Tornado!!!

I intercepted the tornado near McLean today. It was a nice little tornado too with good contrast and visibility. My video was shot from the dashcam and didn't get the better parts of the tornado because of the angle to my north. The edge of the windshield got in the way. I was on a long stretch of I-40 where there are no off-ramps...perfectly timed with the tornado. LOL!! If I hadn't stopped earlier to screw around with equipment, that 5 minutes would have put me in excellent position. But alas.....

I did fire off alot of stills though. I'll post them later if they came out ok. I can at least grab a few video shots if nothing else. I saw a few other smarter chasers that had setup with a great view on the north side of I-40. I passed them by going eastbound while cussing out the lack of any off-ramps for a hundred miles. ;-)

The storms were pretty impressive for late February. Nice, explosive updrafts with some pretty solid cumuliform. With movement 40-50mph, it was tough to stay with them and intercept. But, it wasn't too bad. I stayed pretty much on the back side of these storms which was key today believe it or not. I could see the updraft of the storm get that notch in it and begin to take on a corkscrew appearence. It was pretty cool. I got to see the entire life cycle with good visual. It remained a funnel for awhile before finally snaking towards the ground. I was able to crest a hill with a great view north and could see the "debris" cloud as it briefly touched down. It was mostly just spray from the wet ground...maybe some dirt and grass. It was pretty weak.

Anyway, the microwave just dinged. I'll post what images I have tomorrow. What a great way to start 2007!!!! It is also my first ever February tornado. I love living in Amarillo! :-)