-Terry Faber, Mark Barbire, and Paul Lee arrived in Fairlawn around noon.
-Left Fairlawn around 12:30pm.
-Drove S on US21 to I-76 W to I-71 S towards Columbus.
-Took I-270 around Columbus and headed W on I-70 towards Indianapolis.
-Continued on I-70 W past Indianapolis towards St. Louis.
-Stopped for dinner at Denny's in West St. Louis.
-Took I-44 W to Springfield, MO.
-Only on this leg of the trip for 30 minutes before Terry realized he left his wallet at Denny's. We back-tracked to retrieve his wallet. The wallet was recovered save the $300.
-Once retrieved, continued on our way to Springfield.
-Stayed the night in Springfield, MO.

-Headed W on I-44 through Tulsa, OK to Oklahoma City.
-Ideal storm conditions in Texas panhandle. Continued W on I-40 toward Amarillo, TX.
-Took SR273 NW to Pampa, TX
-Caught the severe thunderstorm warnings issued by the Amarillo National Weather Service. Just squall line storms formed from the dry line located in western Texas.
-Storms did not turn tornadic.
-Followed US60 S toward White Deer, TX until came too close to rain wall.
-Turned around and headed back towards Pampa on US60 to get ahead of the rain.
-Stopped in a vacant parking lot to capture some photos of the storm.
-Took SR70 S back to I-40 E to head back to Oklahoma for the night.
-Stopped at a local cemetery in McLean, TX for an amazing view of lightining.
-Stayed the night in Elk City, OK.

-Drove E on I-40 toward Oklahoma City.
-Turned S on I-35 to Norman to go to the University of Oklahoma Energy Center.
-Met up w/ Steve Gaddy, grad student at OU, George Bryan, grad student at PSU, Scott Stuccio, Meteorologist at WYOU TV 22 in Wilkes-Barre, PA., Julie Givan, grad student at OU, and Howie Bluestein, professor of Meteorology at OU and well known storm chaser (VORTEX).
-Two locations of possible tornadic storms: South-Central Kansas and SW Oklahoma. Our three car caravan split the difference and played consensus and waited the day in Enid, Oklahoma.
-11:50a left Norman and dorve N on I-35.
-Turned W on US64 to Enid.
-After stopping for ice cream (2:09p), drove through Enid toward Orienta, OK on US60.
-2:53p stopped to watch and wait just south of Orienta. Tornado watches in effect for most of OK and KS.
-Pulled over for 90 min. watching the clouds' development and playing catch w/ George's nerf football.
-4:08p winds were veering; departed toward Henessey.
-After Howie noticed a significant wind shift, we headed S on too many to remember back roads towards Loco, OK.
-5:00p Still appears very suppressed all around as we pass through Henessey. We know great storms are tornadoing south of Norman, and also near I-70, but we know of nothing b/t I-40 and I-70.
-5:05p Giving up on N OK and S KS. Turning S on OK74 to blast toward storms SW of Norman.
-6:43p Passing through Lindsay on OK76
-6:57p Still S on OK76; entering Stephens County; storm is SE of Duncan
-7:27p Stopping near Alma N of OK53 and OK89 intersection; low funnel cloud/possible tornado had lifted; good wall cloud spinning
-Caught up to our storm just in time to spot a funnel just departing the ground and retracting back into the wall cloud.
-Chase after the mesocyclone and got photos of it from all around.
-Chased w/ the storm E through Carter County.
-Under tornado warning for duration of chase.
-7:34p Our storm rapidly weakening; hard tower to S may be stealing our thunder
-7:37p Stopping for more pictures
-Gave up chase due to darkness.
-Went to Ardmore, OK for refueling and dinner (Pizza Hut).
-Shared supreme pizza w/ Howie and Scott.
-Discussed why we failed to see a tornado (actually, just listened to Howie's wisdom brilliantly flow from his knowledge packed brain).
-Once again, these were storms spawned by the same dry line that was located in western Texas the day before.
-Learned that Howie earned his undergraduate degree in EE and received his Masters and PhD in Meteorology, all from MIT.
-After dinner headed back to OU on I-35 N to review map data of the present day and to forecast our tornado prospects for the next day.
-The four of us continued N on I-35 after our stop at OU to stay in Moore, OK for the night.

