Chase Report: 26 December, 2015 - Ennis, TX tornado

Tornado NE of Ennis, TX- 7:05 p.m. CST

ENH 10% tor risk for I35 corridor from north of Austin to NE TX. Decided to chase about noon and spent another hour finishing prep.  Chase partner was not available, so this was a solo chase. Made good time to just north of Temple when a rather weak cell pulsed up just to my north.  Hit extensive traffic jam on 35 at that time and the initial cell got away.  I got up to Waco and refueled/got food trying to decide my next move.

One cell SW of me near Killen was intensifying, so I moved west to the town of McGregor to intercept. Caught it SW of that town. I overshot it and had to make good time north to keep up with it.  Stair-stepped FM roads up to Lake Whitney and then NE into Hillsboro.  A confirmed tornado was reported directly to my north a couple of miles as I entered Hillsboro.  Had good visual at the time- definite wall cloud with strong inflow but I did not witness a tornado (nor has one been surveyed there at this time).

West of Hillsboro looking North, ~5:12

North Hillsboro looking North, ~5:20

The cell continued moving north at 45+ mph in the middle of the 35E/35W divide. I drove past the only real road option I saw to keep up with it and decided to let it go, as I didn't think I could get back on it, and another cell was strengthening to my South. The Hillsboro cell would produce an EF3 about 25 minutes after I stopped (Midlothian/Ovilla/Glen Heights). Another meso then apparently formed east of the original (need to review radar data) and produced the Rowlett/Garland EF4 and several other tornadoes NNE of Dallas.

I dropped south where I intercepted the unwarned but intensifying cell at Blooming Grove.  After driving through the core, I witnessed a beautiful low wall cloud with rotating rain bands just north of Barry.

North of Barry looking West, ~ 6:30

This cell got north of me also, but was able to make good time up the deserted FM1126 and cut back N on I-45.  It got a tornado warning sometime during this period.  I caught the cell again right as it entered Ennis. Turned NE on 34 and almost immediately observed a tornado at around 7:00 p.m. Due to trees and limited lightning, I wasn't sure initially, but video reveals it was on the ground to my NE close to the highway.

I soon got a good unobstructed view and stopped to film briefly and report the tornado.  It grew to a nice cone, although it never got very wide from my perspective.  Continued NE on 34 filming the tornado out the driver's side window until it roped out around 7:08.  Here is a series of shots as I traveled NE on Hwy 34 and filmed the tornado out the driver's side window.

Location on map below- looking N at 7:05

And my track and location.  Ennis is the town in the lower left: 

I followed the storm for another 90 minutes as it occasionally pulsed up and produced new wall clouds and tornado warnings. Observed no more tornadoes from it and no more have been surveyed.

Driving home on I-30, I encountered traffic completely stopped about two miles east of the bridge over Lake Ray Hubbard. Fortunately was able to exit before I got stuck. At the time I did not know about the Rowlett/Garland tornado that crossed I-30 and produced major damage and fatalities. Detoured down to US80 along with a long line of other motorists and eventually got back home just under 12 hours from when I had left.

Here is the GPS track from the active part of the storm chase, from 3:15 until ~8:20 when I gave up near Caddo Mills

This was my first December tornado and first tornado east of I-45 in Texas.  

595 miles

11 h 55 m

Solo chase