So here we are, sitting at Gate A36 at Denver International Airport just after 11:00pm on Wednesday. Mr. McLean and I are awaiting boarding of our 12:25am flight to Atlanta which lands at 5:30am EST (3:30am MST). I am also waiting for the SPC Day 1 outlook which is due out anytime if my zulu-to-mountain time zone calculations are correct. I am figuring on a MODERATE RISK based upon the parameters I am seeing, particularly in northeastern Mississippi, northern Alabama, and southern Tennessee. As I said with the outbreak earlier in the week, it IS only January, so I am not holding my breath for a lot. I know severe weather will be almost a certainty, but storm speeds, terrain, and a host of other things will certainly make the first chase of the year and MY earliest chase to date a very difficult start. Still, I'm going out for this and the story I will come back with regardless what I will see is worth more than its weight. I'm chasing Alabama after hopping a red-eye... who else will ever get to say that!
As I finished that paragraph, the new outlook came out. I'm not sure the probability graphics are correct as they are all less than #%. I may've reloaded just as things were going through. The text went through, and they mention the potential for outlook upgrades in later forecasts as a more defined area becomes clear, but tornadoes are mentioned a couple of times, so things are certainly still a go.
With my airline connection, chases like this may be the norm during the early season. This is my first attempt at such a venture, so this is the test run of this technique. Because of the range I can cover via air, just about anything in the southeast is certainly attainable for not much more than a chase to the TX Panhandle would be driving. I'm actually doing this trip because it was a one-way added to the trip I already had planned for the weekend, thus the price was half of what it normally would be. Regardless, with the rental added in, I'm not spending a whole lot.
So my initial plan is to head out of Atlanta (God help me with rush hour) into Birmingham, Alabama where I hope to roll into town around 9:00am EST. From there, I will likely continue west, closing in on the MS/AL border and staying just ahead of the front. There will lie the best chance for discrete supercells. Pending how fast they move and my ability to keep up will determine exactly how long into the evening I chase. Eventually, I will get tagged with the front's squall line, but I'm hopeful I'm close to Atlanta by that point as I went ahead and gave myself the chance for a full night's sleep at the Super 8 by the airport. With sunset being around 5pm, its feasable I could be tucked in by 8 or 9pm and actually get a decent night's sleep before returning to Denver in time to get to work by 9am MST and working my shifts before going back to DIA to enjoy my mini vacation.
So definitely stay tuned throughout the next 24 hours! One of the wildest rides in my chasing career is underway, and already a great many firsts to talk about! More sure to come!
