I only had two storm chases this season. I finally was hired by the National Weather Service in Mobile, AL on March 30, 1998. I did not have enough Annual Leave built up to take a chase vacation to the plains. I chased one day in Southwest AL and southeast MS and decided to never chase there again.
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March 7th:
There was good vertical wind shear and instability for supercells across southeast TX and southwest LA. I got on a fast moving supercell along the LA and TX border. Poor road options and plenty of trees made it difficult to keep up with this storm. I called off the chase south of the Shreveport. I went to visit my Brother who was working as a doctor at the time in Shreveport, LA. This was part of road trip to Mobile, AL to find an apartment for my new job in the NWS.
Supercell: 1
Tornado: 0
Chased alone.
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May 6th:
I tried chasing southeast MS ahead of a cold front. A squall line developed and I stayed ahead of it into southwest AL. The entire road was filled with pine trees and I could not see much. Decided never to chase around southern MS or AL again.
Supercell: 0
Tornado: 0
Chased alone.
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Supercells: 1
Tornadoes: 0
Bill’s count 58.