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Chase Logs - 1999 |
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Severe weather in Ontario has
picked up in the last few months and has given me the opportunity to do some extensive
chases in many parts of the province. May 6 - 13: With the lack of severe weather in Ontario to early June, my trip to tornado alley was a good break and a way to get ready for the Ontario storm season (if and when it arrives). This was the first year that I would rely solely on my own forecast and then compare it to others. My vacation got off a week later than I wanted. I was suppose to leave on Sunday May 2 for, either, Wichita Kansas or Oklahoma City, Oklahoma for Monday afternoon. The reason was half due to my forecast with the long range models and half because I had never been to Oklahoma City and I like Wichita from past years successes there. I figured I would decide where to go the first night. To my dismay, on Friday night, I noticed my radiator cracked and had to be repaired and would not be completed till Tuesday morning. When the outbreak occurred on May 3, I was a little upset (to say the least). Both my target areas got hit with F4 tornadoes at the time I would have been there. Well, putting that behind me, I would leave on Wednesday. I got up in the morning and was about to pack the car up when I noticed more drips on the driveway. After looking at the area it was coming from, I discovered that the new rad had put more pressure on the system and blew my water pump (It does not rain, it pours!). Another day gone. I finally got out of the province on Thursday morning. A full 5 days late and many tornadic and severe thunderstorms later. Looking at the weather pattern, I would have some time to reflect on my trip to the plains. I have laid out the day to day logs below with the pictures I captured along the way. Included are some damage photos from Wichita and Oklahoma, a little funnel cloud/tornado I caught in Kansas, some intense hail and lightning shots and various other photos of sunsets and cloud formations. May 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 June 2: A tornado (unconfirmed at the time) touched down in the Purple Valley area today. I got the report on June 3 and decided to head to the region to view the area. My observations and a few photos are here. June 7: I finally got my first and second chases of the Ontario season in today. The conditions were very hot and unstable and the atmosphere was setting up for a show. My complete log including photos and a comprehensive look at the damage in Toronto caused by microbursts is here including radar animations, photos and links to other sources. July 3: Chasing today was in 2 locations. A possible tornadic storm in the Guelph Region and another severe tornadic cell that had decreased in intensity from Northern Upper Michigan. Both chases resulted in heavy rains and flooding but no funnel clouds or tornadoes detected by me. It was also a bad day for photography but here is the log anyway. July 24: Tornadic storm system in Wellington County near Arthur produced 2 funnels that I viewed but camera and video problems, combined with not being in the right location resulted in few shots and the best ones being missed. July 28: Severe thunderstorm cell in Kincardine area that produced a beautiful gust front and some small hail. This storm was the first of a number of cells that formed including a tornadic storm in the Chatham and Sarnia area. I got a wall cloud on film but nothing formed. Some excellent lightning and other photographic shots. Spent a good deal of time this week on my photography skills. July 29: A bust day all around. A number of conditions prevented this chase from occurring. I had forecasted a significant outbreak of severe thunderstorms with tornadoes today but busted out due to a lazy trough that decided to stall out in Michigan. July 31: Probably the longest chase day I have had in Ontario and very close to chase days in the plains. 5 severe thunderstorms and one tornadic thunderstorm produced some good video of lightning hitting a transformer and hay bales fires.
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Copyright 1997,1998,1999: The Ontario Weather Page |
