April 19, 2003 Storm Event Log :

April 19, 2003
Impromptu 2,140-mile Oklahoma storm chase expedition weekend

On Friday morning, April 18, 2003, conditions began to take shape that pointed to a major tornado outbreak in the Central Plains on Saturday, April 19. Although the 'official' storm chase expedition of 2003 wouldn't begin until mid-May, this event's potential magnitude coupled with it occurring on a weekend made it too good to pass up.

I left Charleston, WV on Friday afternoon and arrived in Tulsa, Oklahoma early Saturday morning and returned home Easter Sunday. A detailed report will follow soon. In the meantime, here are photos and video from the event:

Here are some photos and some very rough video from Saturday:

RealVideo Clip (3.6 MB):
April 19 Event Video

Detached funnel directly overhead near Elliot, OK:
Photo 1 | Photo 2 | Timelapse Video

Watching new storm over Wann, OK:
Photo

Chaser convergence at Guthrie, OK:
Photo | Photo

DOW 2 (Doppler On Wheels) unit at Guthrie:
Photo 1 | Photo 2

Storms at Evansville, IN on Sunday:
Photo 1 | Photo 2

A big thanks to Bill Coyle, Dave Crowley, Greg McLaughlin, Blake Naftel, Chris Sokol and all those who called/emailed and offered the very helpful advice/info/nowcasting during the long drive west.