Wilbur Jones

Wilbur Jones is an amazing man! Truly an inspiration! Of course his experiences with the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane were beyond epic (185mph + winds, 15 foot surge, surviving in a box car with a two foot air bubble on top), but his 101 years on this earth are so much bigger than this historic storm. He was friends with Arnold Palmer, knew Robert Trent Jones (Bobby Jones), flew in bombers over Europe during WWII, survived the Great Miami 1926 Hurricane in Coral Gables, and so much more... What a great day!

Friday the 13th Cooperton, OK Tornado

One year ago today I saw this BEAST...

A large tornado passes in front of myself/Joel Young about 2-3 miles south of Cooperton, OK on highway 54 around 7:30pm. Friday the 13th strikes again! (4/13/12)  ©GregNordstrom 2012

2013 Atlantic Hurricane Season Forecast

EXTENDED RANGE FORECAST OF ATLANTIC SEASONAL HURRICANE ACTIVITY AND LANDFALL STRIKE PROBABILITY FOR 2013 (CSU):  

http://tropical.atmos.colostate.edu/forecasts/2013/apr2013/apr2013.pdf

Also, here is Joe Bastardi's forecast for the upcoming hurricane season...  

http://www.weatherbell.com/2013-Hurricane-Season-Forecast

Video:  http://www.weatherbell.com/

*I definitely agree with Joe that we have entered a period similar to the 1950's.  Cold PDO + Warm AMO...  Also, pure statistics tells us the major hurricane landfall drought is likely to end this year for the US.  Last major hurricane to strike the US...  Hurricane Wilma in 2005

39 Years Ago - April 3rd-4th, 1974 "Super Outbreak"

39 Years Ago Today - April 3rd-4th, 1974 "Super Outbreak"

148 tornadoes touched down in 13 states in less than 24 hours

Alabama:  http://www.alabamawx.com/?p=70475&fb_comment_id=fbc_513475165377067_70608696_513509385373645#f25a164eb

Ohio:  http://ww2.ohiohistory.org/etcetera/exhibits/swio/pages/content/1974_tornado.htm

Interesting Perspective/Stats:  http://www.ustornadoes.com/2013/04/03/looking-back-at-the-april-3-4-1974-super-outbreak/

1925 Tri-State Tornado Paper

This is an AWESOME read...  Highly recommend!

- Meteorological Analyses of the Tri-State Tornado Event of March 1925

http://www.ejssm.org/ojs/index.php/ejssm/article/view/114/88

WeatherBrains

I had the honor of being on WeatherBrains last night with James Spann, Bill Murray, Brain Peters, and Kevin Selle...  This was the second time I have been on the show, as I did a phone interview after chasing Hurricane Ike on Galveston Island back in 2008.  I always have a great time on the show, and it was really fun to use google plus hangout this time.  Definitely a show I highly recommend watching each and every week!  Hope you enjoy!

WeatherBrains 374:  A Radar Cake Kapooya?

http://weatherbrains.com/weatherbrains/?p=3504


Here is my updated storm chase "list" of my more memorable chases as of 4/26/13:


As the late great Dale Earnhardt would say:

If I died driving to the store one day, then yes that would be a tragedy, and I would understand the remorse...

HOWEVER, If I died storm chasing, doing what I love, then that's not a tragedy. I would not want any grief or sadness directed my way, because I promise I would die happy with a smile on my face. It's what I live for!

I have been in 14 hurricanes: 

Lili - Abbeville, LA
Isabel - Oriental, NC
Charley - Port Charlotte, FL
Frances - Fort Pierce, FL
Ivan - Spanish Fort, AL
Cindy - Pass Christian, MS
Dennis - Pensacola, FL
Katrina - Gulfport, MS
Rita - Orange, TX
Gustav - New Iberia, LA
Ike - Galveston Island, TX
Igor - Bermuda
Irene - Kitty Hawk, NC
Isaac - Key West, FL/New Orleans, LA

+ TS Arlene (Mobile, AL) & TS Beryl (Jacksonville, FL)

I've also been fortunate enough to capture many tornadoes, including a few near/over a 1/2 mile wide. Some of the more famous tornadoes include: 

Attica, KS - May 12th, 2004
Albany, MO - May 22nd, 2004
Argonia, KS - May 29th, 2004
Conway Springs, KS - May 29th, 2004
Cromwell, OK - May 10th, 2010
De Kalb, MS - April 15th, 2011
Scooba, MS - April 15th, 2011
Butler, AL - April 15th, 2011
Macon, MS - April 27th, 2011
Guin, AL - April 27th, 2011
Cooperton, OK - April 13th, 2012
Cherokee, OK - April 14th, 2012
Wichita, KS - April 14th, 2012


Washington D.C. (Northern VA) Blizzards/Snowstorms:

- Lived through the Superstorm of 1993
Lowest pressure: 28.53" - Arlington, VA


-Lived through the 1996 Nor'easter
24" of snow - Fairfax County, VA


-Chased 2003 Presidents Day Storm II
18" of snow/sleet - Fairfax County, VA


-Chased 2010 Nor'easter - Feb. 5-6th
27/28" of snow - Fairfax County, VA


-Chased 2010 Blizzard - Feb. 10th
12/13" of snow - Fairfax County, VA

~ 40" of snow in 5 days... Amazing!

1925 Tri-State Tornado

Today is the 88th anniversary of the infamous Tri-State Tornado.  Here is a post I wrote on the 86th anniversary...

Today is the 86th year anniversary of the famous Tri-State Tornado! A F-5 tornado flying at speeds up to 73 mph, with a continuouss path length of 219 miles! It was the deadliest US tornado, killing 695 people... Here is a great link about the event from the NWS in Paducah, KY. Enjoy!

Paducah, KY - Tri-State Tornado

One more great link!