May 4th, 2003 "Got Tornado?"

SPC Risk: HIGH - VERIFICATION
Chasers: Dean, Reed, Scott C, Brian M
Area Covered: NE OK, SE KS and SW MO
Miles Logged: 760.0
Largest Hail: baseball
Tornadoes: 3


Synopsis/Chase:
By far my best chase since I began back in Spring 1999! The planets seemed to be aligned on this day with just about every possible severe weather and tornado parameter in place. Strong westerly jetstreak at 500MB, strong southerlies at 850MB, and strong southeasterlies at the surface with widespread rich gulf moisture locked in place reflected by 70-75F dewpoints across the warm sector. CAPE values approached the 7000 J/KG mark around the Tulsa area by mid afternoon as an extremely sharp dryline punched east from a north south line through Central Oklahoma. Cumulus field in North Central Oklahoma became better definied and later proved the focus for the 2nd of two areas of tornadic convection, the first being in East Central Kansas that later produced a large violent tornado in Kansas City, MO.

We intercepted the first of several tornadic supercells in SE KS near Girard, KS and soon came face to face with a HUGE torando I estimated at about a 1/2-3/4 mile wide. A "wedge" to be sure and one that would obliterate Arma, KS as we paced the storm with its forward motion east around 25 MPH. We had a hard time staying out of its large swatch of damage, but managed to get some decent video before giving up as the wedge entered Missouri. We then moved south on HWY 67 towards Crestline, KS where we caught up to a 2nd torandic supercell SW of the Arma storm. We spotted a torando with this 2nd storm about 8 miles WSW of Crestline moving east at approx 25MPH. This tornado became our most intense tornado experience and definitely my personal BEST for video footage. First an agry dark wedge, that morphed, twisted and turned into a violent cone, then a beautiful white ghost that played tricks with tree's as they were plucked from the ground and lofted to cloud base hundreds of feet in the air! This tornado crossed the road about 1/4 mile in front us to our south on HWY 69/400 halfway between Crestline and Riverton, KS.

Our 3rd torando was another large wedge much like the Arma storm, but we viewed it from further away (about 5 miles) near Aurora, KS. A day that will go down as my best chase ever until another day comes around to beat it. I thought May 3rd, 1999 would never see defeat by another chase day, but I think it's fallin victim to May 4th, 2003!

Pictures Snapped from my Digital Camera

Videostills including both damage and tornado shots in chronological order (L to R)
Girard, KS storm 1	Girard, KS storm 2	Girard, KS storm 3	wedge near Girard, KS	wedge tornado lightning
damage just E of Arma, KS	2nd tornado S of Oswego, KS	2nd tornado series pic 2	2nd tornado series pic 3	2nd tornado series pic 4
2nd tornado series pic 5	2nd tornado series pic 6	2nd tornado series pic 7	2nd tornado series pic 8	2nd tornado series pic 9
2nd tornado series pic 10	2nd tornado series pic 11	2nd tornado series pic 12	2nd tornado series pic 13	crossing HWY 69/400
crossing HWY 69/400	crossing HWY 69/400	2nd tornado series pic 17	2nd tornado series pic 18	2nd tornado series pic 19
2nd tornado series pic 20	2nd tornado series pic 21	2nd tornado series pic 22	2nd tornado series pic 23	2nd tornado series pic 24
2nd tornado series pic 25	damage at HWY 69/400 crossing	more HWY 69/400 damage	more HWY 69/400 damage	damage near Galena, KS
damage near Aurora, MO	damage near Aurora, MO	3rd tornado N of Aurora, MO	damage near Aurora, MO	damage near Aurora, MO
3rd tornado near Joplin, MO	3rd tornado near Joplin, MO

Tree suspended near cloud base level!!!

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