The town of Tushka, Oklahoma saw extensive damage Thursday night when a tornado struck claiming at least two lives. (Twitpic / snickeraddict15 - http://twitpic.com/4l42do)
Two days of severe weather have spawned more than two dozen tornadoes, dropped softball size hail and unleashed damaging winds. The storms which have affected five states turned deadly and claimed the lives of nine people.
Yesterday a massive line of storms stretching from northern Kansas down to southern Oklahoma struck. The town of Tushka, Oklahoma took a direct strike from the storm destroying many homes and as many as five school buildings. Two elderly women were killed.
Early this morning the same storm system moved to the east bringing powerful winds to 80mph. Seven people were killed including a six-year-old boy and an 18-month-old girl. The boy’s life was claimed when a tree six feet in diameter fell on the family home.
Today the severe weather has continued as the storms continue their terrifying rampage. More than 40 tornadoes have been reported, most in Mississippi and Alabama, and as of this writing they continue their movement east.
Extensive damage has been seen in both states. In Talladega, Alabama, NASCAR officials were warning fans to be ready to evacuate as the racetrack is under a tornado watch until 9:00pm. With tens of thousands of fans on site, officials prepared evacuation routes should the need arise.
Below is video from storm chasers as one tornado crosses a highway in Jackson, Mississippi.
A monstrous hailstone measuring 7.75 inches in diameter fell near Wichita on September 15, 2010, setting a new record for Kansas. (National Weather Service / Melissa McCarter)
Severe weather rolled through south-central and southeastern Kansas on the evening of Wednesday, September 15, 2010 and dropped tornadoes and potentially record-setting hail. The supercell thunderstorms developed in the late afternoon and caused significant damage in the Wichita area.
Watch video of the hail pounding Wichita below
In Sedgwick and Cowley counties one supercell generated monstrous hail on the western side of Wichita. The largest stone, right, was measured at 7.75 inches and fell at about 6:00pm in West Wichita. According to the National Weather Service the chunk of ice weighted 1.1 pounds and was 15.5 inches in circumference.
Hail from golf ball to softball sized swept across a large area breaking windows in homes and smashing vehicles. At Mid-Continent Airport the hail broke through skylights and damaged the facilities airport. Several planes sustained damage as well.
Strong, straight-line winds up to 80 mph were recorded in Cowley, Wilson, Labette and Cherryvale counties. Downed power lines resulted in 10,000 people being without power at one point.
Five tornadoes were reported south, southeast and east of Wichita. The twisters were on the ground for short periods of time and did not appear to directly cause any damage. All have been rated EF0 with winds from 65 mph to 85 mph by the National Weather Service.
A shelf cloud moves across Nebraska farmland. (Tony Hake / ThorntonWeather.com)
Certainly the highlight of storm chasing is tornadoes and ThorntonWeather.com’s Storm Chase 2010 had plenty of those – five in one day in fact. However, as great of satisfaction can be derived from simpler, less violent storms. The images from a week of chasing on the Great Plains show the fury and the beauty of Mother Nature.
Storm chasing is as much an art as a science – there are no guarantees that tornadoes will appear as forecast. Other types of severe weather and the amazing structure they display can bu just as impressive.
Scud clouds hovering over a coal train in Nebraska, egg sized hail pummeling storm chaser vehicles, the sun setting on the Oklahoma plains and the now infamous Baca County, Colorado tornado ripping through ranchland all were highlights of Storm Chase 2010.
The images in the slideshow below represent some of the most stunning and beautiful images captured during the week.
The Memorial Day tornado in Baca County, Colorado near Campo was the highlight of a week of storm chasing but it wasn’t the only exciting thing to happen. (Tony Hake / ThorntonWeather.com)
We have said before that storm chasing is as much an art as a science and it can very much be feast or famine. Both extremes were seen over the course of a week of storm chasing on the Great Plains by ThorntonWeather.com.
We hope our site visitors were checking out the Storm Chase 2010 Examiner where we were documenting our chase across America’s heartland. With stories, photos and video, the entire incredible week has been described in detail.
The first tornado of that day near Pritchett, Colorado allowed chasers to witness the complete tornado genesis. As massive amounts of air were sucked into a storm cell and the clouds swirled menacingly above, a small funnel cloud soon grew into a powerful tornado.
Two other tornadoes and an incredible hail storm on the virtually barren ranchland followed. The main event was yet to come however.
About eight miles south of Campo, Colorado, a massive supercell seemed poised to generate a tornado. Chasers waited anxiously as the sky grew darker on the plains. A funnel cloud formed and was cheered on as it grew closer to the ground.
Before long the tornado was on the ground moving at a leisurely 10 mph – its slow pace allowing for plenty of time to capture amazing photos and video of the event. The Baca County tornado would draw national media attention and will possibly go down as the most picturesque of all twisters during the 2010 tornado season.
While the Memorial Day tornadoes would be the last seen during the week, they were not the last extraordinary weather event witnessed by the storm chasers.
Storm Chase 2010 intercepted a flying saucer over western Kansas at the end of a very long chase day. (Tony Hake / ThorntonWeather.com)
Central Nebraska proved to be the backdrop for another day of weather beauty. Waiting patiently at a small town gas station, multiple super cells moved across the area and chasers were on the move. From highways to dirt roads, the chasers saw the storms generate amazing shelf clouds and funnel clouds.
In the end, the group of storm chasers covered over 2,500 miles across five states. They witnessed many funnel clouds and amazing storm structures and of course five tornadoes, two of which were at close range. For many it was truly a once in a lifetime experience that allowed them to see Mother Nature’s fury up close and personal.
Complete stories, photos and video from Storm Chase 2010:
