May 10th 2010 Wakita, OK tornadic supercell
May 10th had been showing up on the models for some time as a significant event for some time. Usually in the last days before the event finer details come in that really down play the event. But this was one exception. It actually looked better and better as the days lead into it. Storm motions/speeds were going to be kinda nuts but early season setups of this magnitude usually are. This was definitely one to remember!
I'll kinda jump right into this one. Started the day out heading west. Eventually ending up sitting for an hour outside Perry, OK just prior to initiation. Then had drove through Enid. The west side of Enid the first cell had started to go up and quickly go supercellular. So we drove north to intercept. Finally catching up with it just south of Wakita!
Image below is looking west at the wakita cell as it approachs us. Decent structure with a nice beavertail feeding into it from the northeast. And inflow band from the south. The next two images show these two features.
The first Tornado happens no later than five minutes after we stop to get a look at it. It quickly touches down then lifts.
The next few images are all screen grabs. From video. It got harry with this cell moving pretty quickly at us then to the northeast.
After the first tornado the roatating portion grew quickly and moved right at us. So we drove east out of the way and not 5 minutes later a multi vortex tornado forms touching down everywhere!!
At first one soild funnel touchs down with a satellite wrapping around it. Then it quickly morphs into a mulit vortex.
Soon after this cell goes on to produce a monster wedge tornado just north east of Medford, OK. I then head south and east to catch a new cell coming up throught he stillwater area. Get in behind it but softball size hail was falling despite the incredible storm speeds which made it almost impossible to catch it. So we pull over to see our options and with storm motions what they were we decided to not try and play with the OKC storm. Which happened to be the next cell to the south.
Below is an image of the cell to the south as we approach from the north and its hail!
