In The Vortex

Tag: texas

  • 06/02/09 Chase Recap

    Yesterday turned out to be mostly uneventful for chasing. Ended up first on a potentially tornadic storm with a hook showing on radar in southeast Garza County out by Lake Alan Henry, but we couldn’t see the biggest area of interest because there are really no roads going east there and it was blocked from view by rain.  That storm started dying out so we dropped south due to a huge outflow boundary killing off the northern storm with cool air.

    Got south of I20 on a nice storm that rotated a bit, but didn’t do much else.  Decided to give it up and jet on down to San Angelo for what turned out to be some EXCELLENT Mexican food. We ate so much we hurt, and then decided to do some lightning photography across the lake there.  Of course as we got in position, mother nature decided that cloud to ground lightning was over and started raining on us.

    On the way back home a little unassuming storm that wasn’t even severe provided the highlight of the day with some excellent cloud to ground lightning, and both Graham and I got several nice pictures out of the deal to save the day.  The first one here is my favorite!

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  • Lamesa, TX Tank Battery Fire Explosion!

    ***MAY NOT BE WORK/KID SAFE for bad language***

    After chasing a wicked hail storm last night in Dawson County (it hailed for an hour and 15 minutes straight!) I heard the call go out for a tank battery fire that was most likely started by lightning.  I thought it might make for some good news footage, but little did I know what was in store!

    About 45 minutes into shooting the event, Lamesa and Andrews firefighters appeared almost have the blaze out, when a relief valve appears to pop off, ignite, and quickly the tank and nearby tanks exploded in a spectacular fireball!

    I was 200 yards away and a piece of 4″ pipe about a foot and a half long with a cutoff valve on it came through the air like a missile in a high enough arc that it cleared the power lines next to me in impact the front of my vehicle, causing extensive damage!  I was standing 4 feet from the impact point!  I could hear other debris raining down around me, and if you listen for it, you can hear it hit my vehicle and the other stuff falling around me.

    This has aired on all the networks today, but the video above is an extended, uncut version.  My apologies for the language, but I left it in as I felt it helped convey the shock and emotion of the moment of being there.

    Incredibly all of the firefighters, even some that were right next to it when it exploded, made it out uninjured!  Fine job all those guys did last night, most of them doing it for FREE as volunteers.  People don’t often realize just how even volunteers put their live on the line for us every day!  Please feel free to contact the Lamesa and Andrews Fire Departments and send them your appreciations and maybe even a donation as volunteer departments often operate on very slim budgets and can always use some more or better equipment!

    I’ll add the contact info for them here later when I can get it.