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Video Captures From Our Chases Past

1993 - 1997

Prior to the birth of Silver Lining Tours, Bill, David and fellow storm chasers (often students or student workers at the University of Oklahoma and associated National Severe Storms Laboratory) often went out storm chasing on their own. The following are still frames captured from video which we shot during these chases past. Neither we nor any of our past partners even had video cameras of their own until 1992 so we have precious little video to show from the pre-1992 era. The video captures shown here were shot by either Bill Gargan, David Gold or chase partners. However, everything you see on this page and the rest of the website was viewed in real-time by one or both of Bill and David. The video shot by friends accompanying us during a chase is so acknowledged. Enjoy!

Dimmitt, TX. June 2, 1995

Bill Gargan chases in Probe 1 with Bob Davies Jones and Harold Richner. This was our 2nd large tornado of the day.


Probe1 2 mi N of tornado	Probe 1 1mi N of tornado
The tornado moves closer to probe1	Probe 1 stationary
Tornado moves E of Probe 1	Tornado continues to move the NNE
Tornado now NE of probe 1	Probe 1 watches the rope out!

Friona, TX. June 2, 1995. A really close encounter!!

This was the first tornado probe 1 encountered. We moved east out of Bovina along the edge of the core to Friona, thus we didn't encounter the dust storm produce by high inflow winds on the south side of the updraft. Once in Friona, we headed southwest on US 60. We intercepted the wall cloud 6 miles southwest of Friona. We paralleled the wall cloud northeast along US 60. The first tornado touched down two miles southwest of Friona. We continued through the town of Friona, where the traffic slowed us down. Once we were on the northeast side of town the tornado had caught up with us. Since our mission was to sample the low-level FFD baroclinic zone, east of the tornado, we decided not to stop. The tornado came within 30 seconds on intercepting us. A feed-mill northeast of town disintegrated before our eyes as we drove by. It was a great relief getting ahead of the tornado. We stopped 2 miles northeast of town as the tornado made a northerly turn. A second tornado formed as the first tornado was absorbed into the second producing a large 1 mile wide tornado, about 2 miles north-northeast of Friona. This tornado tracked northeast, about 1-2 miles northeast of US 60. We watched this tornado for 20 minutes before it became rain-wrapped northwest of Hereford.

Probe1 observes tornado near Friona.

Tornado chases probe1 through town.

Tornado destroys feed-mill in town.

Probe 1 escapes!

Probe 1 watches tornado maxis out.

Maxi tornado continues.

Tornado nearly 1 mile wide.

Wedge tornado continues.

Tornado on ground for 20 minutes.

Webster, SD. July 17, 1996

Tour guide Bill Gargan forecasted a chance for supecells and possible tornadoes during a northwest flow event over eastern South Dakota. The CAPES were forecasted to be 3000 J/Kg with good vertical windshear. Bill left Michigan at 2AM and picked up fellow tour guide Sean Lyon in Chicago. They lost one hour due to Chicago area rush hour. A data call for surface observations made it very clear where to go. There was a nice triple point over northeast SD, this was a bit farther north than Bill's original forecast, which had been northwest Souix Falls. Luckily They made it up in time for the tornado.

Tornado has violent rotation.

Tornado ropes out.

The same tornado reforms.

Tornado continue for 5 minutes.

Ryan, OK. May 8, 1993

During one of the most incredible tornado-filled weeks of storm chasing in the history of the activity, a classic, cyclical supercell produced mostly weak tornadoes from near Archer City, TX to northeast of Ryan, OK where these brief but striking tornadoes occured. Mr. Paul Robinson was along with Bill and David this day.

Tornado misses Ryan, OK.

Tornado forms northeast of town.

Canadian, TX. March 26, 1995

On March 26 of this incredible tornado year, Bill and David go out on day on which much of the instability has been destroyed by a large munching squall line marching east out of the Texas Panhandle across Oklahoma early in the day. Throughout the day, a narrow strip of air behind these morning storms and ahead of the dryline destabilizes strongly under hours of insolation. And so, behind the morning storms along the dryline, magic occurs...

Tornado obscured by bluffs.

