May 12, 2005
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meteorologist & stormchaser J.R. Hehnly
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May 12, 2005 - Texas Panhandle, South Plains Tornado

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We left Norman, OK about 12:30pm. Our target was southwest Oklahoma into the Texas Panhandle where there was a front oriented from the southwest to the northeast almost paralleling storm motion allowing any storms that formed along the front/caprock to travel on the boundary. A storm had already formed hours before we got to the area and had produced a few tornados. The storm had not moved much at all, but continued to form new areas of rotation and wall clouds as it made a slow progression to the east.

May 12, 2005 - Texas Panhandle, South Plains Tornado 20050512_164824_thm.jpg
Approaching Silverton at 4:48

May 12, 2005 - Texas Panhandle, South Plains Tornado 20050512_170034_thm.jpg
First tornado seen just south of Silverton, just behind clear slot. 5:00

May 12, 2005 - Texas Panhandle, South Plains Tornado 20050512_170647_thm.jpg May 12, 2005 - Texas Panhandle, South Plains Tornado 20050512_171409_thm.jpg May 12, 2005 - Texas Panhandle, South Plains Tornado 20050512_171609_thm.jpg May 12, 2005 - Texas Panhandle, South Plains Tornado 20050512_172246_thm.jpg May 12, 2005 - Texas Panhandle, South Plains Tornado 20050512_174440_thm.jpg May 12, 2005 - Texas Panhandle, South Plains Tornado 20050512_175144_thm.jpg May 12, 2005 - Texas Panhandle, South Plains Tornado 20050512_175410_thm.jpg May 12, 2005 - Texas Panhandle, South Plains Tornado 20050512_175438_thm.jpg May 12, 2005 - Texas Panhandle, South Plains Tornado 20050512_175645_thm.jpg May 12, 2005 - Texas Panhandle, South Plains Tornado 20050512_175856_thm.jpg May 12, 2005 - Texas Panhandle, South Plains Tornado 20050512_180406_thm.jpg May 12, 2005 - Texas Panhandle, South Plains Tornado 20050512_181039_thm.jpg
Halfway between Silverton and South Plains we pulled over and observed a few wall clouds, dustnados, and short lived tornados to our west and southwest. We were eventually overcome by the RFD from the storms north of us so we got back on the highway and headed south again.

May 12, 2005 - Texas Panhandle, South Plains Tornado 20050512_181308_thm.jpg May 12, 2005 - Texas Panhandle, South Plains Tornado 20050512_181400_thm.jpg May 12, 2005 - Texas Panhandle, South Plains Tornado 20050512_181427_thm.jpg May 12, 2005 - Texas Panhandle, South Plains Tornado 20050512_01_thm.jpg May 12, 2005 - Texas Panhandle, South Plains Tornado 20050512_181444_thm.jpg May 12, 2005 - Texas Panhandle, South Plains Tornado 20050512_02_thm.jpg May 12, 2005 - Texas Panhandle, South Plains Tornado 20050512_03_thm.jpg May 12, 2005 - Texas Panhandle, South Plains Tornado 20050512_181829_thm.jpg May 12, 2005 - Texas Panhandle, South Plains Tornado 20050512_04_thm.jpg May 12, 2005 - Texas Panhandle, South Plains Tornado 20050512_05_thm.jpg May 12, 2005 - Texas Panhandle, South Plains Tornado 20050512_06_thm.jpg May 12, 2005 - Texas Panhandle, South Plains Tornado 20050512_07_thm.jpg May 12, 2005 - Texas Panhandle, South Plains Tornado 20050512_08_thm.jpg May 12, 2005 - Texas Panhandle, South Plains Tornado 20050512_09_thm.jpg

At this point I attempted to drive south behind the tornado after it crossed 207 to avoid the approaching hail and RFD winds. I drove into the dust cloud still lingering from the tornado until I saw the power lines that had been on the west side of the highway hanging over the pavement. I decided to turn around and try and make it to Farm Road 689, my nearest paved eastbound option. Just before I got there I encountered hail larger than golf balls. At that point I pulled into a farmhouse driveway hoping to find a carport or open barn. Seeing neither I pulled up to the east side of a metal building. This helped protect me some, though I did lose a rear side window and the windshield as the hail grew to larger than baseballs. I will praise the light tint on the window for keeping the glass together, though shattered. No water leaked in entire trip home. My rodeo did suffer some severe body damage, though. All the unpaved roads in this area tuned to slick mud when wet, so they were not an option. Given the limited road options I feel I handled the situation as best as I could.



Tornado path across highway and place where I sustained hail damage

May 12, 2005 - Texas Panhandle, South Plains Tornado 20050512_10_thm.jpg
Animals trying to escape the baseball size hail.

May 12, 2005 - Texas Panhandle, South Plains Tornado 20050512_11_thm.jpg
Hail cobwebbed the windshield and shattered a back side window

May 12, 2005 - Texas Panhandle, South Plains Tornado 20050512_184455_thm.jpg
Flooding on the way back to Silverton. The lines are cracks in the windshield.

May 12, 2005 - Texas Panhandle, South Plains Tornado 20050512_191134_thm.jpg May 12, 2005 - Texas Panhandle, South Plains Tornado 20050512_191109_thm.jpg May 12, 2005 - Texas Panhandle, South Plains Tornado 20050512_191205_thm.jpg
       
          
Damage to my and Chad Lawson's vehicle.



April 5, 2005 April 10, 2005 April 21, 2005 May 12, 2005 June 4, 2005 June 5, 2005 June 12, 2005 June 16, 2005 September 13, 2005


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