The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
-Psalm 19:1

Do you know that God controls the clouds and makes his lightning flash?
-Job 37:15



Thursday, April 03, 2008

Took the long way home...

Well, Mini-Dew and I were traveling from the library to the pet store (needed hay for the giant rodent) yesterday evening, when I noticed that convection was rolling in hard out of the south... the Gulf feed was significant and it was a solid deck of moisture rolling in. I promptly let bf know that his topless time was over and that it was time to dress the jeep, and then I sat and photographed some of the towers going up there in the parking lot, which Mini-Dew was annoyed and embarrassed by, but she didn't get really irritated until later in the evening. Here are the early towers though.Now, that last one... that's my little storm cloud. That tower climbed and climbed, and I got to watch the whole thing as I drove through town, thinking... wow, that's nice... man, look at that thing climb... we've got ourselves a nice little storm... all the while snapping shots, while I was safely stopped at lights or pulled off the road (seriously, I had Mini-Dew in tow.) I really like the church one. Here, I was stopped just outside of a trailer park, where there was a patch of wisteria up against the fence... I couldn't get over how gorgeous they are up close. They look like little iris blooms. Who knew? Of course, you know what they meant I had to do... right?







You have to click on those to look at the larger pic. Beautiful purple wisteria blossoms... chasing Dewdrop style... They were so beautiful, I simply had to capture them with the cumulus tower backdrop...After that, I had all intentions of heading home, checking out radar, to get a good look at the big picture... which when I left for pain and torture was sporadic nothingness, at least where weather was concerned. Things were starting to feed in and fire, but nothing major, and I could see that much looking at the sky. I was almost home, when I decided to seek out a field to watch this little cell roll by. I couldn't get over how striking the structure was and to have it facing the setting sun... beautiful!!! There was absolutely no indication of rotation, so I felt comfortable with where I was. It was all just going up. It was magnificent, and it absolutely captivated me, where I was compelled and determined to watch the entire life cycle of my little storm cell, despite Mini-Dew's perpetual criticism... "Mommy, when are we going to go?" "Mommy, this is boring." "We aren't doing anything." "It's just a cloud." Somehow, she doesn't see the splendor that I see when I look at something as powerfully magnificent as a thundercloud. Oh well, we stayed until I was finished looking, so basically almost through dissipation. It was actually overtaken by the next, much larger thunderstorm before it fully dissipated, and... BONUS, the subsequent cloud actually had an associated shelf cloud. Coolness, AND bf had texted me about a green sky south of me... hail core punching with Mini-Dew... lol.

OK, no, I did not see a tornado. No, I didn't catch any lightning (it was sparse, and it just didn't seem worth the effort it would've taken). No, I saw no funnel cloud... not even a wall cloud, or even the most slight indication that there was rotation, BUT I was able to experience some awesome structure in my neck of the woods, and I chased it Dew-style.

Today, the action area appears to be northeast Texas and southeastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas. Let's see what happens. I stayed up on Steve Miller's (Oklahoma Steve's) forecast chat room last night to see what everyone thought of the set up. Lots of chasers will be out chasing this event today. I know both Steve Miller, OK and Steve Miller, TX will be out, both streaming live video of their chases, if that works out. I have a jam packed full day, and then I am off to Atlanta. I will update as time permits. I just hope all the chasers stay safe, and that those in the path of this potential tornado outbreak stay vigilant in watching conditions and listening to their radios. Unfortunately, today's severe weather outbreak will likely continue into the night. Looking at statistics, the tornado count for this year, so far, already more than doubles the 10 year average, and we are just now entering the "peak tornado season". It should be a very interesting day.

Toodles,
~Dewdrop

23 comments:

  1. My favorite ones: The one with the church, the one with the wisteria, and the one with the rainshaft, just below the one with the tree.

    If I had to pick one, I'd say the one with the wisteria. Very unique.

    Great stuff Dew! Maybe someday Mini Dew will get it. Did you "get it" at that age?

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  2. Oh, and I am gonna use that one with the wisteria on my desktop for awhile....

