Supercell Thunderstorm with VERY Large Hail and Damaging Winds- Guthrie, TX 5.30.2012

*Chapter Breakdown Below* - Very large hail approaching baseball size and hurricane force RFD winds cause widespread damage in Guthrie, TX. This chase day was a bit of a difficult one for us. We started the day in Norman, OK with an initial target of western Oklahoma. As we got on the road we soon realized that the greatest threat for storms was going to be southwest of us in NW TX around the Childress area., We traveled westbound on the I-40 and then cut south in Shamrock. We attempted to get south of the ongoing storms in that area but opted out of that when a supercell just to our west went up. It was right on our tails as we entered the town of Guthrie so we pulled off and watched as the area of rotation passed just to our east. It wasn't long before we got into very large hail that ranged from golf ball to baseball size. We took shelter under an abandoned gas station overhang with a few other vehicles and rolled video. While I do have hail protection on my Xterra, it's main purpose is for those times that we are caught out in the open while chasing. But if a shelter is available, I'll gladly take it to minimize the body damage. After the hail a very intense RFD blast hit the town with hurricane force winds which caused extensive tree and roof damage. Thankfully though after doing a run through of the town to see if anyone was in need of assistance, we didn't come across, or hear of any injuries. Large hail was still lying everywhere long after the storm had passed. What a chase day!

0:00 - Large hail falls on the streets of Guthrie, TX
0:51 - Damaging Rear Flank Downdraft winds rip trees apart in the middle of town.
1:42 - Large hail stones lie on the ground after the storm in the middle of a ball field

Scott McPartland

#hail #hailstorm #supercell

[DragonLady]

That wind is breaking the law!! The sign clearly said Speed limit 25!!!

[gracesteffen]

I
Hate
Windy
Stormy
Night
Days
They
Wake
Me
Up
And
I
Cry
.
.
.

[ScottMcPartlandNYC]

Thanks for watching James! Glad you liked the video. Will check out yours now!

[ScottMcPartlandNYC]

Thanks for checking it out! Glad you enjoyed it

[ScottMcPartlandNYC]

It really is. I am totally fascinated by nature but at the same time, fully respect her. I know it sometimes seems like we're pushing the limits with filming extreme weather, but the majority of us are taking as many precautions as we can to remain safe while doing it. Thanks for watching!

[unbroken-]

You think it's not for re-broadcast? That's annoying right in the damn center like that!

[michael.starbuck]

That wind looked like it was going 80-100 MPH. That wind looked pretty strong. Great video though :-)

[ScottMcPartlandNYC]

Thanks Michael! It seems we'll most likely miss you guys on this trip since ours is winding down now. Will probably chase the slight risk in KS tomorrow and then head home from there. But, I have a funny feeling we'll be seeing you in the eyewall this year!! Have a great chase trip and safe travels to you, Jim and Derek!

[severeweather]

DANG! Those were some POWERFUL winds in that video! Very insane!

[MadWXChasing]

Wow!!! That is insane!!! Incredible footage, Scott!

[ScottMcPartlandNYC]

You're welcome! Thanks for checking it out!

[ScottMcPartlandNYC]

Thanks for watching! Actually, I live in New York City haha! I travel out to the plains for a few weeks at the height of storm season to chase.

[aggirl]

I was in Arizona at the park one time. The sky was clear. And all of the sudden we got hail!

[TropmetStormChasing]

Awesome video, Scott!!! That was some insane RFD!!! Hope we get to see some like this while we're out there.

[Rhythmmical]

Well you know the wind is strong when it's blowing baseball size hail across the parking lot.

[hebneh]

That big blast breaking lots of branches and rolling the hailstones along the ground - what a sight.

[emarizea]

Simply amazing and spectacular hail storm and high winds !

[longbeach]

That is a massive supercell. Intense downdraft and wouldn't be surprised new storms formed ahead of the gust front.

[ScottMcPartlandNYC]

Definitely a full blown supercell, that RFD blast immediately followed after the circulation passed by Guthrie.

[ScottMcPartlandNYC]

RFD stands for "rear flank downdraft" and is experienced on the backside of a storms circulation. The circulation passed just to our west and we knew at that point we'd experience some strong winds, and wow did we lol. RFD winds can exceed 100 mph in some cases. My guess is they were about 80-90mph here after examining the video.