| MARCH 30TH Hico, TX |
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| CHASERS: Bobby Eddins, Michael Cohen, Edward Cohen, Meagan Cohen, T.J. Sivley NOWCASTING: Gary Cooper | ||
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Decided to play the area SW of FTW this day as it offered a better chance of success with slower storms. 19z Analysis showed low 60 Td along with increasing 3km and 1km SRH values being drawn NW towards the upper low near SJT and into the Brownwood, TX area. The dry slot had already moved east of this area so sky's were partly cloudy here also providing surface heating. Before leaving the house a radar check showed storms just beginning to fire near BWD. As we headed down I35 to go SW on HWY. 67 toward Glen Rose, Gary Cooper reported via cell phone that the storm near BWD had exploded. Near Cleburne we had ENE winds estimated at 5-10 mph and a T/Td of 65/61. Near Glen Rose winds had increased at ENE 10-15mph and T/Td of 67/62. About this time SVR thunderstorm warnings were issued for what was now storms. As we continued SW of Glen Rose, a TOR warning was issued for the storm near Hamilton, TX stating that the storm was moving toward Hico. We took Hwy. 220 south from Hwy. 67 which goes straight to Hico. Soon a long inflow band came into view and stretched several miles to the ENE. North of town we saw both low and mid level inflow bands feeding the main storm and what appeared to be an outflow dominated wall-cloud where this feature met the updraft. West of this a better looking wall-cloud appeared wrapped back in rain. This was a large rain-wrapped meso. We entered Hico as the sirens wailed. We went a bit west and took Hwy. 281 to get just south of town and set up. I stared shooting this large "dirty" meso in wide angle and shot for a few seconds then noticed a funnel more than 3/4 to ground behind the rain on the left side of the meso. As I zoomed in funnel visually touched down and then quickly became wrapped back in the rain and the focus became a new wall-cloud on the NE side of the meso, which occluded into the slot. Video captures from just S of Hico Looking SW: |
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| We drove back through Hico before the storm hit town and went east on
Hwy. 6 and stopped to look back. We now had E to ENE inflow of 15 to 20
feeding the storm. Video capture from E of Hico looking NW: |
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At this time the RFD began to take over and began racing east so we
continued east on Hwy. 6 to Iredell and took FM 972 to Walnut Springs,
Then Hwy. 144 north toward Glen Rose. We stopped just south of town for
some TL as the RFD seemed to quiet down for a while and a new wall-cloud
formed and then wrapped up once again. From S of Glen Rose looking W: |
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This main meso continued on NE and became the coma head of a very
pronounced bow that produced lots of
small hail but, as far as I know no wind damage in northern Johnson and
southern Tarrant counties. This was an easy fun chase to start the season. |
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