Storm Chasers Share Wild Videos of Tornado-Warned Storms Near Wichita Falls

Storm chasers were quite busy in Wichita Falls and the surrounding area last weekend. Many of them have since taken to social media to share pics and videos of the tornado-warned storms they were chasing. 

Everyone from this area knows there’s a certain feeling in the air on a day when tornadoes are likely. I’ve tried to explain it to people who aren’t from around here, but I always struggle to find the words. The best thing I can come up with to describe it is that there’s a sticky stillness in the air.

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And that’s exactly what it felt like all day Saturday and Sunday. Sure enough, we had some of the wildest weather we’ve had in this neck of the woods in a long time. 

On Saturday afternoon, I was out doing a remote broadcast for one of our sister stations in Lawton, out in Altus, from 2 to 4 pm. It was beautiful there, so I was surprised to see that a tornado watch had been issued for our area. 

However, when I pulled out of that parking lot, I saw those towering supercells and knew I would be driving right into that storm, hoping to get home before it hit. I did not. By the time I exited US-287 to F.M. 369, the sky was turning black. A few minutes later, it began to hail. 

I was eventually able to get home before the worst of it hit. I live in the southwest corner of Wichita Falls, where we caught the edge of the storm. But it was pitch black to the east of us, so I knew folks in that area were in for a rough one. 

Of course, we had more tornadoes in the area on Sunday, but it was quiet in our part of town. Looking at the various videos from storm chasers, it seems to me that while things were quite scary there for a bit, the damage could have been a lot worse.