Stats The cold, hard numbers behind this chase.
Date	Thursday, May 8, 2003
Length of Chase	2 1/2 hours
Distance Covered	30 miles
...for the year	1,650 miles
Chase Partner(s)	Valerie McCoy

Should have been studying for a final exam but couldn't concentrate with a PDS (Potentially Dangerous Situation) tornado watch box for our area until 9 PM.  Left Norman around 4:15 PM with Valerie and headed north on I-35.  Took exit 117 (US-37) in Moore and drove west just a few miles.  A tornado was reported in Tuttle moving east, directly in our path.  With rush-hour road congestion, we decided to play it safe, turn around, and drive south on I-35 to keep a safe distance.  Just before we got to the on-ramp, we observed the tornado moving through Moore...only a mile or so to our north.

• Surface Maps: Mesonet/Radar mosaic, Mesonet (2030Z, 2300Z)
• Upper Air
  • Maps: sfc, 925mb, 850mb, 700mb, 500mb, 300mb, 250mb
  • Soundings: FWD (18Z, 00Z), OUN (18Z, 00Z)
  • Wind Profilers: Purcell, Oklahoma (6-minute intervals, 1-hour intervals)
• Satellite Loop: Oklahoma (vis)
• Radar
  • Loops: Base Reflectivity, Storm Relative Velocity, Central Oklahoma
  • Stills: Base Reflectivity, Storm Relative Velocity
• Storm Prediction Center
  • Convective Outlooks: 1630Z, 2000Z
  • Mesoscale Convective Discussions: 1749Z, 2034Z
  • Tornado Watch: 1935Z
  • Storm Reports
• Text Data: Oklahoma Warnings, Oklahoma Forecast Discussions
• National Weather Service Preliminary Information: Map 1, Map 2

RealVideo Format (3.4 MB) Time Lapse (0.5 MB)

Moore, Oklahoma Tornado: May 8, 2003 This was shot from the 19th Street overpass of I-35, looking north towards downtown Moore (~2 miles south of the tornado track). Length: 1 min 25 sec