While at work on a supernumerary (for me, research) shift, and right after a seminar on (guess what) supercells, one developed northwest of Oklahoma City, then turned hard right (southeast) and dumped copious amounts of severe and often damaging hail. Knowing the hodograph character and ambient flow, I figured this would be the easiest of chases; the storm would be a well-matured, photogenic, swirling ice machine by the time it got to Norman around sunset. Since I’m all for amazing vantages of sunset supercells, I decided to chase it by riding an elevator to the roof when it got close enough. In fact, I told the folks on forecast shift, “I’m not going anywhere, but upstairs. No driving, no traffic, no gas burned. Ringside seat, right here!” The storm rolled into good camera range soon before sunset, just north of town as seen over the OU campus, as the warm “golden hour” rays were just starting to work under the cloud base and tickle the tip of the wall cloud. Since it wasn’t producing lightning nearby, I stayed up there from here on past sunset, for views of a lifetime from atop my workplace, just a few months before retiring. The turquoise light emanating from between the storm’s stacked-plate skirt and “ring of Saturn” feature above was a clue that it still had plenty of hail; indeed, several reports of severe hail followed the core across east Norman, between campus and Lake Thunderbird.
Norman OK (24 Sep 24) Looking N
35.1818, -97.4398