Hello Nebraska Press!

http://www.nebraskapress.typepad.com/

I hope you realize some of my musings are tongue-in-cheek...as in humor, spoof, tomfoolery, prose and part greek tragedy. LOL!!

RUSH!!!! (and McLean Mesonet Smacked By Tornado)

Wow...wow....wow. My all time favorite band Rush is about to release their new album "Snakes & Arrows" on May 1 followed up with a tour. It's hard to believe, but I have never seen them live in concert. Similar to the North Texas Curse (which was in full form today, btw), something has always come up in the past preventing me from going. They don't tour a whole lot to begin with which makes it even harder to get to see them. btw... what a cool little flash intro on their site, eh? I swear that they are closet weather weenies. Just read their lyrics to "Jacob's Ladder". :-)

So, I grabbed a couple of tickets today for their concert near Denver at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, CO. What a stunning and spectacular place to watch a live performance! That alone is worth the trip. :-) It is Wednesday, August 8th, so it will be a mini-vacation for me. I gotta find a partner in crime to go with me now. I'll probably make the 7 hour drive up there and make a long weekend and do some other stuff up there. Dunno yet. I'm just excited to have gottten in on the special pre-sale. I'll be sitting about a fourth of the way back from the stage, so I've got some pretty good seats considering I was late getting online for the pre-sale. And they aren't behind the sound booth either :-) Oh, and here is a GREAT picture of them performing at Red Rocks btw....from the cover of one of Neil's latest books (note his motorcycle perched atop the left rock...digitally altered of course)

Anyway, I've been a fan ever since I first heard their masterpiece album "2112" (their fourth album btw) back in the late 1970s. It is what inspired me to pick up a pair of drumsticks and ever since to this very day study every nuance, lick, groove, beat, rhythm, syncopation, roll, time signatures, and cymbal crash of Neil Peart's drumming style and talent. I would spend hours playing along with headphones until the blisters on my hands would burst. And even then, a good bandage job would allow me to keep playing if I could. :-) The only other drummer that inspired me that much early in life was John Bonham of Led Zeppelin.

But the incredible drumming was only part of the reason I became such a huge fan. Lyrical content, masterful musicianship, creativity, intricate and complex time signatures, recording engineering, live concerts, always pushing the envelope, and importantly always honest with their fans and listeners. Isn't it amazing that they have been together since the early 70's? Name any band that has been together that long and still have a fan base. That's incredible in itself. Okay okay...King's X too :-)

Anyway, it's totally unrelated to the weather, but I'm pretty excited about it. :-)

So, to keep on track, the mesonet site at McLean, TX got smacked by one of Wednesday's tornadoes....or at least a glancing blow (pun intended). It survived and recorded a wind gust to 127 mph and a barometric drop of 9mb (0.27 inches mercury). It shows up pretty clearly in the meteogram here:

http://www.mesonet.ttu.edu/temp/McLean_tornado_28March2007/mclean_summary.html

Pretty cool, eh?

Today & Beyond

UPDATE 2000z: It is actually snowing right now in Amarillo...although mixed in with the rain. Not too far to the NW and W, it's all snow. I love it here. :-) For the potential today further into the heart of TX, I'm thinking the renewed tornado threat will be down closer to I-10 as areas further north are worked over and already going squally along the front. The North Texas Curse is alive and well I see. :-) However, with a little clearing slot extending up ahead of that line approaching from the west and such strongly backed low level winds, I would expect to see some embedded tornadoes in that line. For something more chaseable, it looks like my earlier thoughts about Junction or about 50 miles N of there might verify. I'm liking that particular spot for later today.

Looks like a pretty good even shaping up for S and SW TX into my old home area of N TX later this evening. A few tornadoes are likely. However, it will also be a huge precip-fest too. This causes concern about the placement of the front/boundary and could keep it further south than the NAM forecast...and which the early RUC is advertising. For me, it is too far of a drive with such possibilities looming that I might have to drive all the way to Junction. I'm not in that much need of a grudge-match chase to make up for my recent string of missed opportunities. :-) Plus, the hours of driving in continuous heavy rains isn't my idea of a good chase trip. I'll wait for the months ahead for many other good opportunities in my neck of the woods (or more accurately....tumbleweeds). Best of luck to those making it down there.

After today, that very annoying east coast trough sets up again and this one is going to be big. It will be around for a while. This spells a temporary shutdown for chasing in the plains and in fact, a taste of winter will return starting later next week. It really appears that we'll have to wait until the middle of April for things to make a shift back to favorable upper air patterns. That sucks. There might be an opportunity or two next week though before the pattern changes for the worse. I'll keep an eye on it.

If Confucius Were A Stormchaser......

"For it is far better to have chased and missed, than to have never chased at all".

In looking on the bright side, I could still be stuck in DFW yesterday on a workday watching yet another major tornado event that I could not chase....and today have the system move through as a typical blue box event for N TX. Typical.

I ♥ Amarillo. :-)

Oh, btw, congrats also to Hans Schroeder, Jay McCoy and Kanani Foster for their successful intercepts yesterday!!! I got a good chuckle when Kanani told me that the baby kicked for the first time when they were observing a tornado. Sounds like a natural born chaser in the making to me. Forget about playing Mozart into the womb. Use NOAA warning tones instead ;-)

Also, if you haven't seen it yet, David Drummond's video he posted today is stunning. There is also a funny part in the middle of the video where the tornado is crossing the road and at that moment, that WxWorx voice chimes in "You are approaching a twisting storm. Please excercise caution". It's sure to be a classic video moment...at least in my book. :-)

I'm an idiot

I managed ONCE AGAIN to successfully avoid a major tornado event. I was in perfect position to get on the raging tornadic cells in the SE PH. Instead, I got suckered by some exploding towers off to the west and followed them as they lured me further and further away to the point that it was too late to backtrack. The cells that kept trying to pop were LP storms that were strongly sheared along with being a little more moisture starved. They never got their act together and were racing off 50-60mph to the NNE. I did manage to get into a left-moving tornado-warned storm in Hutchinson county and saw a good rotating anti-cyclonic wall cloud on it's NW side which also showed up nicely on SRV scans. Other than that, I really got suckered again royally today. I was actually sitting south of Amarillo by about 10 miles and had ample time to get into the tornado melee. But, I didn't...I gambled and got burned big time.

