Still many questions were left unanswered though. Would the cap break? Would the timing of the front be off? Would storms instantly go linear leaving no room for supercell potential? But, with what seems like every other marginal chase day producing tornadoes, why shouldn't this one, right?
I arrived in Davenport, Iowa around 5am and took a quick 45 minute nap while I waited on Alec to arrive. We departed Davenport around 6am and with no convection in Nebraska our optimism was growing.
Since we made good time, and we were running early we decided to stop at Perkins in Omaha, Nebraska. Although, once we arrived we were greated to what felt like very stable air and stable clouds. Not a good sign for severe weather, especially at noon. But, like the flip of a switch we walked outside after enjoying our meal and discussing the forecast for the day to humidity settling in. Continuing our drive South to Nebraska City, we arrived around 1pm. But, there was a problem. Its 1pm CDT and there is not an ounce of cumulus in site. 2pm rolled around. Still no cumulus. 3pm STILL NO CUMULUS! ARGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!! I posted a status to Facebook "2pm and still no cumulus in site. Growing less and less optimistic by the minute." This was the scene sitting in a Pilot parking lot for most of the day. Two very tired, very beaten storm chasers as we thought for sure the day was going to bust.
Its now 4pm (still not an ounce of cumulus in site) and our good friend Stephen Jones was nearing the town of Auburn, Nebraska. We all decide to meet up and try our legendary Sonic limeade ritual.
Just like that, the powers started to kick in. I looked out the window and started seeing baby cumulus begin to emerge! Shortly after consuming our good luck limeades we are joined by our friend Nick Nolte. If the day was going to bust, we were going to make it a fun one! Its now 5pm and the cumulus is nothing more than little poof clouds in the sky. Nothing agitated, and you could barely call what we were sitting under a cumulus field.
Nick Drieschman joined us briefly to discuss the forecast at hand as storms began to erupt in Kansas and about 75 miles West of us in Nebraska along the Cold Front. However, we were not convinced that this was the main show. a beefy cumulus field was shaping up near the outflow boundary just to our West and looking at echo tops on radar we had our first shot at a storm. But, as we approached the tower quickly died. A strong capping inversion was still in place per the 19z special sounding in Topeka, Kansas. Our convective temperature had not been reached and our first and what we thought only try at a storm was gone and our cumulus field was drifting off to the West as we sat, a bit slap happy in Syracuse. I opted to continue East to keep up with the cumulus field, just in case something fired. But as we neared Nebraska City again our CU field was gone and the sun was on the verge of setting.
I was baffled to see how much crap talking was occurring on Facebook towards people who were chasing this day. Calling us idiots for chasing, telling us when to learn to chase, ext. I still don't understand how anyone is stupid for chasing a setup just because its not a slam dunk. We are storm chasers after all? This is what we do. With a year that seemed to produce time and time again on marginal days, in my opinion, that's all the more reason to give it a go. But, I didn't let it bother me. Even if a day bust, I'm out there doing what I love. I shut my phone off and logged off of Facebook to ignore all the hateful comments and chowed down on some delicious Mexican food (which was some of the best I have ever had I might add.) But then, my phone screen lit up to a message from my good friend Brennan saying "just a heads up I think we may have initiation here shortly. Pretty nice towers going up west of Nebraska City. Best pushes iv'e seen all day." I quickly ran outside, looked West and saw distant towers. I ran back inside, and told Stephen and Alec we gotta go. I said nicely to the waiter "we need boxes and the bill, we need to go." This was it, the chase was finally on! But, it was a race against the sun light. It was quickly fading and we only had about an hour left.
Talk about nailing a target area right? As we approached we instantly noticed a meso beginning to develop and a rapid increase in CG lightning strikes. Even as storms initiated after everyone was calling a blue sky bust the crap talking continued. Now, instead of "enjoy your sun tan" it was "those storms are elevated." "Can you see the moon under that base?" especially after the SPC issued an MD labeling these storms as elevated and will likely not produce tornadoes. I believe there was even a meme out there of the food tornadoes saying "The only tornadoes anyone will see today." (oops.)
Looking at radar, and soundings. It was fair to assume that these storms were elevated. But, if you were there like us. It was immediately clear this as a surface based supercell. The storms struggled at first as they were battling updrafts for one to become dominate. We topped a hill, and unbelievably the storm was very much surface based. We then noticed the storm went from coming right at us moving due West. To moving from right to left towards the Southwest. The storm took a hard turn right and it was now game on! Even after posting this photo to social media, the criticism was still coming in full force! Mocking us saying "OMG BEST STRUCTURE EVER!!! STRUCTURE OF THE YEAR!!!" posting wheel of fortunate fail music, "I'm sure it'll be a wall hanger" and "iv'e farted much more intensely."
Our storm was beginning to show a "flying eagle" appearance on radar and just before night fall we topped a hill and saw a large funnel cloud! I took a fast right turn and quickly floored it down the gravel road we were on. Topped the hill and bam! Large tornado on the ground!
We top another hill and the tornado thins a bit into a smaller cone tornado. I probably messed up by posting a live video grab when it was in its smaller stages saying "large tornado!" but it was in the heat of the moment and it was just a fairly large tornado. But, I didn't report a large tornado, nor did I ever call it a wedge. So I again, ignored the hate. I was to happy about witnessing a rare, August tornado, and a photogenic and WALL HANGER at that! We pull off and watch tornado number one get smaller, then grow larger into a cone again.
This tornado remains on the ground for another two minutes before roping out. I am over joyed at this point, but I still wished this tornado would have happened about 30 minutes sooner while it was light outside. But, at least it happened at dusk to where we could still see the tornado in real time and not just post 50 video grabs of the tornado illuminated by lightning.
We turn around as the core begins to catch us as we dance in the cage and drop South, then East again.
As we head East down another gravel road, a second, gorgeous tornado touches down underneath some amazing structure! Not one, but two tornadoes we now documented!
Its dark at this point, and I'm still pretty irritated by that. Because this easily could have been in the top three best tornadoes of the year. But, what are you going to do? We quickly pulled off and I began to snap a couple quick photos. Which proved to be difficult from the wind blowing my mini tripod and the rain core still on our tail.
Absolutely beautiful, elephant trunk tornado is on the ground at this point and persisted for about 5-10 minutes before roping out. This tornado was rated EF1.
We followed this storm clear until the Missouri border and were tracking a large shaped something. We also observed power flashes with this feature. Nothing has been confirmed yet but fairly certain there was a larger tornado on the ground at this point with a strong couplet radar couplet present on radar. But that will fall under the "maybenado" category since corn blocked our view most of the time.
In conclusion, we came out on top. All the crap talking towards chasers chasing this day was all worth while as we were treated to two beautiful tornadoes and one possibly larger tornado. Events like this make my forecasting confidence go through the roof and makes my passion for weather grow more and more. 2015 has certainly been my best year ever, standing at 17 tornadoes for the year and its still not over! The photo posted above will proudly be hanging on my wall soon :D
Footage from this day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooUzJoQ_whM
