Storm chaser Chad Cowan was busy Sunday in Kansas where he encountered this
tornado near Hays in the western part of the state. Please check out the video he
relayed to us and which you can view by clicking the link below. Chad provides us the
following rundown of what you will see in the approximately 14 minutes of video:
1) ~0:30 mark, the dramatic double wall cloud structure with one almost
reaching the ground
2) ~5:00, the MASSIVE wall cloud almost on the ground with a small town going by in
the foreground, sirens blasting and then a left turn into the storm puts the whole thing
in view
3) ~9:00, the 3rd supercell takes on a 'mothership' appearance, very ominous and very
close
4) ~11:00, 80 m.p.h.-plus RFD blast almost knocks me off my feet, mesonet crew
scrambles into car
Here's the link (video will open in a new window): http://www.vimeo.com/1067800
Those of you who joined us at the Fermilab this past April had a chance to meet Chad
Cowan. Chad was one of our speakers and is an active storm chaser who was in Kansas
the day of the devastating Greensburg tornado there last May. That EF-5 twister all but
obliterated Greensburg, a community which is involved in a major effort to rebuild in
the wake of that devastating storm. Chad also introduced us to the Storms of 2007
video at the seminar, ALL proceeds of which are being turned over the Red Cross and
Greensburg to aid in the rebuilding process. Thanks Chad for sharing this with us!
--Tom Skilling, Chief Meteorologist, WGN-TV/Chicago Tribune
