The reports we got last night was that today was going to be quite intense with even better shear and great instability. SPC had a Slight Risk in our area and a 5% tornado risk where we were positioned for the day. The next couple of days looked crappy so I realized this could very well be the last real chase day of our tour but we had a chance to go out with a bang!
My optimism quickly changed when Lanny had his morning briefing where he told us that the Low Pressure System had taken an unexpected turn leaving instability, dryline and shear in completely different places. The tornado risk was nowhere near what SPC had predicted and all my hope diminished.
I had been looking forward to this trip ever since January when I bought the ticket. I have been studying for two weeks just to really understand the chase better this time. Although this was my 4th trip I was anticipating it more than I had ever done (maybe except for my first one) so this was a really, really hard blow for me.
We gave the storms half a shot but there was really nothing to chase rather than fast moving MCS over a bad road network. Instead we started moving north. We stopped for the night in Weatherton outside Dallas/Fort Worth and had a well deserved real dinner, a few drinks at a bar and a fun after party where we tried out Jelly Beans. The ones where you don’t know if you will have a Tutti Frutti-flavored or a Vomit-flamored bean.
