10/29/09 REPORTS: TX,AR
 

Shreveport, LA was the place to be today! I think they were under three separate tornado warnings. But No, I didn't make it down there. Did see a possible tornado in Magnolia, AR. I started out in NE TX hoping to catch some storms firing just E of the cold front. Not a lot to talk about there. Saw one little storm that was at least a bit isolated, but it was never even severe warned:
Back side of storm, moving away form me.
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/g...860aresize.jpg

Decided to make a run at the storms firing in NE LA, try to catch them as they moved into S AR. Made it to Magnolia, AR about 5:15 but the storm I was wanting to catch was now transforming into a bow segment. Tornado warning was issued with week couplet on the NE side of a the little bow segment, so I stuck where I was. Couplet intensified with next update and I saw a lowering to my S as I was right in the little notch. Funnel/tornado passed just to my E moving NNE with heavy rain overtaking me from the W. Bottom half of tornado? was hidden by trees so I could not tell if it was on the ground. Just after it passed I found a road E and ran into powerlines and trees over the road, and heavy damage to some trailer houses looked like mostly do to falling trees. Several emergency vehicles started to arrive. this was on the E side of Magnolia, AR. Couplet weekend significantly with the next update and was all but gone with the next, if I recall. A very brief spin up, just happened to be right on the highway and a place that I had a somewhat decent view.

Looking SE, note time on bank clock 5:37. At the time I took this I was sure this was an inflow feature with plenty of motion, but that is about all I could tell. The feature in the middle of the picture I thought might be a funnel.

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/g...864aresize.jpg

Looking E with heavy rain just starting to fall. Was pretty sure this was at least a large funnel at this point. Lots of motion with it.

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/g...866aresize.jpg

SRV1, note the time.

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/g...oliaresize.png

Then of course, I go east a ways and run into all the damage, so I'm relatively certain it was a tornado.

Had an interesting chase in the hills of AR. Can anyone tell what this thing on the mountain is? Chime in on the DISC thread, here. I was fighting to turn the autofocus off so it's a bit shaky at first.
Video at http://www.chasethestorms.com/102909

http://chasethestorms.smugmug.com/We...28_xdrSK-L.jpg

http://chasethestorms.smugmug.com/We...27_JATyB-L.jpg

I think that picture of Chads is from earlier in the day. Chad and I were both around Paris, AR at the time of the tornado (only about 15 miles NE of the end of the tornado path). I thought I might have seen a little funnel somewhere around Subiaco from same storm just a few mins later. Heres some video I got earlier.. mainly from E OK (Haskell County near LeQuire).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYJYMW6zXd0

I thought that might be on the ground at the time (the rain curtains spiraling around it certainly made me think so) so I didnt stay to find out.