while Phil and I hung around CDS a bit longer to see if stor... CLICK HERE FOR MORE!
June 13th -- Southcentral OK
Total Distance: 200 miles
Target Area: None
Chase Area: Elmore City to Wilson, OK
Maximum SPC Risk category: Moderate
Watches: Tornado Watch 473, Severe Watch 477
Mesoscale Discussions (MCDs): 1330, 1333, 1337, and 1339
An impromptu chase... Everything was rather marginal, but given the slight potential for supercells in relatively close proximity to Norman, we figured it'd be worth a shot. In the end, and despite a tornado warning or two, not much was seen.
August 17th -- Southcentral KS
Total Distance: 570 miles
Target Area: Pratt, KS
Chase Area: Northwest to east of Pratt, KS
Maximum SPC Risk category: Slight
Watches:
Mesoscale Discussions (MCDs):
I wasn't really expecting to chase this day, but a look at "morning of" data and model output gave me a little confidence that there would at least be a good chance of supercells across parts of western Kansas northward into Nebraska. A modest mid-upper le... CLICK HERE FOR MORE!
August 24th -- Northcentral OK
Total Distance: 220 miles
Target Area: None
Chase Area: Southern Garfield county
Maximum SPC Risk category: Slight
Watches:
Mesoscale Discussions (MCDs): 2063, 2066, and 2067
This was an on-the-whim chase. An OFB set up across north-central Oklahoma, which, in combination with very strong instability, I thought provided at least a chance for a brief spin-up tornado (high near-surface vorticity + strong low-level instability = c... CLICK HERE FOR MORE!
September 14th -- Western N TX / SW OK
Total Distance: 420 miles
Target Area: Quanah, TX
Chase Area: Crowell, TX, to Frederick, OK
Maximum SPC Risk category: Moderate
Watches: Tornado Watch 790, Severe Watch 791
Mesoscale Discussions (MCDs): 2200, 2201, 2204, 2205, 2206, and 2207
A good Fall outbreak -- could it be?! Finally, strong mid and upper-level flow was progged to cover portions of western Texas and Oklahoma as a cold front became stationary from west-central Texas northeastward near I-44 in Oklahoma. Clear skies developed ... CLICK HERE FOR MORE!
October 19th -- Northwestern OK
Total Distance: 580 miles
Target Area: Gage to Woodward, OK
Chase Area: Gage to Alva, OK
Maximum SPC Risk category: Slight
Watches: Severe Watches 834 and 844
Mesoscale Discussions (MCDs): 2341, 2342, 2343, 2344, and 2345
Another good Fall supercell event -- could it be?! We nailed the target, but lost the battle due to horrendously muddy roads in the back-country north of Woodward. Driver beware -- stay on paved roads in this part of the state! The target area was largely... CLICK HERE FOR MORE!