-Steve Gaddy's analysis of the chase:
"Now, an analysis of this bust reveals the following. Basically, when we left, we were in trouble. I had targeted S KS, while a chase partner (Howie) was worried about the morning outflow triggering S OK storms. Foolishly, we split the difference, and sat in NC OK. Now, what happened was that we were both right. The jet axis, based on 00 UTC soundings, set up right along the OK/KS border. All of OK was in the right front quardrant (though didn't know that yet). Meanwhile, the outflow boundary in SW OK created a great focus for tornadic storms in SW OK. Unfortunately, we tried to play in the middle...a hard lesson we will try to learn from in the future."

-total chase mileage: 468 miles

-Headed back to OU Energy Center S on I-35 to examine data for the day's chance of tornadic storms.

-Steve's pre-chase analysis:
"This was the first day I can remember in a long time where the target was right at home in Norman. The cold front was located from NE to SW OK, just about through Oklahoma City. A dryline was moving eastward through the state S of this cold front. A mesolow was also moving NE along the front, at the intersection w/ the dryline. We pinned the area just ahead of the mesolow for storm initiation. So, we decided to stay in Norman and nowcast until convection went up."

-Shot the breeze at OU Energy Center playing X-treme games w/ a bouncy ball and playing hours of catch w/ George's Nerf football.
-5:36p Depart Norman; procede E on OK9; storms are going up faster than ever seen before, w/ some 5000-7000 J/kg estimated CAPE. Storm to ENE is already mature; storm to ENE is going up vertical nearly to the trop!
-5:45p Tornado watch issued E of dryline and S of cold front
-5:56p Entering Pottawatomie county; many pictures of the storms; storms are located in Okfuskee and Creek counties
-6:02p Turning N on OK102; severe warnings going up
-6:10p Turning onto I-40 E; still snapping pictures of amazing veritcal storm development
-6:22p Entering Seminole county
-6:25p Baseball size hail reported in Sapulpa
-6:31p Tornado warning for Okfuskee county; tornado SW of Bearden; moving NE @ 20 mph
-6:32p Tornadic storm cloud base is visible to our S
-6:37p Entering Okfuskee county; storm is heading toward Okemah
-6:38p 2 funnel clouds briefly visible on the storm to our S
-6:44p 155.9 miles; turning S on OK27 to get SE of base
-6:50p 161.0 miles; stopped; viewing storm to our W; long funnel/possible tornado for a few seconds; mid level "U-funnel" nearly overhead to N
-6:55p Leaving this location; continuing N to keep up w/ the storm
-7:00p Turning E onto I-40
-7:10p Stopping at exit 227 to view storm and decide what to do; storm is really wrapped in rain
-7:14p Entering Okmulgee county
-7:25p Leaving W Henryetta after refueling; new storm to SW
-7:29p Turning N on US75
-7:31p Turning E on US266; sirens sounding in Henryetta
-7:34p Stopping just E of Henryetta; no cloud base visible
-7:37p Don't know what's happening here; going E on US266 after large tornado E of Preston
-7:41p Turning N on OK52
-7:47p Passing through Morris
-7:58p Stopping N of Morris; cloud base visible; tornado has lifted
-8:04p Turning E on OK16 after redevelopment of this storm further E
-8:08p Police blockade; we get through b/c of OU crew and Howie Bluestein (just his name!); another police blockade; turn back W on OK16
-8:14p Turning S on OK52
-8:50p Ended up near Wainwright; aborting chase owing to darkness
-9:00p Stopping for dark mammatus pictures at US69 intersection
-Travelled S on US69 to catch I-40 E
-Stopped for dinner at McDonald's in Henryetta (Troy Aikman's hometown).
-Passed DOWs (Doppler On Wheels) headed back to OU campus

-Steve's analysis of the chase:
"Elsewhere on this day, generally F0-F1 tornadoes were reported, w/ a larger wedge near Preston, TX. It is believed the following were crucial mistakes:
1. Had we left 15 minutes earlier, we could've caught the first tornado earlier, near Cromwell. Video from this storm was quite good.
2. Probably should've stayed on Henryetta storm which we had committed to
3. Police blockade kept us from tornado E on OK16.

