Anyone go storm chasing in the midwestern US?

[Jeff]

Just curious.

I thought I might give it a try this summer. Just standoff-ish thunderstorm, lightening & a tornado if I'm lucky type pictures.

[gjl711]

I think right now is prime storm chasing season.

[WMS]

Spring and early summer are the best times to view Midwestern weather IF you want to see the big violent stuff. However I would suggest that you seek out someone with experience in storm chasing as there is a significant potential for harm if you get too close. tornadoes are dangerous and are not known for there predictability (there is a reason why most people who live there seek shelter when tornadoes are in the area).

take this as a bit of free advise from someone who grew up in Kansas, and remembers the weather and how 'interesting' it can be there.

Wayne

[Jayson Prentice]

Jeff,

As a meteorologist and storm chaser of 6+ years I would have to say that if you plan on getting some of the best storms of the year you should plan for a trip to the Plains in May. Later in the summer can still yield great storms, however they are typically more sporadic and not as frequent as the storms that occur now through mid-June. Also, with no background in chasing I would definitely suggest that you either join a 'tour' group to chase for a week or so, or find someone in your area and start out with local 'spotting' of the severe weather in your area.

If you would like, please PM me and I can give you more information on chasing and potential tour groups who have a good reputation! I know there is one or two other storm chasers on here as well that hopefully will chime in as well...

[Jeff]

Thanks for the info guys. I may have sounded origonally like just another thrill seeker who wanted to give this a try for the next rush. I've lived in the midwest in various places for 20 years & I'm a NWS certified weather observer for my job (ATC). I also have a lot more to live for than to "get the shot". :)

This is something I've wanted to do for a long time and I'm just now getting the chance now that kids are getting older, etc. I'll look into the tour groups or finding a group that I can go out with for a week or so at a time.

[Jayson Prentice]

You'll find there are plenty of tour groups out there... A lot of which have really surfaced in the past few years with the success of the shows like 'Storm Chasers'. Not sure if you'll find too many of the top notch tours that aren't already booked for the entire year this year, but you can likely get put on their email list for next year (2011). There are quite a few individual storm chasers that are around you as well, the Twin Cities and Chicago both have fairly a good number of people who travel out to Kansas/Oklahoma/Texas for severe weather. You might be able to find one of them to join for a simple split in expenses along the way...

A fun thing to do and can result in some great photo opportunities!

[WMS]

It is good to hear that you have an understanding of the reality of Storm Chasing, I have seen far too many people who seem to think that Oh Gee that looks like fun, and head out with a camera when they should be taking shelter. With a proper understanding of what is going on around you storm chasing is much safer than it is if you just gonzo it and go out looking for bad weather. A organized tour would help greatly with that knowledge.

Wayne

[cptkoi]

Also looking to try this out next year, any recommendations on 'good' tours or guides would be most welcome, thanks

H

[sam walker]

If they get near me OK. A Ford Escort is not the ideal speedster to chase anything faster than an injured rhino.
Sam