5/27 - 5/28 UPDATE

    Sunday had us off and running to Clinton, OK.  The models had the cap
off a bit (about 200 miles) and when the storms started popping in SW
Kansas, pure fact is we were out of range of them. We were fairy certain
that even though they were looking juicy, that they would be mostly rain,
hail and straight line winds...something we have already seen enough of
for a bit. Eventually, the storms formed a squall line and the slow
moving cells became a rather fast moving line and we moved into the
evening hours.  It was reported that in some sections of Kansas, there
was hail drifting to 3 feet.  
    Late in the evening some harmless looking cells started moving towards 
our area, and most of the team took off on a lightning safari... we 
thought. We didn't move far from base camp, maybe about 10 miles out.
Things escalated beyond our wildest dreams, and sound heads dictated that
returning to the hotel after about an hour out there was the best part of
wisdom.  
    This proved to be a good call.  Within perhaps a mile of the hotel,
the winds intensified to the point where wires were down...utility poles
snapped, limbs and branches down, and debris across the roads.  
    When we entered the room, our NOAA Weather Radio was sounding an
alarm. Severe thunderstorms in Clinton.  Checking radar, we was three
immense mesos that were lined up one behind each other, tracking directly
to Clinton. Then the power went down completely.  
    We found our way to our emergency lighting via the glow from the
screens of the laptops...but they hardly provided enough light to allow
us to avoid camera bags, computer cases and other various and sundry
items scattered here and there throughout the rooms.  We got the 
flashlights and also used one of these little "tap lights" that you see
in the stores and on TV. 
    As the few other guests came stumbling out of their rooms, we offered 
what help we could.  We informed people of the current situation and the 
possible outcomes, and what to do to prepare and to stay safe.  We have
found that in situations like this, its always best to speak to people
slowly and with confidence and authority, keeping instructions simple and
direct.  
    As we are all spotters as well as chasers, a few of us went out again 
about 1 am.  Spotting at night is very tricky, as the one's ability to see 
anything is dictated by lightning.  Lightning can play tricks on your
eyes, so we usually take cameras with night vision as well.  (video
cameras, as many of our members have discovered, are helpful in
determining things like possible rotation in storms where it may be a
little tricky. Film it, then play it back in fast forward)  We caught
some interesting looking frames, but couldn't verify with 100% certainty
that they were tornadoes.  We will ultimately be posting the best of
these on our web page.
    As the wet and hungry chasers/spotters of MESO sloshed back into the
dark hotel (the emergency lighting in the halls had gone too), we quickly
made the discovery that in an effort to ventilate the almost unbearably
stuffy hotel, one of the guest had left two doors open, and a skunk had
wandered in to the hotel.  No lights, no phones, no air conditioning, and
a skunk running around at large.  It was such a special night.
    Monday proved to be a bust trip into the Amarillo area, and Tuesday
will probably see us in the OK panhandle area, should the models verify
tomorrow.
    
Nancy Bose and Chris Howell, MESO
http://www.mcwar.org