Chase Log: May 10-15, 2003 Saturday, May 10: MO, IL 5:30am EDT Tried to bump onto an earlier flight from State College, PA, (SCE) to Kansas City, MO, (MCI), but it looks like the SCE to Detroit (DTW) leg is full (the chances sounded better yesterday). I'll fly to MCI as scheduled. Luckily, the 0600UTC Day 1 plants NE MO in a good spot, so we might not need the extra driving time, anyway. 12:45pm CDT DTW to MCI leg is taking extra time in the air because it had to fly around storms--expected to land about 1/2 hr behind schedule. Someday, the irony will amuse me. For now, it's a bit irritating, and Mike's probably going to sit on the ground waiting and get irritated, too. Talked to him on my layover--high risk out over north central MO (he was a bit groggy, so I didn't quite get the specifics). This is probably going to be the most likely day out of the whole trip... and here I sit... well, at least we don't have far to go. I just hope I beat initiation. 1:45pm: MO Landed and in the car with Mike and Mandy heading north on I-29 to St. Joseph (or "St. Joe") to meet Josh and Scott. Met with Josh and Scott just east of St. Joe on 36 and hopped into their car. We need to get further east, so E on 36. Towers starting to go up to our N at about 3pm. 4:10pm Tornado warning for Linn Co. (near 36) and Carroll Co. (heading toward Brookville). N on 5. Stopped a couple miles up for pics and video, but no development. Turned around... not excited about this storm. S on 139, then E on 36. 4:45pm S on 11 until turned around by a fatality accident that wasn't exactly cleaned up yet. Saw too much... that's haunting. Tornado warning in Saline Co. Can't catch up to the Chariton Co. storm now. E on E to 5. N on 5 to 36. E on 36. Chris is in Macon. 5:15pm Bumper sticker ahead of us: "Storm Chase Vehicle--Stay Back 500 ft". Yeah, we're riding his ass :). S on V, then W on FF, heading for the Randolph Co. storm. 6:15pm Tornado warning in N Monroe Co.--that's our storm! We got under the wall cloud and rotation (probably too close), then hit it out of there as a STRONG RFD wrapped around us with hail, high winds, and low visibility. Stopped on the side of the road with Mike and wondered what happened... from our side of the storm, it didn't look that great, but we knew that the way the RFD wrapped around so quickly, it had to have been close to producing a tornado. 6:45pm Chris called to report a tornado doing damage in Monroe City, just to our NE. On the run again! S on V to 24, 24 E to 36. Should have taken roads to avoid the town... minor damage in Monroe City (trees and limbs, some roof damage). Held up by traffic. Found out that Mike got pulled over doing... well... let's just say that the cop could have arrested him for reckless driving but let him go. In any case, that was the end of Mike's day. 36 into IL. Started NE to follow the same cell, which we were again trying to catch up to, in Adams Co. (tornado warning). Looped back all the way to Hannibal for gas and lost our chance--the storm moved into Brown Co. near Mt. Sterling. E on 72, then N on 107. Power is out in the area. Our cell is still tornadic in Schuyler Co. (near Rushville), but it's getting too dark. Chase over. Headed over 24 to Quincy, IL, for the night. Drove through the cold front--wind, rain, lightning, and strong winds behind. Stopped for a little video. Comfort Inn for the night, Applebee's for food and a drink. Watched old chase videos (my '00 chase and Josh's chases from earlier this year), then lights out. There were 80 tornadoes today and we were within spitting distance of the first touchdown of the Monroe City tornado (link here to St. Louis site), but we couldn't catch a break and we didn't jump NE after the storm after it wrapped us in its RFD. Between getting caught in the RFD, the slowdown in Monroe City, and the gas fiasco, we missed the opportunity for one cell three times! The only rotation we saw was before we got wrapped in the RFD (and that was probably a close call, after looking at the St. Louis site... that cell must have dropped a tornado JUST behind us). Interesting and exciting day, but a few bad breaks and a few lessons learned. Yeah, and that accident is still haunting. Sunday, May 11: IL to MO to IA to Omaha Nothing to chase today. Left at checkout time, got brunch at Wendy's, then drove to Canton, MO, to look at storm damage. The media and locals made it out to be the worst storm in the area, and video showed a large wedge, multi-vortex, with a horizontal and a satellite funnel. The damage that we could see from the highway wasn't entirely impressive--maybe F1?--but we could only see a little ways in. The cops had the town blocked off on all sides, so maybe the damage was worse further along the track. We did find the touchdown point, though--a couple of trees and a little farm outbuilding with light damage. 61 to 218 into IA, then up to I-80. Heading to Omaha for the night (free lodging!). Detoured to an outlet mall in Williamsburg, IA, for a little walk (didn't buy anything--I have absolutely no room in my bags!). Cold, stratocu, and very windy today. Tuesday and Wednesday look hopeful, but tomororw will definitely be another sleep in and travel day. Might need to make our way S to KS tomorrow. Spending the night at John, Mike, and Eric's house in Omaha (friends of Josh and Scott). Had a beer and a great calzone at Chicago's, then a couple of drinks and pool at Fox and the Hound, a nice little English pub. Also won at pool (Josh and I vs. Scott and Mike... but we all played pretty badly!) :). Watched "Office Space" when we got back to the house, then crashed in an empty bedroom.