A supercell over New England

Last night, a supercell thunderstorm moved slowly over Western Massachusetts and Northern Connecticut. The storm caused extensive damage but luckily no lives were lost. Agawam, MA was hit hard by strong winds that brought down trees and powerlines. One very large tree fell on a mobile home on Springfield Street. Agawam Call Fire Department and Agawam Fire Department arrived within minutes and rescued the trapped residents. They were shaken but luckily walked away with their lives. Here are some photos from after the storm passed.

More severe weather is expected today so keep an eye out for rapidly changing weather conditions! -Adam

A minor change

Effective today, our streams will be broadcast on Severe Studios. I'd like to thank ChaserTV for everything they've done. They are top notch. This is not a reflection on them. I just wanted to try something new. -Adam

Three years ago

Three years ago today, I had just left work. I was driving north toward the Northampton/Amherst area to intercept a storm with strong rotation. About five minutes into my drive, I saw an ominous sight on the radar over Westfield, MA. Quickly I turned around and hightailed it back toward Springfield. As I got closer, I could see the rotating wall cloud. Seconds later the tornado warning was issued.

Everything from that moment until about 10 that night seemed to happen in slow motion. I watched the tornado drop down in West Springfield and cross the river into Springfield's South End. The debris whipping around the base of the tornado was unbelievable. I can remember calling NWS in Taunton but for the life of me, I can't remember anything about the call.

After the tornado had moved on, I made my way from my location to where the most damage was. Chasing the storm and getting photos was no longer a priority. After verifying that my close friends and family were accounted for, I began to assist with search and rescue.

These were photos taken the following day in West Springfield.

http://www.suspendedtimephoto.com/Galleries/News/Junetornado

New anemometer

Last week I ordered a new anemometer from Inspeed. These anemometers come highly recommended for their durability and ease of use. It arrived on Saturday and after a minor issue, it was mounted onto our chase vehicle for testing. So far it appears to be very accurate. I am trying it in a few different locations on the vehicle to see where I can get the most accurate reading. I have to take into account the roof basket and attached accessories.
Hopefully within the next few weeks we will start seeing the right ingredients for storms. In the past, mid to late June is when we begin seeing severe weather more frequently.

Dash Cam Test

I've gotten a few messages about our dashcam setup. So here is a test I did last month.

Storm season is upon us!

Storm season has arrived right on time this year. Severe storms with accompanying tornadoes erupted this week in the Southern United States. Unfortunately several people lost their lives.

This is from today's round of storms in North Carolina. This is what a tornado looks like on radar.

Severe storms will be in our area before you know it. Always take all severe thunderstorm, tornado, flash flood warnings seriously. If a tornado warning is issued, it is not to be taken lightly. You may only have seconds to react before it is bearing down on you, as the people of Springfield & Monson can attest to.

Ok, thats the end of my rant for the night. Stay safe!

Modifications to our chase vehicle

We have started to modify our chase vehicle, a 2010 Ford Explorer. Two weeks ago, the Motorola MW800 computer was replaced with a Panasonic Toughbook CF-19. The Toughbook is much faster than the 10 year old Motorola. It has more memory and a faster processor allowing us much more flexibility while chasing. The MW800 was prone to frequent crashes and freezing while running needed programs. So far in testing the CF-19 has proven to be significantly more reliable. Video streaming will be smoother and we will now have the ability to use the new version of Gibson Ridge software as well as Microsoft Streets & Trips 2013.

This morning, a roof top basket with auxiliary lighting was installed. This will give us a place to mount an anemometer and other needed equipment without sacrificing room inside the vehicle. The lighting will help with visibility. We will also be replacing the stock struts with Rancho Quicklifts. This will give us a couple more inches of ground clearance. That may not seem like much but it could be enough to clear unavoidable debris in the roadway during chases. Once that has been completed, some leaking seals will need to be replaced.

We are also looking into installing a CB Radio and/or a ham radio in the near future.

This is what our chase vehicle looked like as of thie morning