Then we got to meet one of Oklahoma University's PHD students and the project he was working on. He is working on attaching video cameras to weather ballons that get launched into storms to collect visual data instead of just a data feed from a radiosonde like a regular weather balloons. He showed us one that was struck by lightning and grapefruit sized hail and another one that was obliterated by a piece of debris.
I can't even being to tell you how cool the center was. They have a 360 degree observation deck at the top of the building that can allow them to see storms over 200 miles way. It was amazing. Here is the view with the OU Stadium in the back ground.
From there on we got to tour the OPS center and see the meteorologists working there at......well...work! We also saw stacks of paper where they have mapped out various models for the day by hand. So when ever a professor tells you doing something by hand will come in handy down the road....they aren't kidding!
There was a cool 360 degree earth that would replay all the weather around the world simultaneously in their lobby but none of my pictures came out, so you will just have to use your imagination on what that looks like.
After leaving the SPC we headed to lunch (getting lost about 4 times) and then hit the road to Pueblo, CO for the night. We were not expecting any storms so we were surprised as we were traveling through the Oklahoma panhandle we saw a storm develop and were treated to a good hour, hour and a half of lighting. From my observations it looked like there was an equal number of cloud to cloud strikes and cloud to ground strikes. It was pretty cool. It all came to an end by the time we hit Boise City, OK and the NM border.
After that it seemed like forever until we got to Pueblo. The last hour of the trip in the back of the van got a little crazy. We all were a little loopy from lack of sleep and traveling all day and I am pretty sure a few of us were acting drunk. I don't think I stopped laughing for most of that part of the trip.
I am so exhausted right now it isn't even funny. We traveled 621 miles today which brings our total so far up to 1641 miles in 3 days. But at least we have been able to see a storm on each day. Tomorrow is going to be another non-chase day and we are on to Rocky Mountain National Park and I also believe we are stopping at NCAR.
We had one hell of a Risk game in the back seat and I was almost beaten by my trainee. But, in the end I had a lucky turn in of cards that gave me the game. I suspect there will be revenge taken on me today.....
This has been a great trip so far and it is going by way too quick. I feel like it is going to be over before we know it. On that note I am going to bed I am ......zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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