We headed eastward out of Sulphur with dual purposes: to track the remains of that storm’s massive and violent tornado and to decide on whether to attempt intercept of a newer supercell well to its southeast. With the Sulphur supercell weakening, we stopped at a T-intersection to strategize and weigh options. Suddenly this tornado materialized out of a small, ragged updraft between the two supercells! The radar signature there was feeble and nebulous at best, yet this tornado spun out of an unlikely source and whirled across open country a few miles NW of Connerville for about five minutes. Fortunately, unlike others this day, this vortex didn’t harm anyone, and I was able to find a vantage and slap on the zoom lens rather quickly. Even as a seasoned storm tracker of three decades, it’s quite difficult to find tornadoes when trying, but to stumble upon a photogenic one unexpectedly is beyond improbable. We were doubly thankful, both to witness this beautiful tube and that it avoided causing casualties.
2 S Hickory OK (9 May 16) Looking ESE
34.512, -96.8594