OWL Storm Photography Blog

June 1st chase

2011-06-01T04:42:00.000-05:00

Been a rough season so far, between the limited number of tornadoes west of I-35 and my work schedule, I have yet to bag a tornado this year. First time since 2006 I have gone this far into the season without a tornado (never got one in 2006).

I think today will atleast get me on a storm, which has been hard to do this year. Some ingredients are there that I think might make it a pretty good sleeper day, maybe even a tornado is possible, but i am not planning on that. Should be some slow moving big storms, so atleast it might be enjoyable to get out there again and maybe even get a few good pictures. Only downside is the potential target areas are pretty bad when it comes to roads, but thats why I own a 4x4 Jeep.

Bescor MP-101 Mod/Hack to do 360 Degrees of Rotation

2011-01-26T16:24:00.001-06:00

Just got my Bescor MP101 (motorized pan/tilt camera head) and started to hack it right away. Very simple preocess that I figured out on my own for the most part. All you have to do is pellthe rubber mat back, remove 7 screws and cut a plastic tab off. For the more detail instructions, check out this page - http://owlsp.com/mp101mod.html.

This is going to be my camera mount for my streaming dome camera that will also be recording HD video. Will have some test footage in a few weeks once my dome comes in.

Help me win a 3 free nights in Jamaica!

2010-12-02T12:54:00.000-06:00

For those of you on Facebook, please "like" my photo. Contest closes the 10th at 9 am and I could win a free 3 night stay in Jamaica. All you have to do is like "Secrets Wild Orchid" at this page:http://www.facebook.com/SecretsWildOrchid and then "like" my photo here: http://on.fb.me/g9H9Yb.

Thanks

Here is the photo you are voting on:

Winter has arrived for the Southern Plains

2010-11-14T14:34:00.000-06:00

We had a sorta unexpected snow storm in the Panhandle. Most the models had very little snow or mostly no snow around Amarillo. That was a little off as we recieved nearly 5 inches, which I slept through most. It was a very heavy snow from what I saw for the few minutes I was awake, which aided in such a high total for the barely freezing temps and the short period it snowed. Most of the trees around here were stilled loaded with leaves, when combined with that heavy, wet snow it made the area look like a ice storm had slammed the area. Trees of all sizes were missing limbs all over town, which caused power loses to about 5000 people.

The other side to that storm that is interesting is that it came in a La Nina year. For the Panhandle it normally means warmer temps and less precip, which equals less snow for an area that averages less than 20 inches per year as it is. So not only was it an early snow storm for around here, but it came in a year that we shouldn't expect much as it is. So much for expectations.

Summer has definitely left!

2010-09-26T21:33:00.000-05:00

Walked out to a chill in the air this morning in Amarillo and realized fall had finally made its debut. Severe weather does not look likely anytime soon on the GFS, but hopefully the southern plains can get one decent setup this fall before its too late. If not, it is going be a long winter.

Busy week ahead!

2010-06-06T19:59:00.000-05:00

I will be leaving early in the morning for one last chase trip of the season. Headed towards Goodland, KS to start off tomorrow. Will be heading to Denver Tuesday for a Rockies-Astros game and then more chasing the next few days after that. If I can find time to visit Yellowstone or any other National Park, I definitely will. I will be working on chase reports all summer with all that has happened this year. I think we all got way more than we asked for this year and hopefully V2 atleast got something to show for it.

Long Overdue Update

2010-05-25T16:36:00.000-05:00

I will be posting some pictures and videos of the tornadoes I have bagged in the past few weeks. I am completely worn out from all the chasing and slowly seperating myself from most of the chasing world, not that I didnt kinda do that already. The past few weeks have been the longest of my life. May 10th I ended up in the broad circulation of the Wakita tornado, because I made a poor choice of position and when to move with 60 mph storm motions. Tree branches and sheet metal go flying past me in my video. There is no telling what was flying beside me (my windows were covered in mud). Since then it has either been non-stop tornadoes or hard core busts. I am afraid to calculate all the miles I have driven. When you go through 5 states in one day it will really add up. Keep an eye for photos and video real soon. I have taken some of the best photos of my life in the last week so I atleast have something to show for it.

Upcoming Chase on April 5?

2010-04-02T16:27:00.000-05:00

The models have yet to nail anything down and come to a good concensus. The GFS and NAM do show pretty good potential from the triple point and down the dryline. The NAM is not showing and precip while the GFS has a small area on the OK/KS border. Truthfully the cap along the dryline looks very breakable. If the models are close to being right, then I expect to see atleast a storm along the dryline and definitely something near the triple point. It also has the same chances of being a blue sky bust. I will definitely try and post a more detailed write up Sunday when I have a better idea what to expect. My bet is I will be in KS somewhere on Monday.

Chasing.....soon

2010-03-28T13:48:00.003-05:00

The conditions are finally coming together for the 1st decent setup of the year. The most important part is the pattern change that is bringing a big trough into the west and starting some decent return flow off the gulf. Though the return flow still remains a big question, though it seems 60 degree dew points are likely. The NAM is faster with this return of 60's a whole 2 days before the event (about 500 miles further inland at 84 hrs). That can make a big difference.

Here is the 500mb at 12z (6am)from the GFS on the first potential day at this point, April 2nd.

Also here is the GFS dew points that evening 0z.

My bigggest issue I have at this point is the 500mb winds are due north across most of the warm sector which isnt yeild very good wind profiles and is parallel to the dryline, which will surely result in crapvection. The only target that seems reasonable at this point would be Fredricksburg, TX (San Antonio in TX hill country... booo). I am hoping for atleast a decent chance with this first wave. The GFS has been consistant in keeping this pattern in place after this storm with more setups after this one with better moisture in place. These potential second setups have more SW flow which is much more conducive of isolated development.

