2015 Storm Chases

  • December 26, 2015 – Large and violent tornado in the eastern Dallas suburb of Rowlett, TX (704 Miles) 1 tornado witnessed11 Spotter Network report1
  • November 16, 2015 – Rare November setup with Multiple Pampa, Texas Tornadoes after dark. (659 Miles) 4 tornadoes witnessed44 Spotter Network reports4
  • November 11, 2015 – Late season bust in Iowa (1226 Miles) Highest wind observed40 mph
  • July 13, 2015 – Supercell in Central IL tries hard but fails to produce (327 Miles)
  • June 22, 2015 – Cyclic supercell in Northern Illinois produces 10 tornadoes (1215 Miles) 1 tornado witnessed13 Spotter Network reports3
  • June 20, 2015 – Straight line winds and brief EF-1 tornado (1155 Miles) 1 tornado witnessed1Highest wind observed60 mph3 Spotter Network reports3
  • June 12, 2015 – Marginal supercell shear in West Texas leads to some photogenic storms south of Lubbock (842 Miles) 2 Spotter Network reports2
  • June 4, 2015 – Cap bust in Northern Kansas and nice lightning at dusk near Wakeeney (641 Miles)
  • June 3, 2015 – Marginal chase day results in the best structure of my chase career (208 Miles) 1 tornado witnessed1
  • May 27, 2015 – Four tornadoes near Canadian, Texas (457 Miles) 4 tornadoes witnessed4Largest hail observed1.25″5 Spotter Network reports5
  • May 26, 2015 – HP Supercell along I-20 from Graham, TX to Stephenville, TX (574 Miles) 1 tornado witnessed1Largest hail observed1.50″Highest wind observed70 mph3 Spotter Network reports3
  • May 25, 2015 – Linear modes and flooding lead to a busted chase in a moderate risk (403 Miles) 2 Spotter Network reports2
  • May 24, 2015 – Four tornadoes after dark southwest of Dodge City near the city of Plains, KS (768 Miles) 4 tornadoes witnessed4Largest hail observed1.75″4 Spotter Network reports4
  • May 23, 2015 – Dryline fails to produce robust convection while tornadoes rage in Central OK (543 Miles)
  • May 22, 2015 – Possible tornado south of Fort Stockton from 20+ miles away (656 Miles)
  • May 19, 2015 – Tornado in Clay County, TX near the town of Buffalo Springs (514 Miles) 1 tornado witnessed1Largest hail observed4.75″5 Spotter Network reports5
  • May 16, 2015 – Tornado intercept west of Tipton, OK (695 Miles) 1 tornado witnessed1
  • May 15, 2015 – Junk cold inflow storms near Sidney produces a nice funnel and almost tornado (1115 Miles) 2 Spotter Network reports2
  • May 10, 2015 – Close encounter with a tornado between Argyle and Denton, TX (672 Miles) 1 tornado witnessed1Largest hail observed1.00″2 Spotter Network reports2
  • May 9, 2015 – Supercell evaporates near Graham, TX (582 Miles)
  • May 8, 2015 – HP Supercells lead to significant flooding (418 Miles)
  • May 6, 2015 – Tornadoes near Amber, Bridge Creek and Norman, OK (221 Miles) 4 tornadoes witnessed4Largest hail observed1.50″Highest wind observed90 mph4 Spotter Network reports4
  • May 5, 2015 – Missed all tornadoes (729 Miles)
  • April 26, 2015 – Cone tornado near Stephenville, TX and a lost windshield near Dublin, TX (820 Miles) 3 tornadoes witnessed3Largest hail observed4.25″3 Spotter Network reports3
  • April 25, 2015 – Bust in Southern Illinois (951 Miles)
  • April 24, 2015 – 80 MPH winds and golf ball hail near Stephenville, TX (785 Miles) Largest hail observed2.00″Highest wind observed80 mph1 Spotter Network report1
  • April 22, 2015 – Large amounts of golf ball hail in Happy, TX (878 Miles) Largest hail observed1.50″3 Spotter Network reports3
  • April 18, 2015 – No plans to chase, but baited out by a tornado watch (335 Miles)
  • April 16, 2015 – Plethora of weather conditions with HP Supercells in the Texas Panhandle (550 Miles) 1 tornado witnessed14 Spotter Network reports4
  • April 11, 2015 – Nice supercell north of Amarillo with Hail, structure and a brief funnel (639 Miles) Largest hail observed1.00″
  • April 9, 2015 – Shelf Cloud over Lake Bob Sandlin (599 Miles)
  • April 8, 2015 – Supercell near Seiling, OK (404 Miles) Largest hail observed1.50″1 Spotter Network report1
  • April 6, 2015 – Blue Sky Bust in Chickasha (97 Miles)
  • April 2, 2015 – Brief nocturnal tornado near Afton, OK (406 Miles) 1 tornado witnessed12 Spotter Network reports2
  • March 31, 2015 – Sub Severe Storms in SW OK (387 Miles) Largest hail observed0.75″
  • March 25, 2015 – A busted chase along the dryline in Southern Oklahoma nets a nice shelf cloud in Central OK (301 Miles)

