Monday, April 26, 2010

Central US Storm Chase (4/26)

I have completed the first few days of storm chasing in the Central USA from April 21st through the 25th. This was the first chase of 2010 and it landed me with HIGH-RISK chases, tornadoes, supercells, and - Unfortunately - A devastated Mississippi town (Yazoo City).



You can also visit my chase logs for 2010, which includes this event and others, in my STORM CHASING area on my web site. The link to jump right to the storm chasing area for 2010 is also provided below.

http://www.sky-chaser.com/mwcl2010.htm

Tornado Destroys MS Town (4/24)

On Suturday, April 24, 2010, a violent tornado, rated at EF-4 (out of 5) and nearly two miles wide, struck the town of Yazoo City, Mississippi just before noon. I was out in the Central USA for a storm chasing trip and witnessed this devastating storm, and it's parent fast-moving cyclic HP supercell first-hand.



The damage to the south side of Yazoo City, near the junction of Highways 49 and 16, is extensive. Four peoplw were killed and the tornado had winds of at least 170 MPH, with a path (on the ground) for over 100 miles, with the supercell crossing nearly twice that ... This long-track storm crossed the entire state of Mississippi in the matter of hours.

My heart and prayers goes out to all affected by this disaster. I am happy I was there to be among those who stopped chasing the storm and lended aid to those in need. Every person helps in such situations!

You can also visit my chase logs for 2010, which includes this event and others, in my STORM CHASING area on my web site. The link to jump right to the storm chasing area for 2010 is also provided below.

http://www.sky-chaser.com/mwcl2010.htm

Volunteer Work (4/11)

In addition to church every Sunday, why not get up a bit earlier and help out a bit with some churches and temples around the area? In the pictures below, I am helping with some gardening at a local Buddha monestary with a few other guys in their garden area.



This is a start of a major rennovation / construction project, and the garden / meditation area is being cleared of some unwanted plants, along with some other "wildlife" (see the little snake we found in the center image)! Any volunteer work is a great way to get out, help out, make new friends, and have some fun in the process.

City Flight Photos (4/5)

Flying is an awesome way to experience the world and skylines from above ... Whether flying for sightseeing, pleasure, or business. In the image below, the beautiful cityscape of Toronto, Canada can be seen from about a mile up upon departing Pearson International Airport on a sunny spring day (after a business trip).



You can check out this and MANY other pictures taken from flights I have been on over the years in my FLYING section of this web site, or jump right to that area by clicking the link for it provided below.

http://www.sky-chaser.com/flying.htm

Friday, April 02, 2010

South FL Severe Storms (3/29)

Some severe thunderstorms affected the south Florida (Fort Lauderdale and Miami) area during the early morning of Monday, March 29, 2010. A strong EF-0 tornado affected the area of Oakland Park, FL during the morning "rush hour" and after that, the small HP supercell storms moved offshore and produced waterspouts.



One of the supercell storms, with a wall cloud and funnel / possible waterspout (center) appears in the left image above as the storm was moving offshore northeast of Miami Beach. Driving in south Florida during this weather was a nightmare, and I myself was rear-ended by a careless driver after the brief storm chase. Minimal damage was done to my vehicle, but the same cannot be said for the driver (to the right in the image above) involved in another accident near I-75 (the driver escaped with injuries but their car rolled over).

You can also jump right to the chase log and pictures for this (and many other events) by visiting the MAIN CHASE LOG in my STORM CHASING area on my web site. The link to jump right to this area is also provided below.

http://www.sky-chaser.com/stplog4.htm

FL Keys Chaser BBQ (3/20)

Storm and hurricane chaser Jim Leonard hosted a fantastic chaser party and BBQ at his place in upper Metacumbe Key in the beautiful Florida Keys on March 20, 2010. The turnout was great and we all had a great time ... Thanks Jim!



Some pictures of this yearly event are posted in my STORM CHASING section for PICNICS and PARTIES on my main web site. You can also jump right to this area using the link provided for it below.

http://www.sky-chaser.com/picnic10.htm

California Trip (3/17)

I just got back from a week and a half trip in Northern California spending time with best-friends of mine, taking advantage of time off as I am between jobs. California is a place where you can literally surf and snow-ski in the SAME day, and can be an outdoorsman's paradise for hikers and sight-seers alike.



My last trip involved some awesome hiking, skydiving, beach and surf fun, and great weather to boot. Check out my pictures from the "Golden Bear" state, with anything from 25+ foot waves to the 3,000 foot cliffs of Yosemite in my OUTDOORS section of this site. You can also jump right to the link provided for it below.

http://www.sky-chaser.com/outdoors.htm