The most important thing is the season is HERE!

I have bought a bunch of new toys to try out this year including some video stream enhancements. I am going to have an icon on so you can see which way I am traveling at the time the video is taking. It may even be work good enough to show which way I am facing when I am not moving (or atleast the last know direction of movement). I also bought some new mounting options for my laptop and cameras. My stream camera can now be turn and moved around very easy. I also bought laptop mount for my Saturn Ion so I can chase the targets further away with less concerns about gas prices (32mpg compared to 17mpg from the Jeep). I had to buy a camera mount attachment so I can stream from my Ion, which arrives this week. I cant wait to test it out. My biggest improvement might be the Verizon data card to go along with the amp and antenna I already had. My stream stability should be improved greatly.

I am just ready for the chase to be on!

Dark side of Ebay - michiganative

2010-03-26T12:47:00.000-05:00

99% of my Ebay transactions have gone smoothly, but this is the case of another one that didnt. It always seems to be the ones over $100. This jack nut - michiganative - http://myworld.ebay.com/michiganative, sent me a computer that had a bad hard drive, but would power on (supposedly). Well, it didnt. The lights would flash on and turn right back off. After a slow week of emails he finally agrees to a refund. I ship it back and wait a few weeks for him to figure it out. I continuously email him asking for my refund to no avail. After having the computer some time he claims the case is cracked and it is worth less now because of the crack (not that it was worth anything cause it didnt work) and that he can only give a partial refund. It has been over 2 months now and I have not even got a partial refund. I got screwed by ebay and their very short time periods to file a claim because this guy dragged everything out so far. So now thanks to this guy and Ebay, I am out a couple hundred bucks and dont even have the broke computer to show for it.

As much as I like ebay, you have to be very careful who you buy from and be sure to know exactly what all you can do and when you can do it.

New Season

2010-03-22T16:11:00.000-05:00

As the 2010 season starts to kick into gear I am going to try and update this blog on a more regular basis before and after events. If anything to help me with my forecasting and to learn from mistakes. I am going to try to do some hand analysis on the day of the event when possible. I did farely well on my forecast last year, but blew it on a couple others and want to minimize those type of days where ever possible.

Here's to hoping the season is so crazy that even when you bust a forecast you still bag some naders.

Chase next weekend.

2009-08-30T13:06:00.002-05:00

I am for some reason buying the GFS (bad move on my part) and actually believing it's forecast for a potential 3 chaseable setups in a row (Sat, Sun, & Mon). If it comes to pass it will be great, but I I get one chase out of it I will be happy. The best looking day (Sun) looks like another drive to atleast KS, but more likely eastern NE. UGH!

Potential chase June 26 (Fri)

2009-06-25T00:56:00.002-05:00

The models are painting a decent picture for storms somewhere in NE or SD. I have never been to SD so it is very tempting. Not to mention Vortex is done, almost everybody has packed it up fo the year (I had even taking my laptop mount out, which is going back in in the morning). If there is actually a storm, it should be a peaceful chase, if there is such a thing anymore. If I decide to go out, I will have the video stream up Friday (if there is internet of course).

April 26 & 29 Tornadoes

2009-04-30T18:50:00.004-05:00

I have been very furtunate recently to witness a couple events at a generally close distance. I know it Luck as I have been not making the best decision during the recent chases, but making a good forecast and being in the right place at the right time has saved me over the past week. Bagging 2 very isolated events in one week is a heck of feat in my book, and being close makes it even more unbelieveable. I am trying to enjoy this week as much as possible as I am sure some headaches will await me with the arrival of VORTEX2 and all the chasecation'ers. The 26th and 29th are definitely 2 of my best chases to date. Here are the pics and vids.

April 16/17 Chase

2009-04-12T23:51:00.002-05:00

The models are finally looking to give us our first cutoff-low of the season. Thusrday at this point looks like the day with 60 dew points pushing into Woodward by 00z and great wind shear all along the dryline from Nebraska down to Texas. Winds are forecast to be backed all along the boundary so no matter where you pick you should be good. At the moment though I would lean toward SW OK. Always take the higher dews, and the upper level (500mb) are more SWerly in that are too.

Hopefully it will pan out and be a decent chase for every chaser. We all need a good chase about now. I got my new set of all-terrain Kumho tires from Discount Tires the other day. I am going to have those put on and hopefully the shop can fix the leak of break fluid that has had me paranoid for the last week everytime I drive. Also I need to get ride of this cough, it sucks and chasing with a cold is not fun (April 9 chase), so maybe the doctor can fix mme up this week before the (potential) chase.

Chase Season... among others

2009-04-07T14:09:00.003-05:00

The chase season looks to be kicking in right as Baseball regular season begins. Atleast there is always something on the radio to listen to when baseball starts. Moisture continues to be the major issue with every setup this year, but it is normally within 5 degrees of not being a problem. Thursday and Saturday still hold potential for some good storms IMO. I am definitely going to try and chase both if at all possible (going to a concert in Lubbock Friday night will make it a very interesting 3 days). I really want to use the TVN streaming and test it out, so I can work out any issues before we get to May and June. GFS is also painting more good chances of storms around the 200hr mark for the Southern Plains. Bring it on, its time to see some tornadoes.

Severe Potential 4/9 & 4/11

2009-04-06T17:00:00.000-05:00

Thursday and Saturday are starting to look pretty good. Northeast OK is looking really good with widespread EHI values over 3 all through the warm sector. Wind fields are really good as well. CAPE is actually forecasted at 1000+, which has been hard to come by this year wiht the lacking of quality moisture. Saturday looks confined to South of Midland, TX, but it holds some really good potential as well down there. I will get to test out the TVN stream for the first time this year as a solution was finally found to make it work on my computer with the tracker program.