April 11, 2002

Storm Chase

Southwest Oklahoma

Editor:  Putnam Reiter

The Chase -

Team 1 - Rob Ferguson and Putnam Reiter
Miles Driven - 265
Departure Time - 13:00 CDT
Return Time - 21:00 CDT

Today started out as marginal and continued that way all day.  However, given sufficient heating, the potential did exist for thunderstorms across parts of Oklahoma.  We drove to Lawton and then west to Altus.

The sky had plenty of CU and temperatures were in the upper 70s.  This produced CAPE values around 1500 J/Kg and LIs to -6.  The dryline was situated in the far eastern Texas panhandle with a cold front across NW OK into Kansas.

About the only action we got was looking at radar in Kansas where supercells were lined up along the cold front.  A very odd event as cold fronts typically produce squall lines.  Analysis of this situation yields that the cold front was not moving and provided sufficient convergence for storm development.  Storms then moved off the cold front and were able to become supercells.

Across SW OK, it would take coordination to figure out that we were on the wrong side of a vortmax.  Yes, said vortmax was traversing through North Central OK at that time.  Some place had to be in NVA and it was us.  Additionally, 00z soundings revealed a convective temp of 94F. 

Lessons Learned -

The primary issue is probably forecasting.  We didn't do a very good job of it and ended up in the wrong spot.

Encounters -

Engaged Storm:  No
Tornado:  No
Funnel:  No
Hail (larger than 0.75 inches):  No
Wall Cloud:  No
Wind (above 57.4 mph):  No