13 June 2023
Pritchett, CO to Sayre, OK
We were picked up (from the hotel, not off the floor) at 9:30. The town was deserted except for one woman driving about 10 mph down the empty main road. We passed her and carried on. Then the driver said that the woman was right behind us waving and shouting at us while weaving all over the road. She passed us and then slowed down then sped up, all the while exercising her middle finger. When we got to the lights in Springfield, we considered staying a few car lengths behind her, just in case. She ‘waved’ goodbye as she went straight. We went left.
Just what we needed to wake us up.
The briefing showed a good chance of a strong cell forming in the Oklahoma Panhandle and going into the Texas Panhandle.
We headed out and stopped in Dalhart for lunch at the Blue Bonnet Café, and from here, we went west to the New Mexican border to watch the cells grow by mid-afternoon.
We picked one and started a six hour chase.
It wasn’t long before it produced a tornado near Felt, OK.
It was rain wrapped but became visible right in front of us just as the Dominator drove by.
We loaded up and went south, pulling over for a second tornado that was on the ground as we pulled in but started to rise as we got to the fence line to take pics.
From here, it was a stop and go tag with the storm.
We didn’t see another tornado but it may have produced another two. We stopped in Dalhart for a quick pit stop and met up with the storm again to the east near Cactus.
We continued the stop and go. The storm moved along with us with a massive wall cloud dragging close to the ground.
We were getting hail in Sinnett, but in Pampa, we got hail that was so loud, one of the smart watches registered over 90 decibels.
It was so loud, I was ready to whip out my hearing aids.
The visibility at times was zero.
Once this core passed, we headed for the interstate where the structure came into view.
It was massive.
We couldn’t stop as the hail was just behind us, so we headed east on the interstate and went through another system before we stopped in Shamrock for MacDonald’s. By then the system was headed south.
We drove a half hour to Sayre to the AmericInn.
Nice spot.
Bill Reid’s entry for 13 June.
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