INCREDIBLE OK Supercel!!!

First off, I have to extend a big thanks to Jay McCoy for helping to inspire me in not giving up yesterday and heading to Woodward. So, I headed back east to around Fairview, OK watching cells trying to go up there. I suspect that the 700mb capping inversion was pretty stout and deep based on the behavior and appearence of struggling updrafts. I was kinda miffed that my Woodward/Alva target was not going to materialize. I had no idea that just to south of there in Custer County, a beast of a cell would explode. Thanks Jay! :-)

I had earlier noticed some thin cirrus across E NM into NW TX. the SPC mentioned a subtle impulse associated with that in their ealier MCD. With all of the convergence, vertical wind profiles and very strong instabilities, I knew any storm that cold bust the cap would go nuts. Man, did it ever!

As I approached it from the ENE, the updraft was stunning with a beautiful splash of varied sunset colors painting the entire storm structure. My main paved road option to get around it was rapidly getting cutoff by a hail core, so I gambled with a dirt road option south. I encountered a big washout and then trying another route only to encounter a small water flow across the road. With a big storm about to munch me, I quickly tested the roadway ahead and made a "baja" maneuver across it...with success! :-)

I finally got SE of the storm and got an incredible visual on it south of Hinton, OK. This was an absolute beauty of an updraft that was nothing short of jaw-dropping. Multi-tiered striated barrel updraft with a very ominous funnel shaped cloud which may have indeed been a true funnel cloud and perhaps a brief tornado. I can't confirm that because of some trees hiding the base of it along with having to rely on lightning to illuminate it. I called it in to OUN who was in the process of issuing a tornado warning on it.

As I looked up, the anvil was highly charged with "zits" popping continuously. The best description I can come up with is that it was "sparkling". I've never used that descripion before concerning anvil zits. It was absolutely surreal!! This was also about the time I heard "grapefruit" hail reports coming in just east of Weatherford. WOW!!

I continued to reposition ahead of the storm and taking photos whenever I could. It was challenging with all of the friggin' trees and hills and creeks with very few options to safely pull over to shoot. But, I did indeed get some great photos. I would post them, but don't have the cable with me to download them. I will very soon though!!

For now, I'm staying at the Holiday Inn Express in Weatherford. I'm watching the evolution of the pronounced outflow boundary in OK eminating from the big MCS over the NE parts of the state. I'm hoping that will end up in the W or NW parts of OK today intersecting the advertised stationary front. The models certainly aren't handling it, so I'm tossing out their surface solutions for now. Again, cap will be strong, but any storm that pops up and roots on it will be spectacular I think. I could handle another one of those. :-)

Until then, I need to shower and get out the door. I will probably drive around this area to survey hail damage for any signs of the grapefruit reports from last night. At some point, things will become abit clearer on a target.