Storm Chasing!

Many of you experienced some severe weather last Thursday. Of course, when that happens, we chase them. Just after the 6pm news that night, I was in engineering getting some equipment fixed. I walked through the KTAB studio on my way back to the newsroom. Bob Bartlett was talking to Sam about the approaching storms. He saw me and said, "Head toward Sweetwater". So I did. Abilene skies were still clear at the time, but by the time I got past Tye, they got dark-and fast. I wound up stopping in Trent. It's always a gamble deciding where to ride a storm out. You do not want to be in the middle of nowhere, not just because of safety, but because it's hard to shoot video. I stopped at the 7-11. Gas stations make an OK place to shoot storm video because you can use the cover of the building to block wind and rain. And at night, the lights help show heavy rain, hail and wind. I shot video just outside the front doors. It didn't take too long for the parking lot to fill up with cars. It was raining too hard to see anything, and people were looking for cover. The radar-indicated rotation disappeared before the storm hit Trent, but it was definitely windy. If I had to guess, sustained winds were probably around 40mph, with 60-70mph gusts. Rain came down sideways; you could tell there was still rotation in the storm (but not strong enough for a tornado). Pea-sized hail fell for a short time as well. Then it let up rather quickly. After doing a phoner (live shot over the phone; sound only; a phone interview) with Sam, I decided to head back to Abilene. On the way back another cell crossed over the interstate. I had to pull over. I couldn't tell what lane I was driving in. This was the definition of zero visibility. In this situation, it's hard to tell what is safer-pulling over and risking someone who is unable to see hit you-or keep driving and risk going off the road. It finally let up some. I got back just in time to bring all of you video of the storm. Luckily there wasn't any tornado damage in the immediate Big Country, but when there is I will probably be there bringing you the video.