2011 Storm Chases

  • November 7, 2011 – Incredible November Tornado Outbreak in Southwest Oklahoma including Tipton Oklahoma Tornado (392 Miles) 7 tornadoes witnessed7Largest hail observed2.00″Highest wind observed50 mph
  • October 7, 2011 – OK and TX Panhandle Storms (723 Miles) Largest hail observed1.00″1 Spotter Network report1
  • September 17, 2011 – Multiple fall tornadoes near Wakita, Oklahoma on a marginal chase day. (366 Miles) 3 tornadoes witnessed34 Spotter Network reports4
  • August 12, 2011 – Northern Oklahoma Severe Storms (369 Miles) Highest wind observed50 mph
  • August 8, 2011 – Norman Lightning (8 Miles)
  • June 20, 2011 – Incredible tornado outbreak in Nebraska including the beautiful Bradshaw, Nebraska Tornado (605 Miles) 3 tornadoes witnessed3Largest hail observed0.75″
  • June 19, 2011 – Storms in Northern Colorado/Western Nebraska southeast of Kimball (1293 Miles)
  • June 11, 2011 – Landspout in Colorado and brief Tornado in Oklahoma Panhandle (1162 Miles) 2 tornadoes witnessed2
  • May 24, 2011 – My best chase day ever with multiple violent tornadoes near Oklahoma City (441 Miles) 2 tornadoes witnessed2Largest hail observed1.50″Highest wind observed75 mph1 Spotter Network report1
  • May 23, 2011 – Beautiful Supercell near Boone, OK (186 Miles) Largest hail observed3.00″
  • May 22, 2011 – Chasing near Joplin, Missouri as the town was hit by the violent EF-5 tornado. (575 Miles)
  • May 21, 2011 – Multiple tornadoes near Ada, OK (174 Miles) 4 tornadoes witnessed4Largest hail observed1.00″Highest wind observed70 mph4 Spotter Network reports4
  • May 19, 2011 – Severe Storms near Apache, OK (142 Miles)
  • May 12, 2011 – Cold Core Landspout Tornado near Aurora, NE (729 Miles) 1 tornado witnessed11 Spotter Network report1
  • May 11, 2011 – Severe Storms in Northwest Kansas (1017 Miles)
  • May 9, 2011 – Severe Storm intercept near the Nebraska/South Dakota Border (503 Miles)
  • May 8, 2011 – Nebraska Bust (773 Miles)
  • April 24, 2011 – Tornado near Baird, TX (684 Miles) 1 tornado witnessed1Highest wind observed75 mph3 Spotter Network reports3
  • April 22, 2011 – Outflow Dominant Storms along I-40 in Eastern Oklahoma (267 Miles)
  • April 21, 2011 – Blue sky bust in North Texas (418 Miles)
  • April 14, 2011 – Stroud, OK Tornado (431 Miles) 1 tornado witnessed1
  • April 9, 2011 – Mapleton, Iowa Tornado/NW Iowa Tornadoes (1154 Miles) 7 tornadoes witnessed7Highest wind observed60 mph6 Spotter Network reports6
  • April 8, 2011 – 90 MPH winds in Ponca City, OK (297 Miles) Highest wind observed90 mph
  • April 3, 2011 – Kansas Hail Storms (696 Miles) Largest hail observed2.00″1 Spotter Network report1
  • February 27, 2011 – Early season supercell tracks across northern Oklahoma (382 Miles) Largest hail observed1.25″

