My name is Jonathan Whitehead. I am Jr. meteorology major at the Univ. of OKlahoma. I am currently working at Commons Catering. I am living in the dorms w/ Andrew Hickam.

Wed Feb 23 5:51p:
What a week it has been and will continue to be. Last weekend was my calm before the storm. Monday was class in the morning, then work in the afternoon till 5:30. Then shower and eat for an hour before heading off to my amatuer radio (ham radio) class at 7 off-campus. Class lasted till 10 and I had an appt w/ my CS tutor at 10 to go over the class project thats due Friday. We worked till about 12:30 before we finally called it quits. I did get a lot down however. Actually got the hardest part of the project done then.

Tuesday was kinda slow day, spent most of it working on the codelab assignment that was due the next for CS. At 3 I headed off to Sarkey's for metr lab class. I was hopeing Jim would do a weather briefing before class b/c of the severe threat in Texas but my hopes unfortunately were dashed. Of course not that it really mattered b/c I didnt really stay in class long. I was mostly in the maproom most of the time watching the severe event in central Texas unfold. Due to its proximity to home I skipped the amateur radio class that evening.

Today (wednesday) was mostly spent w/ class in the morning then office hours at 12:30 to copy down metr hw solns for the midterm on monday. Then it was back to Carson to work some more on my CS project. Then it was back to Sarkey's for a third time today at 3:30 for the same metr lab class that I didnt really attend the day before. So here I am alone in the metlab after lab has ended and late as hell for my chapter meeting. Tomorrow will really suck b/c not only do I have to finish my CS project but I also have a linear exam to study for for the next day. Then Friday I have class followed by the linear exam followed by work till about 6 followed by amateur radio class till 10 followed by driving home. Then wake up bright and early for the Severe Storms conference in Arlington for most of the day before its back off to Norman. Then Sunday is spent studying for the metr midterm thats late Monday afternoon as well as the amateur radio exam thereafter. So after my metr midterm, I immediately go take my amateur radio exam. Then on tuesday I will be studying for the CS midterm that is on Wednesday. Then my grandparents come to town that weekend.

Welcome to my life.

Tue Mar 1 9:06p:
Bored as hell...among other things. Computer "crashed" last week. Actually got a virus. Lord only knows how long it'll be fore i get that back. And my roomate is redoing his computer so no computer for a while. Well ended up bombing my two tests last week just to pass the technician's test.

Cant really think of much else to say, so thats it for this week.

Thr Mar 24 1:45a:
What an up and down three weeks it has been since I last wrote.

On Feb 28 I passed the technician's exam in btwn bombing two midterms. The following weekend I go to the National Severe Weather Workshop in Midwest City. From there it was on to Scotty's for a night w/ my grandparents. Then early that next week I get a phone call from KSBI wanting an interview. Surprised as ever I schedule a date and time for later that week. Well the interview comes the Friday of Spring Break. I dont leave for home until Saturday afternoon due to the local SCARS (Cleveland County Amatuer Radio club) meeting.

Spring Break starts out w/ my roomate coming home w/ me. Sunday night we go out on the town in Dallas. He ends up catching a ride back to OKC Monday night on the Heartland Flyer. The rest of Spring Break for me was absolutely crap. The only bit of good that came out of Spring Break was my mom bought me a brand new 2 meter handheld as my birthday gift. THANKS MOM. I had no idea how quickly that would be "cashed in".

Sunday morning starts out warm and humid, springlike. The type of spring that puts me on yellow alert for you know what. Well my senses proved to be true when I somehow stumble upon the SPC's convective outlook page and find a moderate risk for the ARKLATEX and eastern Oklahoma w/ the mentioned of possible isolated tornadoes in central and northern Oklahoma associated w/ the cold core upper level low. Well the next 24 hours is spent debating on whether I should go chasing. I take into account many many factors before making my decision at 2p Monday afternoon as the situation begins to unfold. In my NWS button up and OU tie I tag my car and hit I-40 east to catch up w/ a developing line of towering cue/cumulonimbus. On my way through Shawnee I hear Mike Morgan doing his wall-to-wall coverage and reporting a tornado down in Cromwell approaching I-40 and the town of Okemah. Well I catch up w/ it and the slew of chasers shortly after the center of circulation crossed I-40. The wall cloud is clearly evident but nothing else of significance. I decide to take SH-75 north from I-40 to intercept the mesocyclone in the town of Okmulgee, which it was making a b-line for. Okmulgee, a rather large town w/ high commercial district on the highway, was a bustle of activity w/ people shopping and congesting (for a town the size of Okmulgee w/ a mesocyclone bearing down on it) the roads. I take I think road 62 east out of Okmulgee to follow the storm. About 7-8miles east of Okmulgee the storm begins to die rapidly. At the same time Im hearing tv station out of Tulsa report a rather large circulation about 15miles South-southeast of my location in the area of Indianola. But they were also saying that this storm was HP and were getting reports that the center of circulation was rain-wrapped. Well I decide to go for it backtracking all the way back to I-40, which seemed like forever, and going east. Well my plan was to stop at the intersection of I-40 and I-69. Well I realized that before I was there I would be entering the core of the storm and did not want to run into hail b/c it was already raining fairly hard on I-40 was bright sunshine and full rainbow. So I take road 150 that leads into Lake Eufala State Park. Thats when things become interesting in the not so good way b/c I was loosing my reception w/ the Tulsa station and was not getting any reception whatsoever on my wx radio band. And as I come out on to the long bridge that crosses the lake I see on both sides of me a large and dark hail core. And I knew I was in trouble for not only the hail but what lied on the other side of that hail core to my south. So I immediately begin looking for an awning or overhang to park under. Luckily as I wind around the bend and around the corner I see I-69 right ahead w/ a filling station on my right w/ very small overhang. I get in there and realize that any wind whatsoever would blow hail onto the chase vehicle. Across the street I see a building that could pass as a funeral home w/ a large and sturdy overhang like that of a hospital or hotel entrance. So w/ the raindrop coming down in torrents I make my decision to floor it over there. well just as I cross the road I hear *pink* *pink* on the car and on the road. I get in there just in time before all hell breaks loose. It came a downpore for 10minutes w/ embedded pea sized hail w/ cg strikes close by. The Tulsa station kept reporting the circulation right over the lake coming up on I-69 (where I was) so I keep both eyes peeled for any signs of anything. I never saw anything of significance but decided to follow it east. I get no further than 1/2mile east of I-69 on 150 before I catch up w/ the rain and heavy and have to go for another filling station overhang. Well I decide to backtrack and take I-69 south to catch a road that went east. As I come up on I-69 I see dark ominous clouds approaching overhead from the SW over the lake. Not knowing whats coming again and not seeing lightning w/ it and the sky getting dark due to post-sunset I decide to call it a day and take I-69 north to I-40 back to school.
For my first solo chase I had fun even though I didnt see anything at all. Thats probably the best way to start out. I dont know what I would have done if my fist solo chase had result in a wedge.

Well thats it for now. Have career fair in the morning, thats about all I know to say.

Wed Mar 30 2:10p
Well nothing big has happened in the last week since I last wrote. Mainly been working on my plans for this summer, keeping up w/ Big Event, and studying for few midterms. Looks as if I may be back at WFO MEM where I started post-graduation. Still tossing around ideas.

Well thats about it for this week, kinda same old same old.