With about 50 vehicles, more than 100 people and 10 different portable radars, the Vortex2 team turned heads wherever it went this spring.
But there was one undisputed star on the team: the Tornado Intercept Vehicle, or TIV. Its mission – seriously – was to drive into a tornado and collect scientific data while inside.
“It strikes a chord with people,” said Don Burgess, a research scientist for the University of Oklahoma who was part of the Vortex2 team.
“There is this interest that people in general have with tornadoes,” Burgess said. “It’s a realization of that strong power of the universe.
“Something that can challenge that or get close to that or get inside it kind of reveals nature to them, so they find it interesting.”
The TIV looks like a modified tank, with a turret for a camera and windows so the three-person crew has expanded visibility. The crew sits in race car seats with head restraints and 6-point seatbelts. They can even put on Kevlar vests and helmets for added protection.
WICHITA – The heat goes on for Wichita as June says farewell today.
Temperatures will reach the mid-90s under sunny skies in the metro area, forecasters say, with light northerly winds staying in the single digits. Lows overnight will dip to the mid-60s, before Wednesday offers a repriseof today: sunshine and mid-90s for highs.
A chance of rain arrives Wednesday night and again Thursday afternoon, forecasters say.
WICHITA – After a weekend that saw showers and a cool front end a heat wave that gave Wichita its first 100-degree day of the summer, Monday brings a return of hot weather to southern Kansas.
Sunny skies and highs in the mid-90s are expected today and Tuesday in the Wichita metropolitan area, forecasters say. Light winds out of the west-southwest will remain in single digits both days.
Highs will be in the low 90s later in the week, with a chance of showers arriving Wednesday night.
WICHITA – Temperatures are expected to hit 100 for the second straight day in the Wichita metropolitan area today, as a dangerous heat wave persists in the Midwest.
The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat warning until 7 p.m. Saturday. The heat index could easily reach 105 in Wichita today, forecasters warn, as high humidity, light southerly winds and soaring temperatures combine to make outdoor conditions dangerous for those exposed to them for an extended period.
Similar conditions are expected in the area through Saturday, forecasters warn, with highs in triple digits and heat index readings of 105 or more.
But a cool front is expected to move through the region early Sunday morning, bringing with it a chance of showers and thunderstorms – and a welcome break from the triple-digit heat.
Today’s high of 101 is the first triple-digit day for Wichita in June since 1998, according to National Weather Service records.
The last time Wichita hit 100 in June was on June 29, 1998, when it was 105. That was the last of 9 days of 100-degree temperatures that June…including a high of 108 on June 20 of that year.
The thermometer hit triple digits in Wichita today for the first time this year, reaching 101 at 4:40 p.m. at the National Weather Service’s official recording site next to Mid-Continent Airport.
Wichita averages a little more than one 100-degree day in June each year, and 2009 appears poised to top that, with similar highs forecast for Friday and Saturday.
WICHITA – Triple digit temperatures are expected in Wichita for the first time this year today as a heat spell strengthens over the Great Plains.
The National Weather Service has extended an excessive heat warning until 7 p.m. Friday for eastern Kansas, stretching basically from I-135 east to the state line. Heat indices are expected to climb above 105 in the region as hot, humid air remains camped over much of the heartland.
Temperatures are expected to touch 100 each of the next three days in Wichita, forecasters say, until a cool front brings a chance of showers and notably cooler temperatures to the region on Saturday.
WICHITA – Today may be the first time this year that Wichita reaches 100 degrees, forecasters say. And if it doesn’t happen today, it will almost certainly hit the century mark Thursday and Friday.
The heat wave that is blamed for the deaths Tuesday of an elderly brother and sister in Kansas City shows no immediate signs of easing. An excessive heat warning issued by the National Weather Service remains in effect until 7 p.m. Thursday for 18 counties in central and eastern Kansas.
The warned area stretches from I-135 east, including Salina, Wellington and the Wichita metropolitan area. The heat index – a measure of how it feels outside – is expected to top 105 both days. Weather officials warn that extended exposure to the high temperatures and humidity will make heat illnesses likely.
Highs today in the Wichita area are expected to reach 99 to 100. Highs on Thursday, Friday and Saturday are projected to reach 102 or higher. Lows will bottom out in the mid-70s.
In honor of Lightning Safety Awareness Week, local photographer Katherine Bay shared a couple of lightning images with me.
Not that broiling Wichita or most of Kansas will have to worry about thunderstorms for the next several days.
But lightning is dangerous: 15 people have been killed by strikes so far this year, including 45-year-old Troy Gentzler of Lawrence, who was struck while riding his motorcycle in northeast Kansas on April 25.
Lightning deaths have been recorded in 12 different states so far this year, including two each in Florida, Texas and California. Men have accounted for 80% of the fatalities. That’s no surprise, lightning experts have told me, because men are more aggressive when it comes to taking risks.
Three of the people killed were walking, five were engaged in fishing, camping or other outdoor sports, and four were engaged in yard work.
People joke about the long odds of being hit by lightning – but you have a much, much better chance of being struck by a bolt than winning virtually any lottery.
Only 10 percent of those hit by lightning are killed – but it’s not unusual for survivors to endure some degree of pain or disability that lingers for the rest of their lives.
That’s why it’s wise to take no chances with lightning.
WICHITA – The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat warning for 18 counties in eastern and southeastern Kansas, including the Wichita metropolitan area, from 1 p.m. today to 7 p.m. Thursday.
Heat index values – a measure of how it feels outside – will range from 105 to 110 degrees along and east of I-135 both this afternoon and Wednesday, forecasters warn. Temperatures will climb to about 100 today and Wednesday in Wichita, with high humidity levels. Southerly winds will stay in the single digits.
Hot and humid conditions are expected to persist through Saturday, with highs forecast to reach 100 in Wichita each day.