Patrick Kerrin's 2001 Chase Page - 06-01-2001

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The images for this day were still in the camera when I got the images scanned for this web page. Some of those (and possible some relevant video captures) should follow one of these days.

Began the day in OKC. I asked the Super 8 Clerk if he knew where the closest Public library was (it seems these are easier to find in small towns!), and he said they have an 'understanding' with on of the nearby hotels (big name chain and expensive from a chase vacation standpoint). I followed instructions and went to desk and they brought me right into their 'Business Center'. I had full internet access but they were having problems with the laser printer so I couldn't get maps to analyze. So I took Matt's advice and decided to drive to Woodward, OK! Observed very high based convection (along the OK/KS border) en route which was disheartening (made even more so by the relatively low sfc dewpoints). Got to the Woodward public library and they were most welcoming but had a stipulation that their computers that supported laser printing were reserved for "Research Purposes Only". I explained I was researching the potential for severe weather developing in their region and they were quite satisfied with that!

I took my print outs of the nice clean COD .pdf sfc and mandatory plots and went back to the car and fell asleep for 45 minutes (the thousands of kilometers all driven my myself were starting to wear)! Woke up and called Lon Curtis who had been focusing all his situational awareness on the potential around his home and was in fact about to go out and chase! I wished him luck on the chase and recalled that John Moore might be watching the weather back in Phoenix. I called and he pointed out the better dews up in KS and that initiation was occurring in KS.


05-30-2001 - This raw sfc map depicts some of the detail I described above. The thing about taking the Prismacolors out and plething is that it forces you to look long and hard at each ob. I didn't get a chance to on this day and had to rely on other's situational awareness untill I was able to 'go visual'.


I headed N to Buffalo and then into Kansas on US 183 (of course passing the Sitka Social Club!) to the junction with US 160/183. I then spoke with John to confer about the palette of four storms laid out in front of me. Left to right, there was a weak cell way out west (close to the CO border, if I recall correctly), another NW, near Garden City, KS (that was improving with time), another due north of me (that looked good initially, but was weakening rapidly), and another to NE that may have been the best cell at the time. I targeted the NE cell and drove E and then N on 183.

The cell that was to my N/NE and had obscured my view of the right-most cell had disappeared and it was soon clear that the convection to the N and E was now mush. The cell to the NW of Dodge City improved rapidly and became the obvious target. I headed W on US 54 and then NW on 400 to Ford, KS. Missed my turn and called John who helped with the navigation and got me heading W again (basically retracing our steps from 27 May in reverse!) under the anvil south of Dodge City, KS. Experienced some dime sided hail at about the time I reached the junction with US 283.

Headed South out of the hail and chatted briefly with the Cohen brothers from the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex (missed Bobby Eddins who was with them but up a hill). The storm had an aesthetically appealing, high based, weakly to non-rotating updraft though the trip down US 283 to Minneola, KS. Along the way Matt Crowther and Betsy Abrams (from the Weather Channel - Atlanta) pulled up and said hello. Also ran into Gilbert Sebenste and his IL chase partner, The Doswells/John Monteverdi team, and Mike Umscheid/Jay Antle, with everyone hop-scotching in an orderly manner.

The whole group gathered south of Minneola to watch the by now LP-ish updraft weaken. I said goodbye to all and wished them success for the rest of their chase trips (as I knew that mine was now ending) and headed south a little for the last shots of the trip - a nice rainbow to the east!

That was it for the chase, and I spent the rest of the evening heading NE to get a head start on the ride home.