Day 13: Bonus Day

Yesterday, in a stunning turn of events, the team decided that there were storms worth chasing in our area. The SPC released an outlook that put us in an enhanced risk for western Missouri and instead of beginning to push back towards Annapolis, we chased storms instead.

And it payed off BIG.

The day started when we left our hotel and traveled a little bit westward. The team found a cute little park with a large parking lot and a playground. After an hour of frisbee and the discovery of a four-leaf and five-leaf clover (for good luck!) we stopped by Clinton, Missouri, for a quick bite in what might have been the weirdest restaurant of the entire trip. Although we anticipated staying in the same general area, convection began to our southwest, prompting a change in scenery. Oklahoma welcomed us back with open arms, and there we began to really chase.

The terrain in eastern Oklahoma can be pretty unforgiving to chasers, making it pretty tough to find good viewing spots for storms. A lot of trees and hills can easily block the view of a rotating funnel or wall cloud, and that's just not cool. With all of the rain and flood warnings too, we had to be especially mindful of road closures, which, unfortunately, were not well updated and closed on a more local basis. Ultimately, this obstacle made the day a little more interesting.

The real show, started at nightfall. Just as we thought the day might be over for us, the lightning gave way to a multi-vortex tornado. Encouraged, we continued to follow the storm at a safe distance, watching as the multi-vortex disappeared and was later replaced by another tornado. We didn't even find a hotel until 2330!

The team finished our bonus chase day like anyone else would: in a Waffle House at midnight.