Storm Chase Details
Chase Date: April 29, 2009
Miles Logged: 386
States Chased: TX
Tornadoes Witnessed: 5
Severe Risks: SPC Outlooks
Chase Recap:
David and I were out late on the 28th in New Mexico, arriving back to his house well after midnight. We started the day off late on the 29th at David’s house near Lubbock with a hand analysis. This was my first real chance at seeing a hand analysis done in person. Plenty of boundaries showed up across West Texas. Our original target was Plainview, Texas.
Departure
David and I took our time to get going, before headed up towards our target of Plainview. Storms started initiating right on cue during our drive north and we were able to get on this storm right after CI.
Storm moves into Plainview
We continued to observe the storm maturing and moving east towards I-27 and Plainview. We met up with Graham just northwest of Plainview. David did a quit hit with the TV station for the 5pm newscast before we crossed I-27.
As we continued east of 27, the storm started getting its act together. RFD was kicking up dust near Plainview, which made for some good video and TV. From there we started seeing small gustnadoes which may have been tornadic. The dust swirls were under a large, rotating wall cloud.
Floyd County Tornadoes
As we continued further south, we saw one of the other chasers pointing behind us. There was a tornado roping out near Ranch Road 97. We continued east onto Ranch Road 97 for about a half mile before stopping. After about a minute of being stopped, another tornado touched down just to our northeast. This one was a large cone.
David and I decided to punch east and get in front of it. We narrowly missed being run over by the tornado as it crossed 97.
Stuck in the Mud
As we neared the caprock, we ran out of paved roads. So we all bailed onto dirt roads which were muddy and slick as ice. Reed and the dominator crew appeared to be stuck, and so were we. David and I were able to get moving again with me pushing and running behind while he kept forward momentum. I’m sure it was a funny sight.
At one point we broke apart my tripod and used it to scrape the mud out of the wheel wells. The mud had gotten so thick that the wheels stopped turning. Sacrificial cheap tripod.
Heading to KCBD TV
After getting back to pavement, we made the decision to head to the TV station in Lubbock that David chases for. So I dumped video to the computer as David drove us to Lubbock. The wheels were out of balance and wobbly for the first 20 miles or so of that drive until the mud started falling off.
After working at the TV station and getting our video on the evening news, we headed over to a car wash to clean the van and then headed to Childress, arriving just before sunrise. Luckily the next day would end up being a blue sky bust.
