Target: Harrisburg, Arkansas
This was not a traditional chase in the sense that I made a long drive to a forecast target and engaged a developing supercell in the target area. While I did forecast supercellular and tornadic activity in northeast Arkansas and the bootheel of southeast Missouri, I did not anticipate seeing any of this activity. My flight to Dallas was cancelled, so I subsequently rebooked a flight to Charlotte for my connection into Nashville. I made sure to get a seat at the left window of the aircraft, just in case we caught the storms as they approached and crossed the Mississippi River. as the plane approached Memphis from the west, I could clearly see a mature supercell to the northeast, near Harrisburg, Arkansas, and we continued to fly alongside the supercell for at least 10 minutes. While I was marveling at the structure of the storm, something caught my eye just under the sharp base of the storm: a flicker of light, and then another one. At first I thought it was city lights or perhaps a vehicle, but in the next few seconds they appeared again. I soon realized these flickers were likely power flashes, perhaps associated with a tornado. While I did not see a funnel or any kind of debris from the airliner at 36,000 feet, I suspect that the flickers under the base of the cloud were a result of strong wind or perhaps a tornado. Chasers in the area reported and caught video of a tornado approximately 7:40 PM CDT between Waldenburg and Harrisburg, Arkansas. Within 10-15 minutes of seeing the storm for the first time, we flew into the anvil of the supercell and I lost visual of the base.