May 10-11 Chases

I had a couple of off days on Monday and Tuesday, so I took the opportunity to take a mini chase vacation with my buddies Michael Carter, Greg Nordstrom, and Tim Wallace. Fortunately, the weather pattern was very cooperative from a chasing standpoint, and we all felt confident about a powerful western U.S. trough impacting the southern Plains more than a week and a half before the event. Unfortunately, damage, injuries, and fatalities occurred as a result of the May 10 tornadoes across Central Oklahoma. As part of a quick recap, I've compiled some video, links, and damage surveys from the wedge tornado we came within at least 200 yards of near Cromwell, OK.

VIDEOS

Video by Greg Nordstrom

Video by Michael Carter

May 10, 2010 Tornado Outbreak -- WFO Norman

May 10, 2010 Severe Storms and Tornadoes -- WFO Tulsa

CIMSS Satellite Perspective

Michael Carter's Chase Summary

STORM SURVEYS

-From WFO Norman-
...TECUMSEH TO CROMWELL AND POINTS EAST TORNADO...

RATING: EF-3
MAX WIDTH: 3/4 TO 1 MILE
PATH LENGTH: AT LEAST 30 MILES ONLY COUNTING NWS NORMAN PORTION
BEGIN POINT: ABOUT 2.8 WSW TECUMSEH
END POINT: CONTINUED INTO NWS TULSA AREA ABOUT 0.8 E CROMWELL

THIS LONG TRACK TORNADO MOVED FROM POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY INTO SEMINOLE COUNTY...AND THEN CROSSED INTO OKFUSKEE COUNTY WHICH IS IN THE NWS TULSA COUNTY WARNING AREA. THE TORNADO CAUSED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE ALONG THE ENTIRE TRACK...WITH NO NOTABLE GAPS IN DAMAGE ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE PATH SURVEYED. AT TIMES...THE DAMAGE FIELD WIDENED TO ABOUT 3/4 OF A MILE WIDE...POSSIBLY UP TO 1 MILE WIDE. THE MOST INTENSE DAMAGE SEEMED TO BE JUST NORTH AND NORTHEAST OF EARLSBORO NEAR THE POTTAWATOMIE-SEMINOLE COUNTY BORDER. IT WAS IN THIS LOCATION THAT A 5 BEDROOM...2 STORY FOUNDATION HOUSE WAS DESTROYED EXCEPT FOR SEVERAL INTERIOR WALLS NEAR THE BATHROOM. IN THIS SAME VICINITY...A PICKUP TRUCK APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN LOFTED FOR ABOUT 1/4 MILE...AND A SEMI TRAILER WAS ROLLED OR LOFTED FOR A FEW HUNDRED YARDS. BOTH OF THESE LARGE MISSILES WERE DRAWN FROM THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE DAMAGE PATH TOWARDS THE CENTER. A LITTLE FURTHER EAST...7 HIGH TENSION TOWERS WERE DOWNED. ALONG THE ENTIRE PATH...TREE DAMAGE WAS NOTED...AND A FEW TREES WERE DEBARKED AND STRIPPED OF ALL THEIR BRANCHES.


-From WFO Tulsa-
A TORNADO THAT MOVED ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTHERN HUGHES COUNTY...INCLUDING THE TOWN OF CROMWELL...CROSSED INTO SOUTHWESTERN OKFUSKEE COUNTY 3 MILES WEST OF BEARDEN AT ABOUT 635 PM CDT. THE TORNADO MOVED NORTHEAST AND DISSIPATED JUST SOUTH OF I-40 ABOUT 3 MILES NORTH OF BEARDEN AT ABOUT 647 PM CDT. MANY TREES WERE DAMAGED IN THE PATH...WHICH WAS ABOUT 5 MILES LONG AND HAD A MAXIMUM WIDTH OF 400 YARDS. BASED ON THE TREE DAMAGE...THE TORNADO WAS RATED EF-1 ON THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE WITH MAXIMUM WIND OF UP TO 95 MPH.

MAY 11
This day proved to be a lot quieter than May 10, but one dominant supercell did develop ahead of the triple point across Northwest Oklahoma. After a couple of rounds of deep moist convection failed to sustain itself, likely due to a capping inversion, one LP supercell developed near Crawford, OK just after 6:30 p.m. The supercell slowly moved to the northeast, produced significant hail southwest of Woodward, and eventually dissipated near Freedom, OK. The laminar nature of the storm's base prevented this from being a tornado threat, but hordes of chasers were treated to a beautiful spectacle at sunset.

Video by Greg Nordstrom