-The four of us headed back to Moore for the night

-total chase mileage: 305 miles

-Headed back down to OU Energy Center in Norman to scope out the best location for our next day of chasing.
-The OU crew and the PSU crew decided to stay in for the day; conditions were not as prime as the previous days.
-We decided to head S on I-35 into Texas.
-We drove through Dallas and decided to head S on I-45.
-This was a crucial mistake; had we continued S on I-35 at blazing speed we would have seen the F5 that devistated Jarrell, TX and Cedar Park, TX.
-Found a tornado watch box and stayed w/ it on back roads in Limestone county (b/t I-35 and I-45).
-There were two tornadic cells; one to the north and the other to the south. We kept w/ the one to the north owing to proximity. The cell to our south was the storm that ripped its way from Waco to Austin.
-Drove through Mexia, TX S on SR14 to Groesbeck, TX.
-While in Groesbeck, the local sirens sounded for the tornado warning. We called Steve Gaddy from a local gas station as the sirens were sounding to see where to head.
-Headed E on SR164 to Personville, TX.
-Somehow, through a series of back roads not labeled on Rand McNally, we headed S on US79 to Franklin, TX.
-At one of our stops while gazing upward at the sky, unaware of what I was standing on, evidently an ant hill, I was eaten alive by Texas red ants.
-We aborted our chase in Franklin owing to darkness and weakening of the cell.
-After a quick snack at Dairy Queen, we continued S on US79 to I-35.
-Went S on I-35 to Austin, TX.
-During journey to Austin, we listened to local radio and heard the reactions and emotions of residents of the tornado struck area. At that time, unofficial reports confirmed 32+ deaths and 7 missing. The official count is 27 deaths.
-The damage defined the tornado as an F5.
-Tremendous destruction; 2 sq. miles of damage.
-These storms were triggered by many different things:
1. A cold front swooping through the area
2. Remnants of the dryline
3. The outflow boundary
4. The 11am ob for Waco: 80/59 w/ a heat index near 100!

-We each grabbed a local paper w/ full coverage of the tornado.
-Headed N on US183 toward Amarillo, TX.
-We unintentionally drove through Cedar Park, TX where the Albertson's grocery store roof collapsed. The damage was sparse but severe.
-We continued N on US183 into Abilene, TX.
-We headed N on US84 to Lubbock, TX.
-Stopped at a Walmart to check the radar in Lubbock.
-Decided to head N on I-27 toward Amarillo.
-Once we got to Amarillo, we heard a tornado watch for Deaf Smith County, just west of Amarillo.
-Headed S on I-27 until US60.
-Headed S on US60.
-Went W on CR1062.
-Turned N on US385.
-Saw great development to our W; a great wall cloud; and then a funnel.
-Pulled over and saw our first tornado!
-Touched down for no more than 10 seconds--This was our storm! We were 10-15 miles away.
-Continued N on US385.
-Turned W on CR1412.
-Stopped at intersection of CR1412 and SR214. This is where we estimate the tornado touched down. The wall cloud was beyond impressive and ready to spawn another tornado at any time!
-Tracked this storm back E on CR1412.
-Turned S on US385.
-Continued on this road until US60 intersection, where Hereford, TX is located.
-Gave up on our storm b/c the tornadic activity had subsided.
-Headed S on US60 through Fiona, TX and into Parmer County.
-Headed W on CR1731 toward Rhea, TX.
-Turned S (still on CR1731) to US84.
-Headed S on US84.
-Turned E on US70 and called it a night. All of the tornadic activity dissipated and storms had been down graded to strong.
-Continued E on US70 until I-27.
-Headed N on I-27 to Amarillo.
-Spent the night in Amarillo.
-These storms formed when the cool front collided w/ warm, moist gulf air advected northward.
-Our storm was the only storm that spawned a tornado for that day!