I just talked to my friends Matt Patterson and David Drummond who were all over those tornadic cells. They lost count of how many tornadoes they caught today with every shape and size along with simultaneous satellite tornadoes to boot. So, HUGE congrats to those guys for one of those lifetime chase events. I can't wait to see their video :-)

Unfortunately, in speaking with Matt, he got caught between tornadoes with no escape route and had to endure a brutal pummeling of hail up to softballs and possibly larger. He lost a windshield and severely damaged his VX2100. Fortunately, he's ok. If you must endure that kind of punishment, what a helluva way to do it. :-)

Anyway, I hope to get out of my slump and quit making stupid decisions. Believe me, they are etched deeply in my brain now. Experience is a harsh teacher sometimes, but always makes you abit wiser in the long run....I hope! LOL!!!

On to tomorrow....and the rest of what appears to be a wild season ahead.

TORNADO-O-RAMA!!!!!!

UPDATE 2100z: Initiation is imminent. I'm watching the dryline percolate to the west of the I-27 corridor. It seems better moisture is south if I-40 and that is where I'll be focusing. I'll be headed towards Hereford shortly where I see a small kink in the dryline indicated by radar. PDS tornado watch. This is going to be wild.

UPDATE 1730Z: As expected, the SPC pushed the risk areas further west. Currently, everything is still taking shape as the moisture rapidly advects into the PH with 60's starting to work into the I-40 corridor. Skies have cleared and instabilities are rapidly increasing to near 3000 per SPC meso analysis. Cumulus is starting to build near the TX/NM border already. The one thing that still bugs me is the nearly uni-directional profiles currently. This argues for a quick transition to a linear squall with embedded supercells/tornadoes...tough to chase. I'm starting to think that this won't be a big tornado event overall...more wind and hail....even up in W KS where models indicate strongly backed boundary layer winds. It still argues for embedded tornadoes....good luck with chasing that. This is why I am opting for a tail-end charlie chase today. I still believe that will be in the TX PH somewhere. With instabilities as high as they will be late this afternoon, I still believe strongly that strong deviant motion is likely...and even a nearly stationary cell is a good bet. This would be THE storm of the day if it materializes. I'll be watching for it. I think I'm in a pretty good spot sitting here at my office desk. :-) Seriously though, AMA and Canyon are in a pretty dangerous zone in my opinion. It's gonna be a rough ride here.

UPDATE 1530Z: SIGNIFICANT TARGET AREA SHIFT! All models now indicate the dryline staying along the I-27 corridor through this evening and setting up west of AMA by late afternoon. I agree 100% with this. CAPE is still progged to reach 2500+ in the TX PH. What's more, the RUC is keeping ths southern end of convection north of Tulia through 00Z. A also agree with this in regards to the placement of the mid level jet core up to that time. This is really shaping up to be a big tail-end charlie event where a monstrous tornadic supercell rages for hours. Even more important is that the dryline remains nearly stationary. I believe there is a very good chance that any storm that forms along it would remain rooted on it and therefore nearly stationary as well with a slow E/SE drift. The SRH would go through the roof if that were to happen. My target as of now: Amarillo/Canyon/Claude. More later.....

First off, the little setup I talked about yesterday didn't pan out despite earlier RUC forecasts. Simply, there wasn't any boundary left over after 19z and the forecast surface convergence afterwards never materialized. The instability parameters ended up being alot more meager too. It seems that the RUC is really struggling this season terribly.

But, forget about all that. Today is a MAJOR significant severe weather outbreak from the Rio Grande to Nebraska. I won't regurgitate the SPC outlooks here as they are all over this event. This is an all-out classic severe weather outbreak.

Even if I didn't live here, I would target the TX PH today as the prime target. Every conceivable parameter comes together here in the most favorable combination to produce violent tornadic supercells. I will hapily be sitting in my office in Amarillo this afternoon until it is time to bug out. If I don't screw up and do something stupid, I'll have pics and video of tornadoes tomorrow. :-)

For anybody wanting to follow along today, I'll be running Spotter Network starting around 4pm. Look for my icon as "txtail" as you hover over each one. I'll be in the TX PH. :-)

A Little Afternoon PH Chase Today?

A pretty interesting setup being advertised by the RUC for the panhandle today...in my backyard. The past couple of days, we have seen weak landspout type tornadoes. Sunday around LBB and yesterday near Enid. Again, we have a similar atmospheric setup over the PH. The main ingredient we need will be a good boundary for surface vorticity. We may in fact have that.

Currently, a nice boundary stretched from around Hays, KS to Childress to Sweetwater. It is important to note two meso-low circulations along this boundary with on NE of Beaver, OK and another around Childress. The models want to try and wach this out later this afternoon however, so it will be interesting to see how long it remains intact in relation to convective initiation.



The atmosphere is pretty buoyant late this morning and little to no CIN is forecast by afternoon. Surface air parcels should rise freely on their own with a little nudge. A further look at the 12z RUC parameters indicate some VERY interesting things as follows for the 21-00Z timeframe:

0-2km Lapse Rate = 8-9C/KM (extremely high!)

NSTP (Non Supercell Tornado Potential...landspouts) index up to 0.6 (nudging towards moderate)

0-3km MLCAPE = 50-80 (not bad at all....within range)

0-3 CAPE = 100-150 (again, not bad...definitely within range)

0-1km SRH ~ 100 (while not high, certainly enough)

0-1km VGP = 0.3

0-3km EHI = 2.0

0-3km SRH = 100-150 (prettty interesting)

0-3km SHEAR = 30 knots (westerly...into S-SE SFC-850mb flow)

SFC CAPE = 1500 (nice!)

ML CAPE = 750-100 (pretty decent)

ML LFC = 1600-1800ft (pretty low and overlaps the LCL heights below...nice! No cap)

ML LCL = 1000-1800ft (while not hugging the ground, certainly low)

VERY STRONG veering from S-SSE 850mb to W 700mb (wow...lots of twisting within 5000 feet)

VERY STRONG 850-500mb crossover from 850mb S-SSE at 15kts to 500mb W at 30 kts. 300mb winds W at 50 knots. (very nice indeed!!!)

I'm waiting for the 15z data to come in, but don't expect it to be alot different. I'll post anything noteworthy if there is.

The bottom line is that even without a boundary, things get interesting this afternoon. Any boundary with circulations as noted above will most assuredly produce at least a few funnels and a couple of landspouts today.