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  3. Thanks, Mike. My favorites are the ones with the church and the wisteria. Of course, the purple really helps the wisteria one... :O)

    As for Mini-Dew... if she's anything like Mr. X, she might never get it, which is fine, just not their thing. I did get it at that age, Mike. Didn't you? Like Ben Franklin said, "Some are weatherwise; some are otherwise."

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  4. As for the desktop shot... I have the original at home; that might work better, remind me Sunday, if you will. :O)

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  5. Hey, Dew! My favorite is definitely the church, but also the one below, where you can see the whole thing from the bottom to the top. Glad you finally got some convection and photo ops down there! I may not chase too far from home, today. The tornado potential here in Dallas is great enough that I feel obligated to stay close to home and report conditions. Maybe I can get some cool shots from within the city, though, for a change.

    I "got it" when I was in 2nd grade. Now, I am working hard toward becoming a professional meteorologist. The weather is fantastic and I think everyone should at least be aware of it to some degree.

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  6. It was nice to finally have some. Thanks for the feedback. It would be great if you didn't have to travel far to chase, except that would mean that the action is right over where all the people are, which is no good. At least you as a trained spotter will be there to keep a close watch on the skies...

    I agree, awareness is the best tool in saving lives.

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  7. Thanks! I lose all enthusiasm for storms when I know that lives and property are being adversely affected. I believe that is why I am so passionate about weather awareness, and why I think things like the CoCoRaHS and Citizen Weather Obs programs are super-important.

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  8. Nice tower.. I like the shot with the sun rays / backlit with the blue hues. I was watching that Big Bend sea breeze slowly creep north-northeastward towards the border. I was hoping a beefy storm would fire for you. Have fun this wknd in ATL.

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  9. I "got it" somewhat by age five (favorite song was "Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head") -- that sure gives away my age, doesn't it?

    I really caught the weather bug during the Superoutbreak, 34 years ago today, and never looked back!

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  10. My heart sinks when I know dangerous storms are headed for densely populated areas. I want to shout at everyone to get out of the way. Super-important indeed.

    Jeff, Thanks. No super beefy firing, but some great structure, which completeley captivated me. Have fun in Orlando. :O)

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  11. Mike, Once bitten, I don't think there is a known cure. Those otherwise folks just wouldn't understand.

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  12. Wow those are some fantastic photos I love them all.

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  13. Thanks a bunch, Lilli!!!

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  14. Great shots Dew! I still have little to no storm activity up here this year :( Major Dewvoid in progress....

    There is potential Friday and Saturday as this front moves through.

    SCM

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  15. Mikey, I think I saw that you had a slight risk for Saturday, didn't I? I could have been imagining it. Sorry for your lack of weather. I know SDS must be bad for you.

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  16. Hey, thanks for the plug! :-) Those are some really great shots, Dew. The church one especially is quite nice!!

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  17. Hi Dew
    These would have been perfect for Sky Watch Friday.. In fact I'm sure that others would be so impressed... well captured
    Tom

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  18. Glad to see you are getting hay for the rodent and pulling over to take pictures. You really know how to make a best friend proud! Those are some really awesome cloud shots. I can't wait to see you this coming weekend. Will Mini-Dew be in tow? Katie has her fingers crossed!

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  19. Hey Steve, np on the plug. I got much pleasure watching your cat watch your Smirnoff. I didn't get a chance to watch to see if you were streaming. Did it work out for you??? I guess I can check out your blog and see... Thanks for the compliments!

    Tom, If only I had access... I would have certainly put a sky watch link in there. Thanks for the compliments... seems I always have my eyes to the sky.

    Annie, Yeah... Mini-Dew and I were at the library the other and I read about how very important hay was for giant rodents, so I got that and a container to attach to the cage to dispense it. We are also now giving a salad every day... grr... Thanks. I look forward to our visit. No, no, Mini-Dew this time. Sorry, Katie.

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  20. Great clouds and flowers. I need to learn more about cloud names and I so desperately want to get out with my cameras..if only the weather would lighten up here in WI...

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  21. Thanks, Beth. Anytime you have a question about a cloud-type, you just drop me a line, and I will be happy to share what I know. I hope you can get out soon.

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Dew comment, please...