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CHAOTIC CHRONICLES
No!
We might get hit by a tornado because of it
We should go under that gas station before the hail...
I'm going to do that
...before everybody else does the same.
That's a bombing!
We're just on the path of the tornado.
It's coming, get in the car!
CHAOS IN OKLAHOMA
MAY 30th 2013
We wondered whether we should go West through the storm
driving blind but then avoiding the rotation area of the storm.
The train eventually left
And we could finally set off.
At some point, looking to the left
I thought I saw something very close to the ground
I told Vincent to stop
to take a closer look at it.
Maybe it's a low wall-cloud...
It is really spinning in front of us. Look!
Unfortunately, rain obstructed our sight
to know whether there was something on the ground or not.
A huge hailstone just fell!
Oh yeah, they're huge!
We didn't have enough visibility to see what was going on
so we kept driving South.
We drove a few miles to the South and then eventually stopped.
The night was falling
and it kind of jeopardized the storm's organization.
We took advantage of the opportunity to photograph lightning
with a few very close bolts.
It had been yet another interesting day.
No tornadoes to report but a succession of supercells
which were very pleasant to observe.
Anyway, the following day might be even more intense.
MAY 31st 2013
All the parameters were very high
Instability would be great that day
We positioned ourselves early in order to not be surprised by early initiation.
It was a bit odd for us as we saw Oklahoma City area was exposed to the risk again.
We still had bitter memories of the Moore tornado ten days earlier.
As the day went by, forecasts became more alarming.
Winds were very strong at all heights
and instability was very high.
All the factors were combined to expect a possible tornado outbreak.
Three storms formed
that looked already interesting on the radar.
We knew we had to be quick
Tornadoes may form very quickly this day.
This one looks great!
The first mesocyclone appeared on that cell
and quickly became massive.
There was another one to the North.
We could feel something was happening,
something powerful and immense.
It's growing so fast!
It's huge!
After a few minutes, we got some rain and hail on our position
We weren't really sure why, because the sky was kind of clear above us.
That's the way to begin a chase!
The base seems to...
I can't figure out if we need to be on that side or the other.
Me neither.
- The rotation is here - ... until now but look!
... but then it will shift this way.
Siren! Tornado Warning!
Holy ***! Nice rotation...
over the Interstate.
We were now running late
We had to make a decision.
The problem is that we made a huge strategy mistake that day
We focused so much on the forecasts
that we didn't see there was the Canadian River in our way
with few bridges to get across.
There were only two options:
either taking a big detour to the South before coming back towards the storm;
or literally rushing into it by taking Interstate 40 to the East
and going through the core to get to the front of the storm.
We start seeing the rotation now.
The problem is we don't have many roads to get in position
so we have to go through the storm
just to the North of its rotation
to get ahead of it.
- Are you ready Chris? - Yep!
I'm used to it!
Looking at the velocity radar, I think there's already a tornado on the ground.
It was really dark and we couldn't see further than 3 yards away.
Driving conditions were extremely dangerous
but we had to get to the other side.
There was no other options left.
It will clear out in a few hundred yards!
We really need to go through!
We're so close!
Drive slow, drive slow!
We're getting out! Yes!!
It's going to be amazing guys!
Rotation is still clear on the radar.
The tornado has to be here!
We knew we were going towards a big deal.
We were in a better position
since the storm would probably move up to the Interstate eventually.
It's a huge rain-wrapped tornado!
You can take the next exit.
We'll get back on the Interstate just after this stop.
In El Reno, we took the road to the South (highway 81).
Police had closed the road in front of us.
Take the same road as the doppler! Follow him!
Power flash there!
Should we take this road to the East?
We need to make a decision, to get ahead of it.
I think the Interstate is easier.
Some chasers chose dirt roads
but we decided not to take the risk and to get back on the Interstate instead.
On dirt roads it would be too difficult with such a violent storm.
Did you see that?
It's huge.
We can see it now!
You should make a stop!