It will be interesting to see what actually happens today! :-)

Windows: DOH!! & Thoughts This Week

I got a good chuckle out of this while enjoying my first cup of coffee this morning. This is one of the local cable channels that showcase real estate. I know my friend Glenn Dixon will get a kick out of this being that he recently sold his soul to the apple. ;-)




On the weather front, models are all over the place with regards to the evolution of the approaching storm system just off the left coast. However, I'm siding with the ECMWF solution of closing and stalling this thing over the 4 corners and northern NM through Saturday. It seems the other models are trending towards this solution. Again, it is pretty typical for such big power-house systems to end up being slower/deeper/stronger than early model forecasts. This shouod make things pretty interesting in the southern and central plains through Saturday. In fact, if I'm lucky, a close cold core will flirt with the TX PH later this week.

Oh, I also removed the annoying word verification for my blog comments. It seems bugged if you spend more than a few seconds writing anything. Damned web develoopers. ;-)

Strike 3 & Spotter Network

It seems that I ran into the Mother Nature equivalent of "Nolan Ryan" the past three days. I struck out swinging on Friday with a big curve ball.....Saturday with a sinker.....and yesterday with a fastball. The season is just starting though, so I can still recover my batting average. ;-)

I'm also beginning to reconsider my status as the cause of the North Texas Curse. ;-) Note the following events within the past 4 days:

1) This last upper system split mightily as it approached W TX. It stopped, then split into two pieces as if sliced with a Ginsu knife. One piece ejected up through NM into CO and the northern plains. The second piece is staying south of the border and well into deep south Texas today.

2) On Friday, I completed transmuted a raging beast of a tornadic supercell into a pussy cat. This all within a red box too.

3) Saturday, I squashed all convection within a 500 mile radius or more.

4) Sunday, I saved the residents of Lubbock as when I arrived, all landspout activity abruptly ceased for the rest of the day. The other dubious storm that popped a landspout near Tulia was also brought under control when I made it there just in the nick of time.

;-)

On a positive note, I started running Spotter Network yesterday after chatting with David Drummond and Graham Butler who are running it. It was cool to watch their progess into SW TX on GR3. My position popped up on there too after a few minutes. It updates every 2 minutes. If you have any of the GR radar products, you can track anybody running it by using the placefile at http://www.spotternetwork.org/grlevelx.txt If you don't have a GR product, then you can also track spotters at http://spotternetwork.org/google.php. I'm listed as "txtail"...when I'm running it. Feel free to track my folly-filled antics in trying to intercept storms this season.

The Spotter Network is a really great concept and use of technology. Spotter reports are instantly plotted on the map complete with all information with the report. In my opinion, it saves time in trying to verbally relay information as well as ensuring accuracy. In short, the reports should be faster.

One bit of constructive criticism I have is the actual page where you submit a report. You can't do it from the field over a cellular connection. There are far too many graphics and a google map to download. It simply takes too long and is prone to being interrupted with intermittent cellular connections...not to mention competing for bandwidth of other data you are downloading like radar. I also noticed that your icon remains on the map even when you stop updating for awhile...as in disconnecting for the night.

I'm hoping that the client interface can be used in the future to enter direction, distance and type of hazard relative to your GPS position in a simple text or XML format. No downloading necessary and a small text based file to upload would be very fast. So, for now, I will be calling in (911 or NWS) or radioing my reports in that rare occasion I would be allowed to do so on a net and then have my report taken seriously.

So, SN is just a cool "toy" right now for me personally. I stress that because it is a GREAT tool for a net controller or a spotter at home with better internet connectivity. I look forward to seeing this product grow and gain more widespread integration in the warning process.

Today's Thoughts 3/25

TORNADO WARNING - TORNADO REPORTED SE OF LUBBOCK!!!! I'm out the door!!!

Interesting little setup ongoing at this time for W TX. Strong clearing is allowing bountiful insolation underneath pretty cold mid and upper temps along with surface moisture is allowing for some pretty good destabilization today. latest indications with RUC forecasts indicate CAPE exceeding 2000 from SW TX and even into the E TX PH. Obvious surface boundary is focusing some strong storms from Morton to Lubbock. I'm thinking this boundary will remain in play today as ongoing storms and sharp cloud/clearing line keep it reinforced.

Although vertical wind profiles aren't all that great, 850-300mb shear is pretty good. This should allow for some organized storm development. The 0-3km CAPE looks to be pretty stromg in that area today as well. This makes it interesting enough for me to venture that way today just to see what happens. I figure I'll make it to Tulia and perhaps Hale Center and make a decision to stay or come back home.

Bustola & Exploring the TX PH

I bet a few of you out there thought I was totally nuts for chasing W/NW OK yesterday ouside of any SPC risk areas. Well, this morning I would agree. :-) However, the potential was there based on available data at noon. Entrance region and RRQ of mid and upper jet (although weak) was progged by models to setup over this area along with decent convergence and some marginal CAPE. The RUC and NAM were forecasting pretty good 0-3km CAPE. The RUC especially was forecasting precip breaking out down to about Quanah, TX. Even the forecasters at the NWS-OUN got lured. From their outlook issued at around noon yesterday:

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK...ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON ANDEVENING IN FAR WESTERN OKLAHOMA AND WESTERN NORTH TEXAS.

DISCUSSION...ABUNDANT MOISTURE AND MODERATE INSTABILITY WILL REMAIN IN PLACE TODAY...BUT THERE WILL BE LITTLE UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT FOR NEW THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT. THE MAIN FEATURE TO WATCH WILL BE A PACIFIC COLD FRONT AT THE SURFACE MOVING OUT OF FAR WEST TEXAS.BY LATE AFTERNOON...THIS FRONT WILL APPROACH WEST CENTRAL OKLAHOMA DOWN THROUGH FAR WESTERN NORTH TEXAS.

A SUBSTANTIAL CAP WILL LIMIT THE NUMBER OF STORMS...BUT CONVERGENCE AND HEATING MAY BE SUFFICIENT FOR A FEW THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP. A CORE OF STRONG WINDS ALOFT WILL ALSO PROVIDE WIND SHEAR FAVORABLE FOR SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. ALTHOUGH TORNADOES ARE NOT LIKELY...THEY CANNOT BE ENTIRELY RULED OUT...ESPECIALLY IF A STORM CAN PERSIST AND REMAIN ISOLATED.

