Today there is an enhanced chance for severe thunderstorms in central Texas. We packed our bags and got to planning our drive at the nearest waffle house in Norman OK. To get into the very center of the enhanced risk region would have caused a higher risk and a longer drive so we opted for the eastern edge of the enhanced region.
On the way down we stopped at one of the many infamous Buc-ee's gas stations in Texas. The gas station was so massive, it felt like i was in a very spacious grocery store, and on top of that the many fuel pumps lined the entire front of the store. We enjoyed laughing at their billboards as we neared the eye of the storm. They said things like "You complete me" and "It's giving potty time" with a massive cartoon of a smiling otter one them.
We eventually made our way down to Waco Texas and sat down for some chips and salsa and some last minute planning for our spotting. We ended up deciding to go a little bit more south to the next town down, Temple. We gave ourselves a lot of time so we found an amazing vantage point with a major highway less than a mile away so we had an easy escape route. We met a lot of characters while we waited for the storm to become a bit more visible but one of the most notable ones was super kind to us and even gave us some home cooked brisket sandwiches(tasted great.) Overall I was pleasantly surprised that most people in the southern plains really respect storm spotters a lot. Every time we would tell them that we are storm spotters thewy would say something like 'Oh wow! Well thank you, you guys help us know whats going on out there!' After we waited for as while the main event of the trip was approaching, absolutely beautiful lightning was lighting up the sky as several small supercells(rotating thunderstorms) which were arranged in a line, marched towards us. They were stunning, they had a stacked plate structure to them with dark based which extended near to the ground.
Unfortunately we had to cut out spotting short in order to avoid crossing paths with these storms as we traveled north but I was super happy to see so many powerful thunderstorms at once. We set our sites on Joplin MZ to finish up the day and we encountered some heavy rain which slowly dwindled as we drove north. We made it to our hotel safely and we're pleased with the day.