We had a big decision on our hands. This could be the chance we had been looking for to see an impressive supercell thunderstorm. Then again, it could turn out like the other days we had chased. The opinions varied across the group. Some were ready to give it one last shot and give up a relaxing afternoon. Others were sick of all the disappointment and were ready to just take it to the Holidome. I was sort of on the fence. I knew it would be terrible if we didn't chase the storm and it produced a tornado while we were playing putt-putt. I also knew that no one would be happy if we drove an hour past Elk City and didn't see anything special.
Those who wanted to give it one last shot won out. The leaders of the trip genuinely felt bad about how uneventful the storm chase had been, so they wanted to try one more time to try to see what we came to see. So instead of stopping in Elk City, we continued west towards the panhandle of Texas. The storms we were after were fairly close to where we had spent 3 previous days of the trip. We crossed over the Oklahoma-Texas border and kept going. We had gotten 20 or so miles into Texas when we exited the interstate. We pulled off the road and stopped, and I thought that those in charge of navigation were stopping to decide which way to best intercept the storms.
No such luck. We were stopping because the last several radar updates had shown that the storms were weakening significantly. We were still a decent drive away from getting into good position to chase, so the decision was made to turn around. Needless to say, that did not go over too well with everyone. Those who had wanted to chase were disappointed for sure, but those who had wanted to relax were not happy at all. I could understand both sides, and even though I was a bit annoyed that we had wasted a good chunk of our afternoon, I understood where the leaders were coming from.
So we headed back towards Elk City. I'll have to say that it felt like a long drive even though it was only an hour or so. Once we got to the hotel, everyone's mood lightened. The Holidome was cool, we ate some good Mexican food down the road, and home was in sight. Only two more days to go.
Drew McCombs
ABC 33/40 Weather Intern
abc3340wx2@gmail.com
Those who wanted to give it one last shot won out. The leaders of the trip genuinely felt bad about how uneventful the storm chase had been, so they wanted to try one more time to try to see what we came to see. So instead of stopping in Elk City, we continued west towards the panhandle of Texas. The storms we were after were fairly close to where we had spent 3 previous days of the trip. We crossed over the Oklahoma-Texas border and kept going. We had gotten 20 or so miles into Texas when we exited the interstate. We pulled off the road and stopped, and I thought that those in charge of navigation were stopping to decide which way to best intercept the storms.
No such luck. We were stopping because the last several radar updates had shown that the storms were weakening significantly. We were still a decent drive away from getting into good position to chase, so the decision was made to turn around. Needless to say, that did not go over too well with everyone. Those who had wanted to chase were disappointed for sure, but those who had wanted to relax were not happy at all. I could understand both sides, and even though I was a bit annoyed that we had wasted a good chunk of our afternoon, I understood where the leaders were coming from.
So we headed back towards Elk City. I'll have to say that it felt like a long drive even though it was only an hour or so. Once we got to the hotel, everyone's mood lightened. The Holidome was cool, we ate some good Mexican food down the road, and home was in sight. Only two more days to go.
Drew McCombs
ABC 33/40 Weather Intern
abc3340wx2@gmail.com
on July 4, 2006, 7:27 pm
Been enjoying your storm chase account. Your mention of crossing into the Texas panhandle brought back some memories. On vacation several years ago, I and my family had left Liberal, Kansas, and headed across the Oklahoma panhandle on table-top flat Hwy. 83. Somewhere along the way, before entering Texas, I remember looking into the rear view mirror and seeing a couple tumble weeds bound across the road behind us. It was just before a late October sunset on the plains. Beautiful.
One of those "snapshot" memories that stay with you a long, long time.
Anyway, thanks for your articles.
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on July 5, 2006, 3:27 pm
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