THE THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE LIMITED...HOWEVER...TO THE AREA SOUTH AND WEST OF A LINE FROM CHEYENNE TO HOBART TO SEYMOUR. CLOUD COVER WILL LIMIT INSTABILITY FARTHER NORTH AND EAST...WHERE PRECIPITATION IS MORE LIKELY TO BE IN THE FORM OF SHOWERS WITH OCCASIONAL THUNDER. PROBABILITY TABLE...VALID THROUGH 700 AM CDT SUNDAY MAR 25.

PROBABILITY OF THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRING IN THE NWS NORMAN COUNTY WARNING AREA...30 PERCENT.PROBABILITY OF SEVERE STORMS IF STORMS OCCUR...60 PERCENT.

One of the major problems was that the models were neve in good agreement on things which made it a tough forecast on top of everything else going on. The upper low moved abit quicker and the entrance/RRQ structure jet never materialized. In fact, the jet core remained further west as the surface convergence worked further east. My concerns about the atmosphere getting worked over really came into play as well...especially over W/NW KS where only a few weak storms and showers managed to get going. It was alot more limited to in areal coverage than forecast. The clouds/precip over the E TX PH and W OK in the late morning certainly did not help the cause. By about 22z, I could tell nothing was going to happen, so I started making my way back home.

But, that is part of chasing. Ma Nature still calls the shots and proves every once in awhile that she can be quite fickle. No doubt about it, this was a difficult forecast even a few hours ahead of expected initiation. Fortunately, I didn't make a long drive yesterday. In fact, I did a little exploration and a little photography.

From a rest stop north of Pampa:



I drive a few miles and see a group of Pronghorns. My telephoto lens sucks though. The quality is cheap.




And, I confirmed what those annoying permanant echo returns are on the AMA radar images.


They are windfarms!


There is another one just NE of Vega that shows up on radar too. This is similar to the permanenet echo you see on the DDC radar to the WSW. It seems windfarms are popping up all over W TX and the PH. I regularly see big semis carrying the propeller blades. I'm certain that alot of these things will spring up over the next decade. I wonder how much it will intefere with weather radar operations? It is certainly going to be a blight on the big open skies up here in this "treeless" landscape.

Regardless, I want to be the first one video taping a tornado ripping through one of these windfarms. Shakespeare himself would be quite amused by the irony displayed in that imagery. :-)

Today 3/24

1815z: Headed north and noth-east towards Beaver, OK. I'm still liking that area down to CDS today and will be intently monitoring data as I have a hunch that Shamrock, TX might be my final target today. It is still a tough forecast though.. out the door.

1615z: Things are still rather complex at this hour. The models aren't helping too much either as both the RUC and NAM are offering two different target areas. The RUC prefers extreme SW NE and NW KS. The NAM targets W OK between Vernon, TX to Dodge City, KS. I personally think it is a tie. LOL! I do have to pick a target area though and go with it. I'm not ready to do that yet because there just isn't anything solid to go on.

I'm eyeing the boundaries here in the TX/OK PH and over W OK where thick clouds and a few showers have suddenly developed. This is going to kill insolation there and causes concern for targeting that area. However, this will possibly reinforce the outflow boundary further south into SW OK and the SE TX PH. I'm watching this.

There is another boundary across the NW TX PH that might be a player too. Clouds are breaking nicely across the W Half of the TX PH and areas to the S and W. So, at least we'll get some solid insolation here and being closer to the colder 700-500 mb temps, the lapse rates are going to be alot better along with resultant CAPE if we hold the moisture in here this afternoon. The RUC keeps wanting to shore up some convergence near the I-27/287 corridor through afternoon. I'm starting to pay close attention to this...especially with the latest surface obs showing this with a good dry punch coming in from E/SE NM into W TX.

One thing is certain...I'm not making a llllooooonnnnng drive to NE today. There is enough going on here closer to home that I think has about the same potential. We'll see. Updates later this afternoon.


1300Z: The SPC 1300Z outlook summed up things nicely...especially with things being extremely complex at this hour. The overnight convective melee has really stirred everything up with boundaries everywhere. One big outflow boundary arcs N/S across central KS down to NW portions of OK to south of Lubbock. There is a pretty decent meso high reinforcing this boundary. This is going to be the major player today for me in where to chase.

The 09z RUC conflicts abit with the 00Z NAM with regards to surface features and overall dynamics for supercells. I'm going to wait for the 12z runs of both models as they get a better handle on current data. But, the NAM was favoring W/NW OK into S KS which corresponds well to what I mentioned above. This area will also be under the influence of RRQ jet dynamics as well as the potential OB/dryline intersection. Moisture and instability won't be a problem either. I'm really concerned about recovery up into NW KS and NE where the SPC is focusing their outlook on. This is a pretty strong meso high and a large swath of "source" air has been worked over. It is going to take ALOT of insolation today to recover. On the otherhand, subsidence over NW OK could be a major problem too, depending on the upper low's track. The favored upper dynamics are over NW half of KS into SW half of NE.

Another problem will be the ejecting upper low today. Right now, it is really picking up steam as it eject NNE across NM. The 12z models should help resolve this feature's track through 00Z today. I'm concerned it may eject abit faster and put dynamics further into NE..BUT leave us with a better setup down here.

Ok, alot of jabber to really say that I'm not sold yet on any particular area. Each target area has it's pros and cons evenly weighted...it's a tie. My gut tells me to play the OB/dryline intersection today. I've seen some pretty good isolate supercells develop on the tail end of the "comma" feature with these ejecting upper lows. You might say a "tailchaser". ;-) The 12z data will sway me one way or the other.

I'm going to get something to eat and change the oil. Will post thoughts later.

Cranial Extraction Process

I am currently undergoing a process to extract my cranium from the posterior opening of my alimentary canal.

Today is just one of those days that you reflect upon the choices and decisons you made with complete and total disbelief. I went after the big, isolated tornadic supercell that erupted near Tucemcari. It was rocking and rolling as it got to the TX border where I was heading west out of Amarillo. A red box was issued just to it's NE and I was pumped. That was as exciting as it got. It became elevated and went linear...looking very much like typical North Central Texas storms. Yawn.

Meanwhile, back in my original target area around Morton/Clovis, there was a grand tornadofest just SW of there. A gorgeous looking supercell (on radar) was going nuts down there. Gratz to my friends Jay McCoy and Kanani Foster for bagging some naders. In fact, as I write this, they are still tornadic at this hour just N and NE of Clovis. Sigh.

