Great Plains Storm Chase 08

Day 7:

Well, we started the morning off on a positive note when the SPC put our area (in Gainesville, TX) and some areas north under a moderate risk with a 45% hatched area for hail. There was only a 5% hatched area for tornadoes, but anything is possible. Especially if a super cell pops up toward the south, then it could form its own environment and feed off of it. We went to Ardmore, OK and waited at a playground. There was a group of 3rd graders on a field trip so we got to spend some time with them and play Frisbee. As kids always are, they were very entertaining. They did back flips out of swings which was really impressive. Again we were playing the waiting game...which lasted about 5 hrs. Patience is a virtue. By 5:30 we drove back down to Texas to go after a super cell that was southwest of us. We went through a beautiful part of Texas that I could possibly even live at one day. Although my heart belongs in the Heart of Dixie. Once we finally got close to the storm, it died on us. Storm chasing reminds me of fishing. You pick a spot, wait, and hope you catch a big one. As we drove back to Gainesville, TX to spend our third night we played a game of twenty questions between the two vans on the CB radios. It was very humorous, especially when pump jack was what we were guessing for. I recently learned what a pump jack is on this trip.
~Leah Dailey
X-Ray