From the Computer On Wheels in Norman, OK.

Posted (a little late) for the week of Sunday, May 18, 1997.

Announcements

Be sure to check out the storm chase pages at The Discovery Channel Online.

Due to a ridge sitting over my formerly operational hard drive, publication of the Gilbert Zone may be a bit sporadic for the next month or so. I'll post brief notices on WX-CHASE to keep everyone informed and, of course, to do some shameless self-promotion.

Thanks to Cloud 9 Tours for letting me tag along on a chase with the Beer Stein Bluesteins. Someday when I get a chance, I'll turn it into a complete parody. In the meantime, here are a few highlights so far from my chase season: 1. A nice supercell that went up in the Panhandle after dark. 2. Eating my first Allsup's burrito. I now feel like I understand the whole "Roger Edwards experience." 3. Spotting the Meatwagon in the Super 8 parking lot in Salina. 4. Eating my last Allsup's burrito.

And special thanks to Matt Biddle without whose computer this page would never have been posted and without whose floor this cartoonist would have been in the poor house.

The Ask Gilbert Archive is now on line.

Ask Gilbert

Q: What is the Lifted Index?

A: It is the finger that is raised by chasers who have just seen a tornado and wish to express their feelings that they are number one. This is to be distinguished from the "Finger of God," which is the finger raised by chasers in entirely different circumstances.

Quotes of the Week

Have you seen that Gilbert Zone? It is almost disturbing.

Josh Wurman

I'm not a storm chaser. I'm a storm connoisseur.

Al Pietrycha

Since "Fun With Guestbooks" proved so popular, I'll be bringing you more sociopathic ideas in future editions of the Gilbert Zone. Watch for "Hacking the CFDG -- A Guide for E-Mail Terrorists."

This Week's Gilbert Cartoon