The Big Bust...2!

Really, Mother Nature?!? Really?!? You couldn't even give us an appitizer?!? Well, as you can guess, no storms yet again... This proves that even if you have all the right ingredients, something still may or may not form. Our best reasoning as to why storms did not form is because the "cap" did not break. Take a pot of water with a lid on top, for instance, and you try to bring the water to a boil, you would expect the lid to come flying off when the pressure inside the pot becomes too much for the pot to handle. This pressure reaches a maximum amount (its cap) and is then released, causing the lid to fly off. This is an analogy on how storms form. However, imagine if your stove temperature is not as high and there is not enough pressure to cause the lid to the fly off....this is what happened today... I hope this explanation helped a little for you to understand what is going on; but, in essence, nothing happened...short and to the point...However, it was pretty interesting to see all the other storm spotters on the road. At least we can all share in our disappointment...

As for tomorrow, things look a bit more promising although I am reluctant to be optimistic after our first two attempts... But, I have included the National Weather Service's Storm Predicition Center (SPC) Outlooks for tomorrow's severe weather potential. If you are unfamiliar the SPC outlook, it basically highlights the "best" areas for potential severe weather. Notice I said potential because sometimes everything can line up just right and yet nothing will happen...LIKE TODAY! (Sorry, I am a tad bit bitter) Anyway, the first map shows the general synopsis of potential severe weather. There are four categories of potential severe weather: thunderstorm (the least dangerous), slight risk, moderate risk, and high risk (most dangerous). So, there is a slight risk for potential sever weather stretching from southern Nebraska to central Texas; then there is a risk for thunderstorms in the areas shaded in green. The second map is the probabilistic of severe weather, which basically highlights the more detailed areas within the categorical areas. Each color highlights a different percentage of probability for severe weather in those regions...




Tomorrow, the outlooks will be modified and possibly altered for more potential severe weather. I will keep you posted as the day continues and any changes are made. Tomorrow, we will meet at 9:30 a.m. to assess the situation, and then we will move north to Witchita, KS for a reevaluation. I wish I had more interesting stories, photos, or information to tell you other than we sat at a high school track all day looking at radar...but, unfortunately, I don't. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better chase day. Keep your fingers crossed! In the mean time, we will continue to occupy ourselves in random, interesting ways such as singing in the van, watching Renny and Mike pull our some awesome dance moves, make videos, host races, tweet, and invent new things... Due to an extreme abundance of time, check out Jessica's new contraption...





...We really, REALLY need some storms to form VERY soon before we all start going insane! (That is if we haven't already...) Anyway, stay tuned for more in the life of an MSU Storm Chaser!