Now, why in the heck did I ignore the painfully obvious target down there with every parameter in the world saying "go here - see tornado"? The only conclusion I have is that SDS kicked in big time and I was lured to the Tucemcari cell like a moth to a flame. The radar and satellite presentation was mesmerizing. It was pure impulse...nothing really mental about it all. Similar to an attractive member of the opposite sex seriously flirting with you. Paint me yellow and call me a sucker. ;-)

Oh well, at least I got to see some pretty impressive gustnadoes that could have easily been reported as a couple of tornadoes. It was one of the largest gustnado circulations I've seen. That's akin to being told "I just wanna be friends, okay"? lol!!

Tomorrow, I shall attempt to redeem myself.

Big Event Today

UPDATE 1915Z: Will be headed SW towards Clovis OR west on I-40 out of Amarillo as soon as I'm finished here at work. SPC mesoanalysis really puts a bullseye on this spot. I particularly like the nose of the mid level jet focusing on this area along with nice backed flow in the boundary layer and clear skies. A big isolated supercell has already developed a ways west of Clovis. Also, I still make out a weak boundary on vis sat down around Muleshoe/Morton/Littlefield area which was evident on this morning's surface analysis. I'll refine my target as I head out. Good luck to those able to get out today...it looks like a good 'un. Tornadoes will be had today. I hope to get lucky. ;-)

There's no reason for regurgitating the excellent SPC outlook for today. One thing we'll have today that we didn't have yesterday is a big, nice dryslot over the region. The laps rates should be incredible. I like the areas along the TX/NM border where the low clouds are already breaking up. There appears to be remnants of the outflow boundary from yesterday from around Littlefield to my birthplace Morton. This will be my play today if it remains intact. Storm motions will be pretty fast for the most part, so I'll be anticipating right-splitters...hopefully along the aforementioned OB. Updates alter this afternoon before I head out.

Amarillo Floodage!

A few pics I took today at lunch and the last one after work.












You know, I believe I've had more "weather" here in the past 7 weeks than I had all of last year in North Central Texas. Did I tell ya that I love living up here? ;-)

Today's Thoughts 3/22

Ouch! Well, with the convective melee, immense cold pool, and too many clouds in the warm sector combined with weak upper dynamics just didn't do much after all. Like I said, it was an hour-by-hour sort of day and what looked great at 1830z quickly turned sour a few hours later. There was a big honking HP and linear bow segment that raced across my target area from around Tulia to Clarendon into SW OK...right along the front. Nothing but linear high base junk further south. I felt like I was chasing in North Central Texas again! lol

UPDATE 1830Z: We had a strong t-storm move through AMA with LOTS of pea/marble hail and winds to 60mph. Considerable street flooding and some hail drifts. Things are becoming much clearer as to the chase potential today....and pretty much like I was thinking earlier this morning. Nice outflow boundary as setup from SE NM into the PH around Tulia. As I was hoping, the clouds are breaking up nicely to the south of the OB and the low level winds are remaining backed to the SE as well as transporting good moisture even up on the caprock. The moisture has a little depth to it as well. Everything is coming together for at least a couple of isolated tornadic supercells this afternoon...most likely right on the OB. It's convenient that it is close to home. :-)"
THIS WILL INCREASE EFFECTIVE STORM RELATIVE HELICITY AVAILABLE WITHIN STORM INFLOW LAYER...AND IN TURN ALLOW STORMS TO BECOME SUPERCELLS. STEEP LAPSE RATES AND FAVORABLE DEEP LAYER SHEAR WILL FAVOR LARGE HAIL. SHEAR IN THE LOWEST 1KM IS NOT PARTICULARLY STRONG. HOWEVER...RIGHT MOVING SUPERCELLS WILL BE FAVORED AND LOW LEVEL VORTICITY WILL BE ENHANCED ALONG OUTFLOW BOUNDARY CURRENTLY FROM ROW TO AMA. THUS...ISOLATED TORNADOES MAY OCCUR"



Things are abit more complex this morning. Alot of clouds and increasing precipitation all across E NM and the W parts of TX and the PH will make for a very tricky forecast today. As a result, instabilities are going to be meager. Surface focii will be about as complex with boundaries galore. Today is going to be one of those hourly mesoscale analysis until something becomes more certain by early or even late afternoon. Even then, with expected extensive cloud cover today, it is going to be tough.

The pros for today are good helicities with surface flow backed today from the SE with SW flow aloft. If we can get a decent W/E outflow boundary setup, that would get me a tad excited. ;-) Of interest is the ongoing strong t-storm near Clovis, NM as I write this trying to exhibit a bit of devient motion. If the stronger SE low level flow remains intact along with the moisture feed (and I'm believing it will), then the chance for right-turning cells today will be very good. These will be potentially tornadic..although I don't see a high threat of tornadoes because of the thermodynamics...but the lower LCLs and strong low level SREH should compensate. A good 850mb jet from the S will also help out.

So, the question is, where? Right now, I like the area about 25 miles either side of a line from Muleshoe to Tulia to Clarendon. This is on the southern edge of the ongoing heavy storms and a tad of thinning cloud cover. The models are also trying to setup some additional synoptic scale convergence along with good moisture with dewpoints near and a tad above 60F expected today. I'm also starting to suspect that the bigger cells in far E NM will track eastward into this area and intensify...but by that time will be HP bruisers. However, they will also lay down additional boundaries for other storms to latch onto.

Of course, everything could very easily erupt into one large convective melee across the entire region today and ruining any chance for a good chase. It's a very distinct probablity. I'm hoping that a bit of a cap will establish itself later this afternoon and keep storms more on the isolated side. As I mentioned earlier, this is a classic hour-by-hour forecast for today.

As for this weekend, the models are diverging again, but starting to show a bit of a consensus in slowing the system down and breaking it into two chunks of energy. Either way, things are going to get wild this weekend and now Sunday is in play....at least it is starting to look that way at this point.

Stay tuned!!!

Chase Report - March 21 - TX PH

Got on and stayed with the storm near Clarendon. It puttered along until it tapped into some better moisture. Too lazy to post a detailed account..so here are some nice pics. I botched several really good ones because my camera angle was too high and chopped off the horizon. It looked fine through the eyepice. The head must have been loose and it slowly tilted. I dunno.

A nice shot with the moon and Venus in the top left.




ZAP!! A bit close. My Ham antenna was crackling pretty good before this. I shot the rest from inside the car. ;-) I was zoomed all the way out and this is uncropped...full size.


Here is an interesting sequence. Note the inflow bands intersecting in the lower left?


