[Part 3 of 4] The Wapanucka (Bromide) tornado apparently narrowed and weakened as it approached, but roared louder, and still was potentially dangerous. Even though I was in a good photo spot, the tornado still was moving toward me. It was time to scoot out of the way. Though not looking as large as earlier, the true size of a tornadic vortex is hard to gauge when condensation is thin and intermittent, and almost always larger than the visible near-ground condensation. Due respect needed to be given. I was sure of this much: the circulation was tucked miles behind the rear-flank gust front attached to a newer, then-poorly organized, nontornadic mesocyclone. As such, one rather unremarkable rear-flank downdraft had passed, but the next, belonging to the deeply occluded and narrowing tornadic mesocyclone here, still would prove intense… [Part 4]
1 N Wapanucka OK (22 Apr 20) Looking W
34.3961, -96.4246
RADARWhirling past Wapanucka, Part 3
[Part 3 of 4] The Wapanucka (Bromide) tornado apparently narrowed and weakened as it approached, but roared louder, and still was potentially dangerous. Even though I was in a good photo spot, the tornado still was moving toward me. It was time to scoot out of the way. Though not looking as large as earlier, the true size of a tornadic vortex is hard to gauge when condensation is thin and intermittent, and almost always larger than the visible near-ground condensation. Due respect needed to be given. I was sure of this much: the circulation was tucked miles behind the rear-flank gust front attached to a newer, then-poorly organized, nontornadic mesocyclone. As such, one rather unremarkable rear-flank downdraft had passed, but the next, belonging to the deeply occluded and narrowing tornadic mesocyclone here, still would prove intense… [Part 4]
1 N Wapanucka OK (22 Apr 20) Looking W
34.3961, -96.4246
RADAR