VORTEX2 Gathers in Texas to Wait
We left Clinton in half panic mode to get to the target area in the Texas panhandle. I’m beginning to think this was just a trial run to see how fast you can muster over 100 people and 40 vehicles. The drive was cold and damp till we got half way into the panhandle (the scientists don’t want the media to disclose the exact location because of safety concerns). We went from temperatures in the 50’s to temps in the 80’s after traveling about 150 miles. We also went from fog to sunshine. The meteorology community had on their shorts and flip flops and I was sweating in jeans and a long-sleeve shirt. I wish they had a clothing forecast.
Erik Rasmussen, co-principal investigator, shows the members of VORTEX2 data and the reason for targeting the Texas panhandle. He is giving the morning briefing in the restaurant of the Ramada Inn in Clinton, Okla. on Tuesday, May 12, 2009 at 10:00 am. The order came to leave immediately for Texas. Photo by Steve Sisney, The Oklahoman
Conrad Ziegler, research scientist with NSSL (left), Renee Curry, OU graduate student and scout car driver, and Mike Biggerstaff, University of Oklahoma professor, confer on a more precise target for the SR1 doppler radar on the third day of VORTEX2 as the team arrives in the panhandle of Texas on Tuesday, May 12, 2009. Photo by Steve Sisney, The Oklahoman
A member of the "Sticknets" mobile mezonet deployment team waits for a super cell thunderstorm to develop early in the afternoon. After leaving temperatures in the 50s in Clinton, Okla. in the morning the temperature at this rest stop approached 90 degrees. The crew of VORTEX2 searched for super cell thunderstorms in the panhandle of Texas. on Tuesday, May 12, 2009. Photo by Steve Sisney, The Oklahoman
For a gallery of Tuesday’s photos click here.
-Steve Sisney
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Comments
No comments yet.
Leave a comment