Yesterday morning at 8:30, I looked at the RUC and the NAM, shook my head, and then headed out the door anyway to go bust chasing in Illinois. Chalk it up to a long Michigan winter or just plain foolhardiness, but there are times when I just have to go, period. Set out with my expectations low and hang my compass on nothing but hope, with the mindset that I’ll be grateful just to get a flash and a rumble. That’s what my buddy Bill and I got yesterday, and I’ll tell you, it was nice.
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The day before, March 10, the same storm system delivered a considerably higher level of intensity as it moved through Arkansas. Those meager-to-modest dewpoints managed to produce a nice little swarm of supercells on the nose of a handsome 500 mb jet, and several tornadoes spun down.I didn’t chase that day, but I made a point of following things at home, and I happened to capture a few level 2 images of the day’s main bruiser near Searcy, about 50 miles northeast of Little Rock. The images were taken around 0235 Z (8:35 CST). Note the interesting “hammerhead” hook on the first reflectivity image. Beyond that, I’m not going to say more, just offer you the screen grabs for your viewing pleasure, along with some exciting memories for those of you who were on that storm.
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Come on now-I don’t believe there was even a “Slight Risk” in IL that day although there might have been a “See Text”! Clearly cabin fever has taken hold. Ha! At least you have dusted off your gear which is more than I can say. I need to do something about my truck and soon..having no brakes doesn’t make for a safe chase!
Tornado-wise, it was a non-setup, but we went anyway. I was pining to get out and at least feel like I was in chase mode, and it felt good to see a few towers, anvils, and a little lightning. We also saw a crazy, abrupt lowering south of Rockford that lasted for maybe twenty minutes, but by the time we got close enough to get a good look, it was falling apart.