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Local Chaser Intercepts Montgomery Co. Tornadic Storm
(Posted by Annette Windsor )
The tornadic storm that ran a 17 mile course across Montgomery Co. on June 13th was intercepted by Tom Windsor, a local Damascus resident and storm chaser. Earlier the fire department reported seeing the tornado in Norbeck, as it crossed Georgia Ave. and Norbeck Rd.
In his words and pictures :
“I intercepted the base of the mesocyclone around 4pm. at a golf course on New Hampshire Ave. and Ednor Rd., southeast of the reported tornado site. I drove east on Ednor around 4:10 p.m. and experienced almost horizontal southerly winds. Then shortly after, the winds shifted rapidly in from the northwest showing strong wind circulation. I later reported it to the National Weather service in Sterling, VA”.
Base of mesocyclone, southeast of Olney / Norbeck Md 6/13/13
Tornadic cloud base, southeast of Olney / Norbeck , Md 6/13/13
Tornadic cloud base w/ possible funnel , southeast of Olney / Norbeck , Md 6/13/13
A “Thousand Points” of Citizen Weather Data
Today there is an exponential growth of global “social” weather communities.
When I first started storm intercepting 15 years ago, my connections where national. Now I might run into a few guys from Germany or from Europe on storm vacation tours (like last year). I periodically communicate with a meteorologist in India who has done work on early typhoon warning systems. I might chat with a chaser in Australia and ” shoot the breeze” on a social weather forum.
Oldest Historic Account of a Supercell Storm ?
Approximately 2500 years ago the biblical prophet Ezekiel wrote an account which I think contains some details that are now only understood in light of modern meteorology. Though he was certainly describing more than a natural storm in the text, he wrote about a great cloud and “a whirlwind coming out of the north.”
