Chase Log: May 03rd, 2003
Click on any of the SPC products below (Convective Outlooks, Watches, or MCDs) to see the SPC's "Severe Thunderstorm Events" page pertaining to this event.
Total Distance: 500 miles
Target Area: Shamrock to Childress, TX, to Elk City, OK
Chase Area: Memphis, TX, to Altus, OK
Maximum SPC Risk category: Slight
Watches:
Tornado Watches 220, 222, and 227
Mesoscale Discussions (MCDs): 705, 707, 709, 713, 714, and 720
Nice potential for tornadic supercells as rapid moisture transport started overnight and continued through the morning (LAW dewpoint rose about 10 degrees in 2 hours). We watched a Cb EXPLODE near Memphis, TX, with an incredibly crisp look and nice pileus clouds atop the rapidly-growing Cb. We got behind it a bit as we watched it too long, so we headed east out of Memphis. On the way out of the town, we did stop to look at some tennis-ball sized hail that was on the side of the road.
The storm seemed to absorb another storm which rapidly approached from the southwest (it turns out, IIRC, that this storm was a left-split from a tornadic supercell in northern TX). Offical forecasts indicated a continued chance of supercell initiation, but the sky certainly didn't look like it was favorable. We made it to Altus by dusk.
