We started the year in January with an epic snowfall that I missed because I was in Indiana on a business trip. We got well over a foot of snow. My work stuck us on the corporate jet (woot!) on Sunday before the storm hit to ensure we made it to our destination. Sure enough, that evening the snow started and did not stop for some time. When I landed on Friday, there was still quite a bit of snow on the ground. In fact.. there was enough that I was able to go sledding down the hill in the backyard which I enjoyed! :)
In February, the wacky weather of 2011 really started up for us! On February 28th, I drove north and west during my lunch break towards a QLCS that was heading our way. I made it to the line and all I got to see were some cloudy skies and a bolt of lightning, so in my mind, the severe weather threat was over. I ignored the system until a little later that afternoon and I received a message from one of my weather loving friends who asked me if I was paying attention to what was going on. I pulled up the radar and saw the line was seriously kinked and heading our way. This was the first system of the year that directly hit my workplace (shattered a window!) and an EF1 tornado hit in Red Bank causing damage.
Radar imagery of the QLCS of February 28, 2011:
March was a pretty quiet month weather and otherwise. I went to the GMP conference in Athens, GA which is always fun. For my birthday, my dream finally came true and I got my Nikon D3100 DSLR camera! :) I am still learning my camera, but I totally love it! As far as the weather goes, I had a couple of mini chases that didn't really result in too much more than this double rainbow I found in my backyard after driving all over looking for storm action. :)
The quietness of March turned into the most amazing weather month I've ever witnessed. On April 4, 2011, the day before I got my wisdom teeth removed (ugh.. haha), an epic system rolled through that caused over 700 wind damage reports!
After that, there was the April 15th tornado outbreak that rolled through Mississippi and Alabama. The severe weather rolled right on through to produce another tornado outbreak on April 16th in North Carolina that produced a tornado that went straight through downtown Raleigh.
Then, the end of April approached. Starting on April 25th, an epic system started wreaking havoc on the US. I started looking at the models and realized I had a REAL chance of seeing a tornado relatively close to home in the next couple of days! I contacted one of my good friends that I had met on StormTrack, Wes Carter. I asked him if he wanted to chase on April 27th locally, but he had a prior obligation. We looked at the models and, sure enough, storms were going to be at a reachable distance on the 26th. So I took the day off work and had one of the best days of my life. We headed initially towards northern Mississippi, but as the day progressed we realized we'd have to cross the Mississippi to see anything before dark. We headed over towards some developing storms and soon the storm we'd been tracking became tornado warned! Seeing that supercell with my eyes does not even compare to the photos I took with my camera. I wish I could explain into words what that one day did for me. That day.. sealed the deal.. I was 100% in love with storm chasing. I saw my first wall cloud and my first green skies. We punched the core of the storm. :D It was my first long distance chase, and I will never forget it and I cannot thank Wes enough for allowing me to tag along with him! It was a great time! :)
Radar image from our storm!
My best photo from the day:
When I got home around 2am on the morning of the 27th, I had a pretty good idea of the potential of the day. Even though I have been a long time weather nerd, I never could imagine that something of the magnitude of April 27th could happen here. The morning started with a tornado that hit very close to my work place. The sun came out and they sent us home (thankfully) due to the power outages. I was still pretty tired from my trip, and I thought chasing might not be a good idea. Furthermore, I was seriously worried about my friends and family. In retrospect, I really should have at least done some spotting, but, once everything got started, I was somewhat shell shocked. I know that might sound stupid, but I don't know how else to describe it.
My home was not hit by the Ringgold tornado. My brother's home, however, was not as lucky. Ringgold is beautiful again and no longer the pile of ruins it was after 8:10pm on that day. So many lives were lost, included 70+ in the Chattanooga area with 8 of those being in Ringgold.
Still, I have nightmares. I have always had nightmares about tornadoes, but this is different. I am one of those people who turned their fear into an obsession, but April 27th changed me forever. I'm not trying to be melodramatic. I'm just trying to explain the impact of that day. I have videos and photos we took that day. I still have not watched the videos. I know for a storm chaser/weather lover type person that might sound odd. I just do not really care to relive that day just yet. It's hard for me to watch videos of the Alabama tornadoes knowing that so many people were dying at that moment. These were some of the most beautiful tornadoes I have ever seen, but yet.. I cannot watch without tearing up. To my Alabama friends, Annie O and Jenn from Cullman... I cried and prayed for your safety that day. I will never forget that moment in TVN Chat when the Tuscaloosa tornado was bearing down on Annie. Ugh.. It's hard to even write about, really...
Shell shocked.. that's the best way to describe it.
I was afraid that I would go back to being the scared person I was before I learned to love weather. But they say.. if you fall off a horse, you have to hop right back on. So I told myself that I would not stop pursuing my dream.
Part 2 tomorrow.... :)
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