Hmmmmm....


What the heck is THAT feature?


A closer inspection.....talk amongst yourselves. ;-)

Today 3/21

UPDATE 2100Z: You know that weak little kink I mentioned earlier in the profiler analysis this morning? That and what appears to be a jet streak nosing into the area is starting to get things going. In the dry air, there are towering Cu already. Convergence is setting up near and just S and SE and E of AMA as well as indicated by latest vis satellite. Moisture is better towards CDS and far E TX PH, but decent moisture is advecting up on the caprock from the S and SE. I'm expecting a few isolated storms to bust out later starting in a couple of hours. If the surface winds back just off the caprock as the RUC is showing, then that along with better moisture would warrant at least a low-end tornado threat as indicated by the 20Z SPC outlook. The important thing is that I think I might have a chase today after all. :-) It appears initiation will be likely around Woodward at first and then something isolated back between Tulia to Clarendon later.

I'm not getting any chasewood today. ;-) The one big horsefly in the ointment is that there just doesn't seem to be any sort of disturbance aloft to help erode the cap. In fact, the RUC is indicating slight mid level ridging spreading across the PH and KS today. As a result, it is not breaking anything out in this area. The cap is stout and it's going to take more than what we are going ot have to work with.

One interesting thing I noticed is that profiler analysis shows a very weak little kink in the flow around 700mb approaching my region. The RUC didn't pick up on it. Also, pronounced increase in upper winds around 250mb was also noted at 18z which the RUC was a little off on. It's really grasping desperately at fleeting straws, but interesting to note. I still don't think it is going to be enough to pop anything.

Lastly, the RUC has been consistent in showing pronounced dryline convergence from around Woodward to Pratt later this afternoon. If it is enough, then something isolated *might* pop there. It's a very long shot for sure and not something I would make a long drive for. Some weak convergence around my area in the PH, S and SE of AMA, will be something I'll watch later this afternoon....just in case. :-)

I did FINALLY get all of my data services up and running today after a bit of trouble with my anti-virus software. I hate McAfee. I went with the Fisherman package on WxWorx. I also managed to get my GPS running on SA, GR3 and WxWorx as well without a hitch. On GR3, I've got all of the shapefiles loaded which display every road and highway...even Bob's roads....in the W half of TX, SW half of KS, E CO, E NM, and NE. A test run with the GPS running showed amazing accuracy around here in AMA. All of the various placefiles are up and running too. I now have all watches, MCD, outlook risks, and METARS (as station plots), and OK Mesonet running and updating nicely. Huge kudos to Jeff Snyder for not only making this data available for free, but that it runs very smoothly.

So, I'm ready and chomping at the bit to do some serious chasing...sometime this week. :-)

Inconvenient Facts to Inconvenient Truths - Part 3

This is just too good....

Al Gore is not only stalling big time and demanding special treatment in his pending testimony before the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee, but actually violating the rules and concessions they made for him. You have GOT to read this :-)

CLICK HERE

Also take a read of the other links at the bottom. Good stuff, manard.

Today 3/20 & Beyond

Nothing to really hang your hat on today as the models are in good agreement of dissolving any surface focus/convergence in relation to a strong cap. A weak disturbance is progged by the RUC to move across W TX later today. But, I share the sentiment of the SPC that it doesn't appear to be any chance of any surface parcels busting the cap. I'll keep an eye on it though in case skies really clear off and the disturbance ends up being a little stronger along with any surface thermal boundaries in place. We are at least seeing some decent moisture up on the caprock. :-)

The severe chances increase tomorrow however and will continue to do so each day through the weekend. It is going to be a day one forecast for each of those days as too many variables will have to play out the morning of each potential chase day. Saturday however is really starting to look like the big finale of the week. At that time, the models are in very good agreement about a significant severe weather day for W TX and the PH into the Red River Valley northward into Kansas as the upper low opens up into a slight negative tilt and our good friends the dryline and triple point join the fray along with ample instabilities. Stay tuned!!! I'm pretty excited about the prospects the models are teasing me with. And what is that I see on the distant horizon next week? Another big storm system perhaps? ;-)

In the meantime, look for more WX-Geography on WX-CHASE, online debates about amber light bars, yahoo labeling, demise of video sales, chaser ethics, federal/state chaser regulation fear mongering, and a host of other subjects totally unrelated to the big start of the chase season....coming soon to a stormchasing chat list near you. LOL!

Inconvenient Facts to Inconvenient Truths - Part 2

Man, I love this stuff. Every time those hypocritical and zany liberal global warming alarmists are further exposed and challenged with facts and real science, my day gets off to a real good start. :-)

1) The Great Climate Swindle (Special thanks to my friend Glenn Dixon for this little jewel!)

2) Researchers Question Validity Of A 'Global Temperature'

3) A NASA scientist who said the Bush administration muzzled him because of his belief in global warming yesterday acknowledged to Congress that he'd done more than 1,400 on-the-job interviews in recent years. (yet another liberal motivated solely by his own agenda and his hatred of all things George Bush to the point where "lying is ok")

4) Scientists blame Hollywood for increased fears over global warming

Crazy Week Ahead

The models have been bouncing all over the place in handling the evolving upper air pattern this week. The important thing is that we are through with the NW flow regime for quite awhile...in my opinion. This means unsettled and stormy weather for us weather weenies. I am looking forward to it after the long string of "Chamber Of Commerce" days in the TX PH. ;-) It has been absolutely beautiful up here in the past few weeks.

I even made it to the Palo Duro Canyon State Park on Saturday...my first trip there. It was astounding to say the least. If anybody on chasecation has a down day, I highly recommend a trip there. Bring a camera. ;-) I look forward to exploring it more in the future as well as the activities they have ongoing...including the show "Texas!" and the Elkins Ranch. Also, I checked out the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum in Canyon. It exceeded my expectations for sure. I spent several hours there learning alot about this region from the prehistoric era through today....including the almighty windmill. :-) The antique car display alone is worth the price of admission. Don't miss it if you are out this way. Anyway.......

The important thing in the weather pattern this week is that there will be several, repeated episodes of severe weather anywhere between Kansas and the Rio Grande. To try and predict any target more finite than that is impossible right now. Why? The storm system has yet to even develop over the SW parts of the CONUS and the approaching energy from the Pacific that will spawn it is still well over the Pacific Ocean where sampling is sparse.