Tornadoes for 2011

  1. Mapleton – April 9, 2011 – (42.17, -95.78) (EF-3)
  2. Ida Grove (Nocturnal) – April 9, 2011 – (42.32, -95.40) (EF-2)
  3. Arthur (Nocturnal) – April 9, 2011 – (42.35, -95.29) (EF-3)
  4. Odebolt (Nocturnal) – April 9, 2011 – (42.37, -95.24) (EF-2)
  5. Early (Nocturnal) – April 9, 2011 – (42.52, -95.13) (EF-3)
  6. Fonda (Nocturnal) – April 9, 2011 – (42.69, -94.81) (EF-1)
  7. Pocahontas (Nocturnal) – April 9, 2011 – (42.73, -94.74) (EF-1)
  8. Stroud – April 14, 2011 – (35.78, -96.67) (EF-0)
  9. Baird – April 24, 2011 – (32.49, -99.38) (EF-0)
  10. Aurora Landspout – May 12, 2011 – (40.79, -98.06) (EF-0)
  11. Stratford – May 21, 2011 – (34.78, -96.89) (EF-0)
  12. Vanoss – May 21, 2011 – (34.79, -96.86) (EF-0)
  13. Ada 1 – May 21, 2011 – (34.80, -96.82) (EF-1)
  14. Ada 2 – May 21, 2011 – (34.80, -96.82) (Unrated)
  15. Chickasha – May 24, 2011 – (35.04, -97.87) (EF-4)
  16. McLoud – May 24, 2011 – (35.38, -97.08) (EF-2)
  17. La Junta Landspout – June 11, 2011 – (37.88, -103.68) (EF-0)
  18. Turpin – June 11, 2011 – (36.77, -100.82) (EF-0)
  19. Rope south of Bradshaw – June 20, 2011 – (40.81, -97.69) (Unrated)
  20. Bradshaw – June 20, 2011 – (40.91, -97.71) (EF-2)
  21. Osceola – June 20, 2011 – (41.13, -97.53) (EF-3)
  22. Wakita 1 – September 17, 2011 – (36.83, -98.04) (EF-0)
  23. Wakita 2 – September 17, 2011 – (36.82, -97.89) (EF-0)
  24. Wakita 3 – September 17, 2011 – (36.78, -97.90) (EF-0)
  25. Tipton – November 7, 2011 – (34.51, -99.08) (EF-4)
  26. Manitou – November 7, 2011 – (35.54, -98.99) (EF-0)
  27. Wichita Wildlife Refuge – November 7, 2011 – (34.73, -98.84) (EF-0)
  28. Saddle Mountain – November 7, 2011 – (34.88, -98.67) (EF-0)
  29. Saddle Mountain Brief – November 7, 2011 – (34.91, -98.64) (EF-0)
  30. Alden – November 7, 2011 – (35.00, -98.54) (EF-0)
  31. Fort Cobb – November 7, 2011 – (35.12, -98.47) (EF-1)

Chase Statistics for 2011

  • Chase Days: 25
  • Miles Driven: 13,787
  • Number of States Chased: 9
  • Chase Days by State:
    • Oklahoma: 16
    • Kansas: 8
    • Nebraska: 6
    • Texas: 4
    • Missouri: 3
    • Colorado: 2
    • South Dakota: 2
    • Arkansas: 1
    • Iowa: 1
  • Spotter Network Reports: 21
  • Average Miles per Chase Day: 551.5
  • Longest Chase: 1,293 miles (June 19, 2011)
  • Windshields Replaced: 1

Convective

  • Chase Days: 25
  • Tornado Days: 10
  • Tornadoes: 31
  • Photogenic Tornadoes: 14
  • Largest Hail Observed: 3.00 in.
  • Highest Wind Observed: 90 MPH
  • Tornado Day Percentage: 40.00% ⓘTornado Days divided by Convective Chase Days — the share of convective chase days that produced at least one witnessed tornado.
  • Tornadoes per Mile: 0.0022 ⓘTotal tornadoes witnessed divided by total miles driven — a rough measure of chasing efficiency. Higher means more tornadoes for the driving effort.
  • Average Miles per Tornado: 444.7 ⓘTotal miles driven divided by total tornadoes witnessed — the same ratio as Tornadoes per Mile, just flipped into "miles per tornado" instead of "tornadoes per mile."
  • First Tornado of the Season: April 9
  • Last Tornado of the Season: November 7
  • Busts: 5 ⓘA "Bust" day: storms were expected and something did fire, but the setup underperformed the forecast — a weaker, shorter-lived, or less organized event than anticipated.
  • Blue Sky Busts: 0 ⓘA "Blue Sky Bust" day: nothing fired at all — clear skies despite a forecast that called for storms.
  • Kiss of Death Days: 2 (1–1) ⓘA "Kiss of Death" day: the SPC tornado outlook included a 15% hatched (significant) tornado probability within a Slight, Enhanced, or Moderate risk (Categorical Risk 1–3) — a favorable-looking setup that historically often underperforms relative to the risk level. Shown as days chased (with tornadoes–without).
  • SPC Risk Record: ⓘThe SPC Day 1 outlook risk where the chase actually was (states chased, within 200 miles of the GPS track when there is one) — not the highest risk anywhere in the country that day. Based on 25 of 25 convective chase days with a known risk (chases outside the US are left out).
  • Tornadoes by SPC Tornado Risk: ⓘThe SPC tornado probability right at each tornado's location, from the Day 1 outlook in effect when it happened. When no time was logged, it's estimated from the GPS track, or else assumed to be late afternoon (2 of 31 tornadoes). 0% means the spot was outside even the 2% area.
    • 45%: 2 (2 hatched)
    • 15%: 1 (1 hatched)
    • 10%: 17 (10 hatched)
    • 5%: 11
  • Tornadoes by State:
    • Oklahoma: 18
    • Iowa: 7
    • Nebraska: 4
    • Colorado: 1
    • Texas: 1
  • EF Rating Breakdown: EF-4: 2, EF-3: 4, EF-2: 4, EF-1: 4, EF-0: 15, Unrated: 2
  • Storm Modes: Supercell – Classic: 1
  • Best Chase Day: May 24
Beautiful tornado rips through a corn field near Bradshaw, NE on June 20, 2011
Beautiful tornado rips through a corn field near Bradshaw, NE on June 20, 2011