It's a beast!
We're really close to it!
Let's get ahead again!
The tornado was getting closer to us.
It was time to leave the highway.
We won't have much time!
Two minutes then we set off!
Stop just after the DOW... no, behind it!
Winds are really close! A road sign was just blown away!
Come on guys! Move!
Flash your headlights!
We felt like the tornado was now chasing everybody.
Did you see how the interstate sign was just blown away?
- Unbelievable! - It was only 200 or 300 yards away from us!
Take the next exit!
It's here! Take it! Take it!!
- I can't cut everybody up!! - Come on! Do it! Stop!
It turned out we couldn't see anything anymore.
The tornado was rain-wrapped.
We looked behind us and it seemed like the tornado had rapidly weakened.
We had to make another decision as we were getting closer to Oklahoma City.
We couldn't afford to end up in the city with such a violent storm coming at us.
We're driving South to catch our breath
and here's what we can see.
This huge supercell widened again
and there were some new spinning areas on the way.
It looked like it could form an other tornado soon.
It's really close to touch the ground!
We realized there was a wall-cloud coming at us
and it was about time to get in the car and drive back East.
We all kept an eye above us
to check every motion.
Tornado on the left!!
Keep going!
It's crossing behind us, we're good!
I'll let you know, don't worry!
It's crossing the road!
We're OK!
Be ready to get going again
Debris are coming!
It lasted a few seconds and did not fully condense.
A very brief tornado but we were lucky
because it was a bit too close for comfort...
There was an other tornado here.
We keep turning around because of fallen trees in the middle of the road.
Now we're just trying to stay safe
We need to find a road to get out of here.
***...
The only option left is to the West!
Do you know we're driving towards a new rotation mark now?
With all the lightning we see, I can't say I'm surprised.
It's really intense!
We were really assaulted by lightning
We couldn't believe our eyes.
We realized we were going towards a very powerful area of the storm.
and that the chase was not over.
However, we felt like the greater part of the day was gone
The storm had a hard time to organize.
The storm's rotation potential decreased.
Anyway, driving South we encountered huge traffic-jams.
There must be an exodus from OKC.
Yea, I think so.
I know there are a lot of storm chasers but...
I think that when the media saw that storm coming...
Indeed, we heard in the evening that a journalist
recommended everyone to leave the city
given the approaching tornado.
As a consequence, it formed huge traffic-jams
on all the roads going South of the city.
THE EL RENO TORNADO EXTENDED OVER A 16 MILES PATH IN 40 MINUTES.
AT ITS FASTEST, IT WAS MOVING AT 55MPH.
On May 31st, we chased a really nonstandard storm
This storm gave birth to the widest tornado ever recorded.
2.6 miles wide, which corresponds to 4,2 kilometres.
For a tornado, this is huge.
They usually don't go over a few hundred meters/yards.
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICIALLY RANKED IT AS AN EF3.
BUT THE DOPPLER ON WHEELS MEASURED WINDS IN EXCESS OF 296MPH (476KM/H) IN ONE OF THE NUMEROUS SECONDARY VORTEX.
LUCKILY, THE TORNADO DISSIPATED BEFORE IT GOT TO OKLAHOMA CITY.
Two days after this insane chase,
we heard some bad news.
We learned that several of our colleagues got killed by the tornado
including one of the greatest storm chasers
Tim Samaras.
We were really shocked.
He did such amazing research on tornadoes.
We wondered how it happened since he was a reasonable man.
This storm was so wide and dynamic
that both the change in direction and speed of the tornado
might have impeded their plans.
That makes you think about the need to have a way out
because when things go wild and out of the ordinary
tragedies can happen fast.
Despite our knowledge
we're obviously not invincible...
We play with dangerous phenomena
Storm chasing is dangerous and we must keep that in mind at anytime.
In memories of Tim and Paul Samaras, Carl Young, and the other victims of the El Reno tornado.
NEXT EPISODE
What's up Tony?