With that in mind, what I'm seeing this morning is strongly indicating that the energy (jet stream) is stronger than most model forecasts. The 12Z NAM is picking up on this right now. With the typical model bias of underforecasting these west coast systems, I am leaning heavily towards the "stronger" model solution which right now is the 00Z ECMWF. That model solution indicates a deeper and more closed-off upper low to move very slowly across the SW US towards the plains by this weekend. The "grand finale" of severe weather would be this Saturday and Sunday with several smaller stage events before then as pieces of energy eject out over an increasingly more unstable airmass and various surface focii.

There will be many critical variables coming into play each day regarding the location and intensity of severe weather events. I don't believe that a forecast more than 24 hours out will have any more reliability than tarot cards. I'm not going to waste any time or effort on the models beyond that window except for overall model trends, consensus and consistency regarding the overall upper air pattern evolution. I'll try to post my thoughts and personal forecast on a daily basis this week.

For today, a front moves through the PH and down towards Lubbock/Wichita Falls line before becoming stationary. A weak surface low is progged to develop somewhere W or WNW of Lubbock. Moisture in that area looks pretty pitiful today, but enough for some minimal instability. Convergence should be pretty strong and with lots of insolation and decent lapse rates, something isolated should pop along the front and near the surface low. With 180 degree veering profiles from the surface to 500mb, anything that forms should corkscrew and with the drier airmass, could be some nicely sculpted updrafts.

I probably will sit it out today in anticipation of better opportunities this week. But as always, I'll be watching everything unfold. :-)

Outstanding!!!! Check it out!!

Every once in awhile, the "popular" forum for chasers produces some truly great nuggets of information amidst the noise, lunacy and stormchaser police activity (better call in those storm reports, boys and girls! lol).

I am really quite the happy camper to point you at:

http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/tornadomap.php

They have really worked hard to produce perhaps the best tool for researching tornado history. But, they went beyond just simple number crunching and integrated the database (quite nicely I might add) with Google Maps. Awesome...awesome...awesome!

I actually looked at the files they used for this database and I've been intending to do some number crunching and analysis out of personal curiosity. However, after grinding all day long M-F doing that stuff, it's tough to get motivted to do that in my freetime. :-) Thanks to the hard work of these guys, the work is done.

Oh...still looking good for the severe weather season to really crank up next week. More on that later. I hope everybody has their gear ready.

Today's Outlook & Gentlemen, Start Your Data!!

UPDATE 2300Z: Well that juicy looking supercell I mentioned earlier is looking pitiful. I didn't take into account all of that rain cooled air feeding into it from the big squall line from the Rio Grande to Arkansas. It tried twice to really get its act together too. Oh well...at least the 12z GFS gave me some chasewood for next week and beyond. :-)

UPDATE 2145z: The cold core activity really isn't looking too promising for anything within reach for me today. Overall, the setup isn't panning out as good as I had hoped. However, if I could teleport, I would jump on a developing isolated supercell between Eastland and Breckenridge. It is apparent that it is exploding along a stationary boundary. Thus, the updraft region is nearly stationary and resulting in favorable SR winds and SREH. I'd bet a Big Texan steak dinner that it will pop a tornado pretty soon.

The upper low will be meandering around today and forecast to make a slow drift towards Plainview and then Childress. Skies have cleared nicely across a large area in the eastern nad southern quads of the upper low. With very cold temperatures (-20C at MAF and EPZ this morning) aloft around 500mb, lapse rates should be as steep as the Titan roller coaster at Six Flags. There is enough moisture in place to provide the fuel.

As we near peak heating today, at least a few isolated mini-supercells should pop up to the E and SE of the upper low. Boundaries will of course be key and that part of the equation is still up in the air. However, ongoing storms between Lubbock and Sweetwater could aid in this effort. We'll have to see what happens.

Speaking of those storms, they are associated with a spoke of vorticity evident by WV analysis and more distinct on radar loops. As this little swirl moves up towards the Childress/Altus/Seymour area today, things could get real interesting there. But, I expect additional storms to pop today near the cold core as it tracks towards CDS as well. I'll be watching things closely today and have my gear with me in case something pops up within a work-night chase range. I certainly think there is a possibility of a decent cold core event...if only with a couple of cells. Stay tuned.

The crystal ball this morning is showing that the anticipated pattern change will occur starting early next week. Current indications and thinking is that the annoying east coast troughiness will finally be replaced by a broad west coast trough and zonal flow across the plains. Moisture return looks to really pick up as well. If the GFS is correct in the last few runs, we could really get setup with a VERY active severe weather pattern the last half of March into April.

So, it's time to crank up the data services and fully equip the chase vehicle for the upcoming season. I've got alot of loose wires to tidy up and get WxWorx up and tested. I've also got to get my "gear center" setup at home. All of this should keep me busy for the next week when the atmosphere starts getting primed. :-)

Chase Report - March 10 - TX Panhandle

Did I ever mention just how much I love living here on the Caprock?

I just *almost* moved into those apartments and would have except they don't allow critters. I moved into one almost as good though, but I won't publicly divulge my address because of the psychos out there. Anyway....

I took a short drive south to Happy/Wayside to intercept some impressive looking storms on radar. They didn't look too good visually until sunset. They were pretty stout considering dewpoints in the lower to mid 40's. It just goes to show that strong dynamics and a little Panhandle magic can do wonders. Some of the storms produced hail to ping pong size and all were really good lightning producers as you'll see. On radar, they were rotating pretty good too with distinct hook signatures on occassion. I have no doubt that tornadoes would have dropped with better boundary layer moisture.

I stayed out of the hail (because I didn't have a rental to trash...ha!) for the most part, but did tease the hail shafts. With the higher based storms, they were quite distinct visually. I got on a real bruiser of a storm near Happy and tracked it eastward until I had to stop just east of Wayside lest I fall into the Palo Duro Canyon. It had a nice hook on it too with good rotation aloft, but visually, nothing to get too excited about. However, another storm approached from the west. This would be the one I would get some great photos of and enjoy a great early season dislay of Ma Natures power. I also got a warning from her to get back into the car when my ham antenna starting crackling and buzzing. I could actually make out a faint bluish glow on the tip. Time to call it quits. :-0

CLICK HERE for full slideshow of all of the pics I captured.

I'd love to be chasing down around Midland today wherever the cold core low ends up with surface convergence. That's a bit far for me on a worknight, so I'll armchair chase today.

