Featured Core-Puncher

---

---

MAY 20, 1999
ALANREED, TX TORNADO

Time Odom Town/Heading Remarks

9:23a 932 FLOWER MOUND, TX - Today is the climatological maximum for tornadoes in west Texas. Narrow trough is digging into the west coast. A jet at 250mb is coming around the bottom of the trough and exits over west Texas with 50-60 knot flow from the west. The flow over Kansas is weak. A front passed a few days ago, and moisture is returning back into west Texas. 60 dewpoints all the way to Childress with the southeast wind. Dryline is expected to move out into the Texas panhandle. ETA shows a dryline bulge at 00z around the Amarillo area. Looks like a panhandle day to me. TARGET: SHAMROCK, TEXAS. I am really in favor of the eastern Texas panhandle today. I am going to meet Mark Wainwright at Wichita Falls Denny’s with Pioneer Productions. Clear skies, strato-cu east. SE winds less than 10mph.

10:06 975 DECATUR - Rt. 287 NW.
10:36 011 BELLVIEW - High based convection, rain, virga passing. Cg over the road.
11:07 047 WICHITA FALLS - Stop for food, gas, wash the windshield.
12:00 053 WICHITA FALLS - Leaving town, few cu on northwest horizon.
12:29 086 Broken layer of strato-cu. Blowing dust NW.
12:41 100 Alto-stratus with some strato-cu in north-south bands overhead. Broken sky, SE winds.
1:30 157 CHILDRESS - Stopped to call Carson.
1:52 158 CHILDRESS- Leaving. Carson said Amarillo still has 50’s dewpoints and south winds.
So, I am going to proceed up to Clarendon. BINOVC strato-cu, blue sky above.
2:25 189 MEMPHIS - Broken strato-cu, SE winds.
2:48 214 CLARENDON - Few strato-cu N. Broken strato-cu east. Strong SE winds.
3:11 214 CLARENDON - Watched TWC. Tornado Watch box will be issued shortly.
I am in good position. I will get everything ready now for action later.
Called Carson again. I’ll monitor for now.
3:36 216 STOPPED- On top of hill on west side of town. Towers blowing up NW.
Took 3 shots on Ricoh. Cb developing NW.
3:58 216 2 pictures of second tower.
4:01 216 1 picture on Ricoh and 1 picture on Canon. Cb NW has backshear on it.
4:03 216 1 wide angle view of two Cb’s. Southern end of strato-cu is curving around to Cb.
4:08 220 HOWARDWICK On Rt. 273 N. - Two Cb’s NW. No other Cb’s south.
4:13 226 2 pictures of Cb NW. Beautiful oval anvils, nice tower. Strato-cu field feeds in to the north side. The northern storm looks mushy. Looks like Kellerville.
4:15 230 2 pictures NW of Cb. Power poles in first shot. Second shot has cattle gaurd sign in pict. Strato-cu field coming up.
4:18 233 2 pictures- double trees.
4:27 241 1 picture of Cb. Crisp back tower over the caprock. Anvil out 20 miles. Looks nice.
4:29 244 ALANREAD - Exit 291 N. Large Cb NW is our target. Northern Cb has orphaned out.
4:34 250 Two other towers on south end now merging into parent updraft.
4:38 254 Rain free base in view with nice flank. All I can see is one storm.
4:43 261 Jct. 273 W.
4:55 273 STOPPED - Jct. 171/273. I am just southeast of Pampa, Tx.
4:57 273 Two wide angle shots west.
5:00 273 1 wide angle shot W. The core has doubled in size in the last five minute. The base was linear but now has become more rounded. There is a tail on the updraft that is ragged.
A little bit of scud is forming under the base. It will take a while to get its act together.
5:01 273 3 wide angle shots west. Storm is now moving south. Precip/lightning approaching.
5:14 274 Leaving film site, heading west on Rt. 273. Wall cloud is developing.
1 super wide angle shot SW of wall cloud.
5:19 275 In rain.
5:22 277 Rt. 70. S. Wall cloud SW. Storm moving S.
5:29 281 Continue southbound. Storm picking up speed.
5:34 STOPPED - Took picture NW of storm and chase truck.
5:37 Took another wide angle shot without the truck. Light rain falling.
Cb looks more Hpish with heavy core north, large wall cloud with tail NW.
I am hoping it doesn’t overload itself with precip.
5:39 285 STARTED - Moving S. Lots of precip loading. Anvil looks good. Wall cloud kept at bay. No rotation. RFD is on back side.
5:42 288 Proceeding westbound on gravel road to stop on hill.
5:45 289 STOPPED - Took wide angle shot of storm. Cold air is really coming into it.
5:47 Easterly winds. Tail comes into the east. Some rotationnoted on front side of wall cloud
5:49 Two pictures, one is northwest and one is north -Mark is in picture.
5:52 289 STARTED - Proceeding S on Rt. 70. Lots of chasers around.
6:05 298 Turned east on FM 2477 off Rt. 70. The storm appears outflow dominant.
Rounding the north side of Lake McClellan, the storm seemed to get its act together again. The east side of the updraft is vertical, like a cylinder and a portion of the updraft has occluded on the western edge. But it’s raining pretty good now.
6:15 306 STOPPED on caprock southeast of the lake. Watching storm.
Base now just to my NW. Precip appears to be from anvil.
Long, rope funnel extends towards the ground on back side of Cb.
Stopped briefly and began shooting video.
6:21 306 The funnel makes brief contact with the ground. The tornado lasted less than one minute, although long funnel hung in the air for awhile. Storm is moving southeast.
1 picture of HP with nice vault appearance.
6:25 1 vertical shot of HP. Still rotating.
6:26 Another wide angle shot looking northwest.
6:28 306 Leaving film site.
6:32 310 I-40 West.
6:33 311 Rt. 70 South. Hail curtains cross the road. One large stone leaves 6” crater in windshield. Pioneer guy behind me didn’t get hail. Storm moves southeast across noman’s land-no roads either.
6:53 328 CLARENDON - Rt. 287 SE.
6:57 332 FM 1200 N. Wall cloud on southwest side of storm.
7:00 333 Passing FM 2471.
7:03 FM 1280 - Bend in road heading east now. Stopped for a while. Base is northeast.
Heading south on dirt road.
7:21 346 FM 2471/1755. Heading FM 2471 E.
7:30 352 STOPPED: Took 2 pictures of rain wrapped meso to my north. Howie Bluestein is to my northeast.
7:35 354 Jct. 273 South.
7:36 354 Stopped and took 1 picture of wall cloud.
7:44 354 Moving southbound.
7:50 358 Jct. 203 northeastbound. Encountered hail. Turned around. Large wall cloud SE.
7:54 362 HEDLEY- Wall cloud SE.
7:58 366 Nice rotation in wall cloud.
8:05 375 MEMPHIS - Rain wrapped meso to my northeast. HP supercell.
8:06 376 Rt. 258 E.
8:11 380 FM 3032 South.
8:14 382 STOPPED: to watch nice sunset.
8:21 382 STARTED: End of the chase.
Cb with overshoot distant N. Sunset with dust.
8:51 395 Rt. 287 South.
9:07 412 CHILDRESS- Storm has now evolved into an LP. Stopped at Kettle for dinner.
10:23 413 CHILDRESS- Leaving town after celebrating tornado catch. Reviewed video.
12:00 520 WICHITA FALLS- Pioneer guy staying in motel here.
1:20a 597 DECATUR- Rt. 380 E.
2:00a 640 FLOWER MOUND - Great forecast! Great chase! 708 miles, 16.6 hours.