October 18th 2007 tornadic supercells

This chase day was incrediable to say the least. All of Indiana and most of the midwest states were juiced. 1000 j/kg was about the average for instability. 30 to 40 kts low level jet, which is very healthy, not to mention it was a very broad belt. Here is the kicker though, we had around a 75kt middle level jet. (WOW) Quite the kinematic setup. See the thing is the 500 millibar winds, which is the area for the middle level jet, is basicly the steering height for most storms. And the faster these go the faster the storms move away from you. LOL and that was the MO for the day. I first targeted northern Indiana, because winds were trying to back along the warm front which was up north. Some boys from the IL area were targeting the Effingham IL area which is east central IL. So I decided to go west for iniation. Meaning I was plannning on being there when they first formed and north easting with them. Yeah right.

The first pic is from a storm that just started and would soon move into IN and produce a tornado up north around my first target location. LOL. Anyway I could not keep up with it. 50mph was its speed at first. I went east then north then east again before I gave up.

Their was a line behind all the initial stuff. A squall line of supercells, that I opted to wait and intercept around northern Montgomery county. I had stoped only to get data before sliding north a little more. It was now completely pitch black. After a couple confusing phone calls from someone trying to now cast I was in position to intercept the south east quadrant of the approaching supercell. The below pictures are from that storm. You can see a lowering in that storm. Its right above the turquoise light.

In the below pic you can see rements of a lowering or wall cloud and the now base of the storm. Which is taken a few minutes later.