Chase 2K


MESO regrouped in Wichita for Chase 2000 on May 12 and May 19. The chase was broken into two "sub-chases" to accomodate schedules and to evaluate different chase styles.

The first chase, Alpha, began on May 12 and was a low-tech chase, using only the core electronics and gadgets. The second chase, Beta, began on May 19 and was the full-blown high-tech chase... including our full array of gadgets, radios, and McWAR. Our new patented instrument, OZ, was onboard for both chases.

ALPHA CHASE TEAM:
  • Nancy Bose (Verbank, NY)
  • Allan Detrich (Columbus, OH)
  • Chris Howell (Ypsilanti, MI)
  • Geoff Mackley (Aukland, New Zealand)
  • Brian McNoldy (Fort Collins, CO)
  • Bill Steigerwald (Pittsburgh, PA)
  • Bill Tabor (Austin, TX) -- GUEST
    		• BETA CHASE TEAM:
  • John Bender (Yorkville, IL)
  • Jill Borden (Tukwila, WA)
  • Nancy Bose (Verbank, NY)
  • Steve Chambers (Cincinnati, OH)
  • Allan Detrich (Fremont, OH)
  • Doug Elick (Cincinnati, OH)
  • Eric Georgeault (Paris, France)
  • John Griswold (Ruskin, FL)
  • Chris Howell (Ypsilanti, MI)
  • Geoff Mackley (Aukland, New Zealand)
  • Brian McNoldy (Fort Collins, CO)
  • Bill Tabor (Austin, TX) -- GUEST
    		• REMOTE DATA ASSISTANTS:
  • Jason Breakiron (Manassas, VA)
  • Rob Fleishauer (Fort Collins, CO)
  • Greg Gould (Boston, MA)
  • Rob Lafferty (Apple Valley, MN)
  • Chris Merrill (Chicago, IL)
  • Jeremy Miller (Truxton, NY)

    • The Alpha fleet consists of two vehicles: a Chevrolet Venture and an Isuzu Trooper. The Beta fleet consisted of five vehicles: a Chevrolet Venture, an Isuzu Trooper, and Isuzu Rodeo, a Dodge Ram, and McWAR, the Multi-community Wide Area Resource.

    All photos on this page are the property of the photographer and are not to be copied or distributed without consent of the photographer. For a larger version of a photo, click on the thumbnail.


    5/12 - 5/13 UPDATE
    5/14 UPDATE
    5/15 UPDATE
    5/16 UPDATE
    5/17 UPDATE
    5/18 UPDATE
    5/19- 5/20 UPDATE
    5/21 UPDATE
    5/22 UPDATE
    5/23 - 5/24 UPDATE
    5/25 - 5/26 UPDATE
    5/27 UPDATE
    POSTSCRIPT


    5/13: Nancy Bose and Bill Steigerwald take a leisurely stroll on a dirt road passing through a wheatfield near Cheney, KS.
    5/13: The MESO Alpha fleet confirms that yes, nice days do suck.
    5/14: Geoff Mackley gazes up in disbelief at a mid-afternoon cirrus display over Dodge City.

    5/14: Chris Howell and Brian McNoldy analyze data to make a convective forecast for the next day.
    5/15: Allan Detrich prepares OZ for its first practice deployment. In only 45 seconds, OZ can go from its storage position on the hood of the Trooper to an anchored position on the ground.
    5/15: Brian McNoldy and Chris Howell rush OZ from the hood of the Trooper to the desired anchoring site on the ground.

    5/15: The MESO Alpha Chase Team: McNoldy, Howell, Detrich, Bose, and Mackley.
    5/16: Brian McNoldy, Chris Howell, and Geoff Mackley check data at a hotel lobby in Hays, KS.
    5/16: Hot and cold water towers in Pratt, KS... sometimes, one just ain't enough.

    5/17: A wall cloud and funnel cloud near Cozad, NE as seen from I-80.
    5/17: Another larger funnel cloud as seen from I-80 near Lexington, NE.
    5/17: A funnel cloud that almost became a tornado... looking east from 83 near Gothenburg, NE.

    5/17: A very pronounced gust front... looking south on 83 near Gothenburg, NE.
    5/17: Incredible display of mammatus under the anvil of one of many supercells near Gothenburg.
    5/18: A house severely damaged by a 5/17 tornado on Fort McPherson Rd in Lincoln Co., NE. Susan Taylor and her daughter Heather were in the house when the tornado hit it... both survived.

    5/18: A light pole impaled through Sue Taylor's barn roof
    5/18: Sue Taylor describes the event with incredibly high spirits. The remains of her house are in the background. Miraculously, her daughter, goats, geese, cats, and dog all survived the encounter.
    Sue Taylor happily accepts a generous check from MESO. Other cash donations were also given to her and her family by MESO members.

    5/20: A cow stands on a hill near a dirt road on the OK/KS state line near Coldwater. Rain shafts can be seen in front of the sunset.
    5/20: McWAR cruises along dirt roads in rural south western Kansas.
    5/20: A brilliant lightning bolt flashes overhead and reflects in OZ's dome.

    5/22: Chris Howell and Brian McNoldy spend the morning analyzing data and model output to make a convective forecast. The forecast resulted in being in prime viewing area of a developing supercell over 200 miles away.
    5/22: Looking east toward a building supercell on the OK/AR state line on I-40 (1940 CDT).
    5/22: The same supercell at 2005 CDT.

    5/22: The same supercell at 2015 CDT, taken from near Chismville, AR.
    5/22: The precip-free base was rotating very quickly but produced no tornadoes. It did produce several small funnel clouds though.
    5/24: A supercell in the Texas panhandle.

    5/26: A heavy rain and hail storm barely misses an abondoned church in eastern Kansas.
    5/26: One of the supercells we chased dropped this wall cloud just south of Emporia, KS.
    5/26: The top of a growing storm... looking east from I-70 near Kansas City, MO.

    5/26: The MESO Fleet heads east on I-70 toward a mature supercell.
    5/26: The mammatus under that supercell's anvil are spectacularly lit as the sun sets.
    5/27: The MESO Beta Chase Team: Georgeault, Bose, Tabor, Mackley, Griswold, Borden, Elick, Chambers, Shepherd, Bender, McNoldy, Howell.


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