My First Tornado!

Going through some old pictures tonight in search of pictures of my sister who passed away on Saturday, I ran across a few of my old weather pics and one included a shot of my first tornado that I actually chased as a stormchaser. The picture below was taken on April 26 1991 just north of Sooner Lake on 177 HWY southeast of Red Rock Oklahoma. The tornado at this point was very wide...probably close to 3/4 mile wide and was rated as an F-4! It was on the ground for 65 miles and was well documented by many many chasers including me.



April 26 1991 was a day that made such an impression on me and is the main reason why I chase today. Actually it was dumb luck that I even saw a tornado on this day as I had no real idea what I was doing or even what I was looking at. The chase started for me after I heard the tornado watch being broadcast on local TV and I decided I was going to go out and see a tornado. I thought it was really that easy.....if there was a tornado watch I could drive to it and see a tornado! Wow.......talk about a newbie!!!