TESSA NO GO, GFS, WoW

I had planned this week to leave on Friday to arrive at my friends' house in Denton to stay the night and we'd get up early Saturday and head to TESSA. However, I'm not going to get out of Amarillo at a decent time today to make the 5 hour trip. I'm feeling pretty crappy too and just not up for a road trip. I was really looking forward to it too. I'll have to buy the DVD when Martin releases it later down the road. I hope it contains all the good stuff.

On the otherhand, the models are having a very difficult time handling the next system over the weekend. They have been all over the place with soluitions and even today are at great odds with each other. The GFS is most interesting because it continues it's forecast of closing and pinching off the energy into an upper low over the western parts of Texas. So, it will be something for me to watch this weekend other than boring, pretty weather. ;-)

Gazing into the crystal ball, I still don't see much hope for stormchasing anytime soon. March is turning out to be quite a dud. What's worse is that one of the wettest months of the year is turning out to be bone dry. If the rains don't crank up in April, we are going to be plunged right back into one of the severest droughts in the past century. In the fuzzy outer realm of the crystal ball, I do see a pattern change by around the 20-23rd of March which the GFS has been continuing to hint at for several runs now. I put a little more faith in reading that far out because this time of year, the upper air pattern just doesn't remain stagnant. In fact, I'm amazed in just how "stable" it is right now for early March. So, still no need to turn on the data services just yet. :-)

So, what does a poor stormchaser do when the weather just isn't cooperating for long periods of time? I used to play alot of Battlefield 2 which is a great MMORPG. I played anti-tank and sniper kits pretty well. But, it's got its's limits and I got bored with it after awhile...but still play every once in awhile. Lately for the past several months, I've been playing World Of Warcraft. Yep, I'm a WoW head. It is an addictive and fun game, I'll have to admit. The parent company, Blizzard, is like a drug pusher. They make it very easy to "sample" the game at which point you get hooked.

Each week, I join with over 8 million WoW heads worldwide with over 2 million in the US to waste some of my productive time and social life to go on quests, slay various monsters, battle other players of the opposing faction, group- raid dungeons, explore a vast world, engage in trade and commerce, etc. I'm even in a guild with other players mostly from Texas and similar age. It's not just the kiddos out there. It's by far the most popular game out there For any WoW heads out there interested, my main character is a Tauren Warrior which I just maxed out at level 70 last week. It's by far my favorite race and class. For the Horde! :-) My guild is getting ready to run the elite dungeons, so I'm preparing to respec from fury to a heavy protection to become the main "tank". If any of ya'll out there are WoW heads, PST. ;-) If I get too bored, I might post some pics of my character later.

Well, I gotta go. I hear the Alliance are attacking Crossroads again. ;-)

Inconvenient Facts to Inconvenient Truths

Finally, a serious scientific documentary concerning the oppressed side of the global warming cause debate. I'm sure the Hollywood liberals with the Goredito camp whipsering in their ears will mobilize to stiffle this movie from ever being shown. I expect no comment from them other than name-calling and belittling. True scientific debate has no place in liberal circles :-) I get a kick out of them scrambling to respond to those pointing out Gore's hypocrisy and typical "do as I say, not as I do" liberal tendencies when it was revealed he is spending tens of thousands of dollars each month on energy bills to keep his luxurious mansion warm and cozy. ROFLOL!!
CLICK HERE for the story.

March is Here!!

After starting the pre-season off with a bang, the extended models aren't offering any hope of chasing anytime soon around these parts. I'm abit concerned with the extensive dry air that has entrenched itself over a large portion of this region. Dewpoints have been running near or below zero. The GOM SSTs are in good shape however, so once we can get the upper air pattern to transition in our favor, the extensive bone-dry air might actually become an asset. Since dry air is more dense, this could setup some truly classic dryline confrontations down the road. Until then, the upper air pattern just doesn't appear to cooperate for the next 7-10 days and possibly longer. I hope things change for the better by the Ides Of March...my personal official start to the season. I don't plan on cranking up the mobile data services just yet. :-)

Speaking of which, everybody is awaiting the much anticipated upgrade of WxWorx to include SPC MCD and Day One discussions and graphics along with watch boxes. However, I won't be one of them. It's not worth the extra 50-70 clams per month just to get these items. I do quite well with cellular data and wifi spots which seem to be everywhere now. I wouldn't be surprised to see a cow along the side of the road one of these days with a wireless router strapped to it. ;-)

My point is that I expect about a 95% data access rate for such SPC goodies. Last June, I ran extensive data all throughout western Kansas with only a very rare data blackout which lasted about 10-20 miles at most. Even then, I was in the middle of a chase and the need for data other than radar was unnecessary. And, yes, I'm using Cingular which I hear people crying about coverage in W KS, but I just don't seem to have a problem....at least enough of a problem to pay the extra money for the SPC products. Go figure.

Instead, I'm scaling down WxWorx to what I use it for 100% of time anyway...surface plots and radar. It simply fills in for when I can't get cellular data access or the GRLevel3 radar feeds aren't working (very rare I might add). I kinda like the instant composite view of WxWorx as well. I finally configured the station plots and customized the zoom levels to display them. It's a pain in the ass, but I got it just right.

The "Sailor" package [insert joke here] is $30/month and gets me the radar and surface plots and warnings. I don't need the other stuff. I'll save my money for the unlimited cell data and a booster. I always run GRLevel3 before anything else because you get all of the cool radar products in high detail compared to WxWorx. I run all reflectivity tilts and SRV tilts 1 and 2 and perhaps VAD when doing pre-convection analysis. I sometimes run the 2 or 4 panel display feature to watch REF SRV simultaneously. The zooming features rock too. It's good stuff, manard.

I'm also started work on a web-browser based program to run on my laptop to do alot of custom data gathering via cellular data. It will update specific things like MCDs Day Ones, AFDs, surface and satellite images. It will pop up and let you know when something new pops up. I'll have some links to model data and SPC mesoanalysis too along with upper air stuff.

I know other software exists for this purpose, but they try to be all things to everybody and thus have a heavy "footprint". You have to install stuff too and configure it and hope it works with your system/hardware. My goal is something simple and basic...entirely run in a web browser (DHTML)....and just the really important things I really truly use extensively. You just load the files (no install wizard) and click on the index.htm file and away you go. I am lazy though, so we'll so how much of this I get done before the season cranks up. :-)

I still anticipate making it down to TESSA next weekend unless something comes up. I'm looking forward to it.

That's all from Amarillo for now.