Tornadoes for 2015

  1. Afton (Nocturnal) – April 2, 2015 – (36.71, -94.94) (EF-1)
  2. Panhandle/Groom – April 16, 2015 – (35.22, -101.34) (EF-0)
  3. Stephenville – April 26, 2015 – (32.23, -98.10) (EF-0)
  4. Cleburne State Park – April 26, 2015 – (32.22, -97.54) (EF-0)
  5. Rio Vista – April 26, 2015 – (32.23, -97.44) (EF-0)
  6. Amber – May 6, 2015 – (35.16, -97.81) (Unrated)
  7. Bridge Creek/Newcastle – May 6, 2015 – (35.18, -97.70) (EF-3)
  8. Norman – May 6, 2015 – (35.26, -97.48) (EF-1)
  9. Tuttle – May 6, 2015 – (35.25, -97.78) (EF-0)
  10. Argyle/Denton – May 10, 2015 – (33.13, -97.18) (EF-1)
  11. Elmer-Tipton – May 16, 2015 – (34.50, -99.20) (EF-3)
  12. Buffalo Springs – May 19, 2015 – (33.54, -98.20) (Unrated)
  13. Plains 1 (Nocturnal) – May 24, 2015 – (37.24, -100.63) (EF-1)
  14. Plains 2 (Nocturnal) – May 24, 2015 – (37.30, -100.54) (EF-0)
  15. Montezuma (Nocturnal) – May 24, 2015 – (37.45, -100.45) (EF-1)
  16. Ensign (Nocturnal) – May 24, 2015 – (37.53, -100.30) (EF-2)
  17. Gordon – May 26, 2015 – (32.60, -98.37) (EF-0)
  18. Ochiltree County Brief Needle – May 27, 2015 – (36.07, -100.59) (Unrated)
  19. Canadian – May 27, 2015 – (35.99, -100.41) (EF-2)
  20. Canadian 2 – May 27, 2015 – (35.94, -100.44) (EF-1)
  21. Canadian 3 – May 27, 2015 – (35.94, -100.43) (EF-1)
  22. Hanston – June 3, 2015 – (38.16, -99.76) (Unrated)
  23. Eddyville – June 20, 2015 – (41.12, -92.65) (EF-1)
  24. Harmon – June 22, 2015 – (41.72, -89.56) (Unrated)
  25. Claude – November 16, 2015 – (35.01, -101.30) (EF-0)
  26. Groom – November 16, 2015 – (35.17, -101.16) (Unrated)
  27. Pampa 1 (Nocturnal) – November 16, 2015 – (35.55, -100.82) (EF-3)
  28. Pampa 2 (Nocturnal) – November 16, 2015 – (35.58, -100.85) (EF-3)
  29. Rowlett (Nocturnal) – December 26, 2015 – (32.91, -96.52) (EF-4)

Chase Statistics for 2015

  • Chase Days: 36
  • Miles Driven: 22,476
  • Number of States Chased: 9
  • Chase Days by State:
    • Texas: 19
    • Oklahoma: 12
    • Illinois: 4
    • Kansas: 4
    • Colorado: 2
    • Iowa: 2
    • Missouri: 2
    • Arkansas: 1
    • Nebraska: 1
  • Spotter Network Reports: 54
  • Average Miles per Chase Day: 624.3
  • Longest Chase: 1,226 miles (November 11, 2015)
  • Windshields Replaced: 1

Convective

  • Chase Days: 36
  • Tornado Days: 15
  • Tornadoes: 29
  • Photogenic Tornadoes: 9
  • Largest Hail Observed: 4.75 in.
  • Highest Wind Observed: 90 MPH
  • Tornado Day Percentage: 41.67% ⓘTornado Days divided by Convective Chase Days — the share of convective chase days that produced at least one witnessed tornado.
  • Tornadoes per Mile: 0.0013 ⓘ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: 775.0 ⓘ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 2
  • Last Tornado of the Season: December 26
  • Busts: 14 ⓘ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 36 of 36 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 (5 of 29 tornadoes). 0% means the spot was outside even the 2% area.
    • 15%: 1 (1 hatched)
    • 10%: 14 (5 hatched)
    • 5%: 11
    • 2%: 3
  • Tornadoes by State:
    • Texas: 16
    • Oklahoma: 6
    • Kansas: 5
    • Illinois: 1
    • Iowa: 1
  • EF Rating Breakdown: EF-4: 1, EF-3: 4, EF-2: 2, EF-1: 8, EF-0: 8, Unrated: 6
  • Storm Modes: Supercell – LP: 1, Supercell – Classic: 2, Supercell – HP: 2
  • Best Chase Day: November 16
Nicely structured supercell updraft near Dublin, TX on April 26, 2015
Nicely structured supercell updraft near Dublin, TX on April 26, 2015