- MAY 12, 2000 DAY CHASE
- Car One (AKA "Lightning Rod")
Driver Melissa Ellsworth
Team Leader Rich Weiss
Mike Bardou
Car Two
Driver Karen Fischer
Team Leader Jessica Irvin
Log Christa Keenan
Log Brian Dillon
Car Three
Driver Dave Nelson
Team Leader Jason Reese
Linda Kornowski
Kurt Poeppel
Car Four
Driver Sarah VanTol
Team Leader Kelly Smith
Beth Voitel
1:25 PM Depart from Valpo
Temp- 83 F
Dewpoint-69 F
1:45 West of Route 2
2:00 Tornado watch for Eastern Illinois/Western Indiana until 8:00 PM VUSIT current location is in the middle of the watch box heading towards Deselm, IL for maximum supercell index according to UW model.
Temp- 80 F
Dewpoint- 70 F
2:15 North on 1. West on 9000N
2:40 Arrived in Deselm and waiting for convection.
Temp- 77 F
Dewpoint- 74 F
Observed a multitude of Red Trucks!
3:10 Receive update from the Wx Center
Record 24 mph wind gust
Noticed towering Cu.
3:25 Plan is to head south toward Union Hill where supercell is heading.
3:30 Headed to Union Hill, off of 17.
Severe Thunderstorm Warning is issued for Peoria. (Hook echo is noticed north of Springfield moving NE at 40 mph. Beautiful towers are surrounding us. Definite CAP Breakage!!
3:31 Turn right on 45/52
Temp 86 F
Dewpoint 71 F
3:42 Crossed the Kankakee!
3:55 Headed on 57 South and received briefing from the Weather Center:
Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Livingston and Forrest. Storm is forming on an outflow boundary and may turn tornadic!
Visual with lightning to the SW
4:00 Windshields feel impact of light rain!
TOILET is picking up strikes 25-30 miles away
4:05 Noticed graupel on windshields---with heavy rain.
4:07 Livingston County and Northern Ford county are under a tornado warning. Storm is moving NE
4:12 Noticed police spotter on 116 E.
4:15 Turn onto North 45.
4:16 TONE! Tornado Warning until 5 PM for Iroquois County.
4:20 VUSIT pulls over to watch storm and decide next move.
4:35 Wx Center Update- storm is a "right turner" and moving East at 40 mph and winds are out of the SE. VUSIT with the Wx Center decides to move southeast towards Donovan to avoid storm.
4:45 TONE! Lincoln County is under a tornado warning!
Noticing beautiful CG Lightning.
5:00 TOILET is at 450 strikes per minute
Warning is extended to Kankakee for an additional 45 minutes.
5:15 Driving on a very long gravel road.
5:20 Local speeds past us and literally leaves us "in the dust" on the gravel road.
5:22 Yeah- Pavement!
5:23 Mammatus clouds located above us.
Head North on 41.
5:25 Tornado is spotted near Beaverville from storm we are chasing. Tornado warning is for Kankakee until 5:45. VUSIT is heading NE
5:30 Turn onto 16
5:32 Temp- 81 F
Dewpoint- 69 F
5:45 TONE! Tornado warning for Iroquois, Jasper, Livington, Chamagain, Newton counties until 6:00 PM. Reported Golf Ball Size hail. VUSIT pulls over an notices oddly calm winds South of the supercell, CG lightning, Striations with anvil--and cyclonic ROTATION!!
6:05 Back on the road and right on 700 South
6:07 Road closed!!! (Darn Construction)--UTURN
6:10 Thunderstorm Warning is issued for Starke and Paliski.
6:12 Visual with Deer
6:21 Thunderstorm Warning for Porter (Valpo!), Lake, Kankakee, Jasper, Newton, Fulton
6:30 Updraft and Wallcloud are noticed!
6:50 Thunderstorm warning for Porter, Palaski, Jasper, Starke, Lake, Newton, Cook, Kankakee.
WX center tells us that storm has bowed out north of us.
CG is prominent in the NW.
6:53 Took a right on 500 S.
7:12 RAIN!
7:14 Left on 421 to return home.
TOTAL MILAGE: 216 MILES