Funnel widens a bit.

All good things must end!

Sheridan Lake, CO. May 31, 1996

Bill Gargan original forecast area was southwest KS, but he didn't like how high based the initial storm looked, so he targeted covection to his northwest over eastern Colorado. He had a 30 minute delay due to road construction. When he passed just west of the Colorado border he saw his first tornado with this storm. He ended up seeing 2 tornadoes and one land spout.

Two tornadoes on the ground.

Then a land spout forms.

The new tornado intensifies.

Tornado becomes a stove pipe!

Hanston, KS. May 16, 1995

This was a very interesting day. We were chasing with VORTEX this day. No sooner had the field coordinator (FC) called it a day then this beast formed. The Hanston tornado would remain on the ground for about 30 minutes first touching down just southeast of town. On our way out of town, we hit a deep ditch in one of the gravel roads resulting in a cracked front axle! We managed to intercept the tornado anyhow. Bob Davies-Jones, Bill Gargan and Dave Gold were in Probe 1 this day.

Funnel...southeast of Hanston.

Funnel reaches for terra firma.

Passing a deputy on the way.

Classic multiple-vortex tornado.

Lightning-illuminated tornado.

Easton, IL. April 19, 1996

Bill Gargan leaves Norman, OK for his forecast area two days in advance for this event. He meets up with friend and fellow tour Guide Sean Lyon. Great vertical wind shear and High CAPE produces a local tornado outbreak over Illinois and Indiana. This was just one of several torandic supercells to develop on this day.

Large tornado!

Wow, I'm in IL!

The drive was worth it!

I'm glad it's not a Bust!

Close Up!

More Friona, TX June 2, 1995

All images © 1995 Robert Prentice.

While Bill is having fun on the northeast side of Friona, Bobby Prentice and David Gold are having their own version of joy on the southeast side of town. The large, multiple-vortex tornado forms about 1.5 miles to their southwest and moves towards them before they get out of its way.

Funnel forms beneath wall cloud.

Large tornado begins to take shape.

An individual vortex develops.

The tornado has become a "wedge"!

More Dimmitt, TX June 2, 1995

About two hours later, the spectacular tornadic feast continues as a classic tornado develops southwest of Dimmitt, TX. Bobby and David set up camp on Highway 86 about 6 miles east of Dimmitt. The pictures you see at the top of this page were taken by Bill and his group south of Dimmitt. Toward the end of the sequence of stills to follow, Bobby and David get within 1/4 mile of the Dimmitt tornado as it crosses Hwy 86 to their west.

Classic tapered cone tornado.

Tornado widens at the base.

RFD dry slot occludes the tornado.

Tornado & meso circulations.

2nd shot of the Dimmitt tornado.

Undergoes interesting fluctuations.

Varies in both size and shape.

The tornado picks up a lot of dirt.

Tornado crosses 1/4 mile west.

Bobby strikes a pose with the hose.

Joplin, MO October 8, 1993

Tornadoes can and do occur frequently during the autumn as evidenced by this tornado in southwestern Missouri. The supercell which spawned this tornado was one of several which developed along and just north of a stationary front draped across northern OK and southern MO. We believe that a combination of moderate instability associated with high dewpoints "pooled" along this boundary and enhanced local vertical and baroclinic streamwise vorticity were primary contributing factors to supercell formation. Bill Gargan and Paul Robinson decided to chase this day. They started out from Norman, OK.

3 miles north of Joplin

Nice autumn tornado!

2nd tornado was much weaker.

Sapulpa, OK May 26, 1997

The day after barely missing the Wellington, KS tornado (our approach route to the tornado abruptly ended as the tornado was forming - I wish we had been using GPS navigation that day!!) we were treated to this classic tornado in Sapulpa, OK. Several very significant tornadic supercells explosively developed along the Oklahoma dryline this day. This tornado was caught by Dave Gold, Bill Gargan and Karl Shultz during their chase vacation.

Tornado to our southwest.

Same tornado just a moment later.

A new rapidly rotating wall cloud!

Various and Sundry tornadoes

This horrific beast was boogyin'

Brief tornado south of Friona '96.

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