Fort Worth, TX., 7:30 p.m., D.S.T.~

Dear StormJournal~

Tornado Joe (aka Joe Dorman) here.

Today finds us smack in the heart of "Tornado Alley".  We have been anticipating bad weather all day:  conditions have been primed for severe weather, and now it's on us.

Seen two funnels; maybe more will form.  The Beast has proven to be a formidible foe:  it's showing its ugly self with jagged, purple anvil crawlers, large, tennis- to grapefruit- sized hailstones (that's a little rough on the windshields, not to mention, anyone caught in it), extremely heavy rainfall (with the possibility of flash flooding), and of course, funnels.  

What else will he throw at us?

We're currently in Fort Worth, Texas, stuck here at a truck stop, waiting for the rains to let up a little so we can at least see what's going on.  Our trusty radar and computer equipment is feeding us the latest storm info.  It's rainin' so hard you can't see across the street:  nothin' but a sheet of water.  Ominous.

Oh, crap!  Lights just went out; that was a close one!  A massive CG struck nearby.  If we'd been outside, we'd be doing the electric shuffle, or the "I've-been-hit-by-a-large-hailstone" dance!  LOL  

Those hailstones can pack a whallop:  in fact, one of the costliest hailstorms happened during Mayfest, here in Fort Worth, Texas, back in 1995.  There were numerous injuries and much in the way of property damage.

Glad I have a laptop that's battery charged....*grins*

Oh, good!  Lights just came back on; people are wondering what the crap is going on.  Don't blame 'em.  This storm means...gotta go! Report of a possible tornado about twelve miles south of here!  Be back soon--

9:15 p.m., Burleson, TX~

Now in a little community just south of where we were.  Burleson, Texas.  An EF-0 tornado just skipped through downtown; several buildings sustained some damage, plus there's trees and tree limbs (not to mention, wires) strewn everywhere.  For a small tornado, it had a lot of kick, a lot of spirit!
 
Kind of hard to see, rain-wrapped, but did manage to get its face on film.  =]  Will upload to my chase site and YouTube later tonight or tomorrow, depending.

From what I can tell, there are reports of minor damage throughout Burleson, but its citizens fared okay:  no reports of injuries; one guy did, however, have a heart attack and had to be taken to the hospital.  Hope he'll be okie dokie.

Looks like the storm is finally weakening, much to our relief.  The supercell is showing signs of dying as it heads south towards Joshua and Cleburne.  

Yeah, storm's going *pfffft*.  LOL

In the meantime, there's still heavy rain in behind this system.  Will continue the next several hours.

HELLO.  That was a bright crawler!  Whole sky looked like it fractured.  Got it on video.  Pretty!

Severe threat is lessening, though.  Signs of rotation are quickly disappearing.  Hopefully there won't be any more tornadoes; I'm sure these people are shellshocked from the power of the storm.

They don't know power:  I've seen EF-5 tornadoes, the baddest of the bad, tear through Greensburg, Kansas, and also OkCity; it reminded me of a huge, grey monster devouring everything (and everyone) in its path.  And the roar:  my goodness! 

I will never forget the sound as long as I live!!

Well, I am going to see if they need our help cleaning up this part of Burleson; what a mess! 

Will write in here again soon; until then, later!

Take care and whenever it storms, please take the necessary precautions; this is why most of us do this, to keep y'all safe and informed! 

Then there are those ... *stepping up on soapbox*

Those, the Yahoos, who just want to see if they can confront danger.  Get as close as they can.  Get video of it.  Be on the news and be world famous!

*rolling eyes*

Those dudes are ruining our reputation!!  Always jamming up the roads (chase convergences), see them screaming and pointing at the sky, whooping it up in celebration.

One of these days, one's going to find himself in the bear's cage and the bear is not going to be happy.

And hungry.  Very hungry, probably craving a little chaser meat.

Would not want to be the dude at the end of its claws, let me tell you!

*Stepping off soapbox*

Although I chase, even though it can be thrilling, I'm in it for the science of the thing, trying to understand how and why tornadoes form.  Why one thunderstorm produces and the next doesn't, although the same ingredients were in place.

Running off at the mouth again ... sorry.  Those dudes tick me off royally!

Now I'm outta here, they need our help here -

~"Tornado" Joe Dorman

*To be continued*