Day 9
9th July 2006
 

9th July 2006: Day 9

Bust!
Distance-wise, today was one of the largest chases of the trip so far. However, it would result in the worst day of storms so far too, and essentially, it was a storm-chasing bust!

Storms looked like firing most prolifically across counties Collier, Hendry and Charlotte, in south-west Florida. As a result, we headed southwards during the morning, to get into position between these three counties. By midday, scattered showers were breaking out, becoming larger in size on the radar further east towards the west shore of Lake Okeechobee. We headed east, only to see these showers dissipate.

Mid-afternoon came and went, and still no storms to speak of. We decided enough was enough, and we headed back north-west towards home. After arriving home, storms fired in the Arcadia area, 50 miles south-east of Bradenton. Determined to salvage something from the day, we headed that way, only to see the showers dissipate once again.

Our trip finished with a trip back up the I75 from Port Charlotte, where we saw a few heavy downpours, but no thunderstorms.

At least we were treated to a nice sunset as we arrived back in Bradenton.

Total mileage: 387
6


The most active part of the day, was seeing a nasty wreck on Interstate 75. The accident brought the southbound carriageway to a standstill.
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On the 're-chase' back to Arcadia, developing showers produced a low but pronounced rainbow.
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Heading west to Port Charlotte in the evening, tropical convection began kicking off as it approached the coast.
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Beneath this convection, some heavy downpours started to fall.
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A well-defined downdraft, which gave minor roadway flooding near Port Charlotte.
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Back in Bradenton, sunset was pleasant.
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And as the sun went down, it turned convection in the east a nice shade of pink.
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