-Met up w/ Steve Gaddy, Scott Stuccio, and George Bryan at an IHOP in Amarillo (they chased the previous day in SW KS and the OK pan handle and headed toward Amarillo for the night b/c the next day's action would be near there).
-After breakfast went to the Amarillo NWS (National Weather Service) E on I-40 to exit 75; N on SR335 until US60; E on US60 for 0.5 mile; NWS on the S side of the road.
-George and Steve went inside to gather data.
-Warren Faidley was at Amarillo NWS too. Got pictures of his vehicles; his license plate reads: CU IN OZ
-Headed S on US60 towards Clovis, NM.
-Sub-Vortex headed in the same direction; Steve had them on his scanner to listen to where they were headed.
-Hung out near Bovina, TX for a few hours playing frisbee and football.
-Picked up Sub-Vortex again on the scanner and continued W into NM on US60.
-Several impressive anvils but no tornadic activity reported; tornados are expected to form after dark when the gulf air reaches the cold front.
-Head N on SR108.
-W on SR19
-N on SR209
-N then W on SR275
-N on SR469 past I-40 up to Logan, NM.
-Stopped here to take time lapse photos of active lightining and dynamic arcus cloud.
-Drove back to Amarillo; E on SR392 unitl I-40; headed E on I-40.
-Ate dinner at Outback Steakhouse; saw incredible radar of intensified storms on TV at the resaurant.
-Our storms went tornadic after sunset, just as predicted, b/c the warm, moist gulf air finally made it northward to the cold front; tornadic squall line.
-Stayed the night in Amarillo.

-Steve's notes on the day:
"The setup was not obvious today. It looked similar to the previous day, but w/ great flow, and a more forecful jet streak coming through. We left the weather service office in Amarillo at 2pm, w/ a storm forming in SE CO. We blew this off, as it was starting to again look multicellular. We instead went for an outflow boundary which was nearly stationary from Vega to Hereford. We figured conditions should mirror the previous day w/ a tornado or two SW of Amarillo, and another line coming from the N. Of course, what we got were non-tornadic storms way west in NM, and a few tornadoes moving from SE CO/SW KS into the OK panhandle, and even NW OK. Meanwhile, we sat b/t Hereford and Clovis all day, waiting for initiation. Around 6:30p, we gave up, and went to view the non-tornadic storm in NE NM from I-40. Just as the sun was setting, tornadic storms finally went up in the central TX panhandle. An excellent hook echo was on radar just S of Amarillo. Too bad it was dark! After dinner, we saw the storms form an MCS, and basically drag the cold front down w/ it. After confirming this was the real thing, we decided to head home for the night, quite dejected at the many chasing failures which had happened this week. We arrived back in Norman around 4am."

-These storms had the same mechanism as day 6 but not enough sheer/wind aloft to result in tornadic structure.

-Drove S on I-27 through Lubbock then S on US87.
-Continued S on US87 to San Angelo, TX.
-Continued through San Angelo S on US87 to Brady, TX.
-Took SR71 S to CR501.
-We stayed on CR501 to CR508 which took us into Lampasas, TX.
-Storms formed near Waco and were headed S along I-35 (just like day 5).
-Took US190 E to SR195 (the areas affected by the F5 3 days ago were all in the path of this storm).
-Crossed I-35 and drove through Wier and Granger, TX.
-Headed S on SR95 until US79.
-Our storm was still too far away to catch up w/ and weakening simultaneously.
-We decided to call it a trip at this point and head home.
-We headed S on US79 and then turned N on I-35.
-We drove up to Dallas and spent the night there.

-Headed home
-Drove E on I-30 to Texarkana
-Continued on I-30 through Little Rock, AR
-Hopped onto I-40 and continued on into Memphis, TN
-Took I-40 on to Nashville and then grabbed I-65 N to Louisville, KY
-Took I-71 N to Cincinnati, OH
-Spent the night N of Cincinnati (got in around 3am)

-Headed N on I-71 to Columbus w/ the intentions of visiting Cedar Point for some evening roller coaster rides.
-Took SR315 N to US23 N
-Stayed on US23 N to Bucyrus, OH and got on SR4 straight N to Sandusky, OH.
-Noticed considerable flooding of farm fields along the way.
-The low that had caused all of the storms we saw everyday was stalled over Ohio causing significant flooding and damage of crops.
-When we got to Sandusky, Lake Erie was extremely full and choppy. Waves were up to 6-7 feet. The winds were incredible (atleast 40mph) buffeting the car w/ great force.
-Needless to say, the park was closed due to the weather!
-Left Sandusky on SR2 to I-90 E
-Drove through Cleveland and took I-77 S to Akron....HOME!!!