Greenville Texas Tornado May 2, 2009

Tornado warned storm headed for Greenville--Tornado on tape at end of video. Footage begins a few minutes after 4:00 p.m. with me parked on a dirt road adjacent to 380. I'd stopped there to get some pictures of the super dark squall line, but it came flying at 45 mph and was already blasting my car before any chance to take shots. I started rolling almost the moment I'd pulled over to shoot. The squall line zoomed overhead and I raced to get out of it, knowing a rain wrapped tornado could be in there. The heavy rain moved from the right to the left most of the time, but there's a scary moment when it suddenly sweeps from forward to back, then from left to right, making a full circle around the area while I'm driving. The rain stopped and I panned the camera to the left. I'm imagining the tornado reports were generated from what you'll see.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Greenville
• Tornado
• May
• 2009
• Severe
• Weather

[dsrtdog41]

I hate rain wrapped tornadoes. Can't see them but you know they are there somewhere..

[TexasStormChaser99]

You aren't kidding. Those can be more dangerous than the ones more easily seen. Much scarier when they're surrounded by a curtain of water, which is why I had to keep watching for shifts in the wind direction while pushing the gas :-)

[minipurple52]

Lots of windshear is a bad sign. I'm a novice stormchaser and I have to be cautious to avoid any danger. Question, let's say the storm is coming from Southwest moving northest,and I decide not to venture into it. Would I go 90 degrees right or left of the storm.? And does the updraft of the tornado depend on the movement as well? Nice vid. Love to see more postings

[TexasStormChaser99]

If I'm in the path of a supercell approaching from the SW and didn't want to core-punch but did want a chance at seeing a tornado, I would head southeast until I'm south of it, then zoom north again after it passes to get a view of the meso. But many uncertainties in doing this. If the storm suddenly turns right, as many supercells do, there'll be trouble. That's my ultra-simplified take.

More videos coming :-)

[LadyWeasel]

What's worse is when you're camping and get stranded and have to be rescued because there was a tornado you thought was just a train in a really bad storm. O_O

[TexasStormChaser99]

Oh yes, that would definitely take the cake. Don't even want to imagine that!

[Blazeheart114]

Greenville TX?

Where I live.

[convivialdingo]

Hey, we got hit by this tornado!!

You dodged the storm by a couple of minutes of the beginning... it was skirting CR499 headed E-NE of you.

When you're hitting Cumby Auction it's already a quarter-mile N of your position.

You can see the Cumby Auction sign around 1/2 way through the video on the RT, just after the large cell tower on the L @ CR4117.

This video ends just East of Cumby, TX. on the eastbound service road (I30 & CR499)

[hwc25]

@springfairy556 the key to being a good storm chaser is just that...chase them, dont catch them LOL

[springfairy556]

I wish I could be a storm chasers. I really love Tornadoes. My friends think I'm crazy.But even though their dangerous, I find them so beautiful and interesting.

[chrisladddddddd]

wait is that on 45 or is it that back road going to wolfe city???

[chrisladddddddd]

i live in wolfe city right down the street pretty much from there

[koolguy45580]

damn..

it must be hard living there..

[LadyWeasel]

That was me near Silver City, TX (about 15 miles West of Corsicana) back in Sept 17, 1998