2017 Lessons Learned

[Jeff House]

1. Enjoy social media; don't compete. Even when we cannot meet up with all our friends in the field we kind of chase together via Twitter.

2. Be comfortable. Hanging back is not wussy. Find the balance between thrill and being able to actually enjoy the tornado.

3. Yes get a decent hotel! Bring water and sports drinks. I try to avoid energy drinks though. Goldfish heck yeah!!

4. If your forecast reasoning is still valid, do not panic when another storm goes. Took all we had to stay in Greensburg before Rozel, when TOG was in progress a few counties northwest. Thankfully we stayed. On 5/22/16 we moved too soon but thankfully scored Woodward 5/23 and DDC 5/24 so it turned out well.

5. Conversely don't marry a bad forecast. If the boundaries and conditions have changed, take a few minutes to re-forecast, regroup, and reposition. Don't rush, but be deliberate. 5/24/08 Wichita felt clammy so we went south to Kingfisher Co. OK instead of north to the synoptic WF. Kingfisher Co went nuts on an OFB. Yeah I kind of like May 24th.

 

[Ethan Schisler]

Another note I should make is sometimes for certain events its better to sit back and enjoy them, than wasting precious seconds on taking video/stills/looking at your device. For example, I recently experienced the Total Solar Eclipse (2017) and didn't take a single shot with my DSLR, only some low quality cell phone video that I propped on my car to basically record the darkness as it went over us. I would consider the event in itself a top 5 for me from a chasing/weather standpoint, yet I didn't take any photos! To each their own I guess, on another note, I didn't have a lens long enough to really hone in on the sun like I would have liked so perhaps that's another reasoning!

 

[Seth Price]

I agree on the camera point. I carried a video camera, two digital cameras, and a film camera. Mostly, I took photos with my cell phone and one digital camera, honestly.

Having a good chase partner/team can make all the difference in the world. The last few years, I have chased semi-solo, catching up to my alma mater for a bit each time. This year, I went with some meteorology student/graduate friends, and I had a great time. I laughed so hard (on the down times) that my sides hurt, and with five of us, I didn't feel that I had to eat (or store, actually) an entire pizza. It is also nice to have someone navigate while I drive, versus trying to do it all.

I also learned to be more social. For years, I've avoided other chasers along the way to avoid the drama and the circus. In reality, it's only those things if you choose to make them that way. Instead, this year I met some really neat people. I met a few circus clowns, but they were unimportant, actually. I started playing on Twitter, and saw how quickly tweets can be acknowledged by NWS staff, as well as errant truck stop corporate offices.

I also had to punt technology and chase with a weather radio and atlas in rural Texas. New chasers will call this "old school chasing," but when I started, this was called, "chasing." It's not as nice as having RadarScope and up-to-date GOES-16 images, but it can be done, and is still effective.

 

[John Erwin]

Some great points mentioned by all. Here's a few that make my list this year:

1. Never stop learning. There's always some aspect of weather that requires more understanding.

2. Consider taking a co-chaser. I've never done this but am thinking I'd like to do so next year to spread out the duties/attention.

3. Only take what's needed. This is tough since I'm a gadget guy but I enjoyed the chasing much more this year after minimizing my setup. Less time fidgeting means more time seeing!

4. Trust your instincts. Although it's great to see what others are saying/doing don't be afraid to chase your own way.

Sent from my LG-H831 using Stormtrack mobile app

 

[Shane Adams]

What I learned in 2017....

(1) The bar has been raised on what is considered a "good" chase season to (IMO) ridiculous levels. For as much as I constantly hear the tired old stock philosophy of "it's not just about the tornado" there seems to be quite a standard on what makes a tornado "worthwhile." If it's not a Rozel or a Bennington, it seems it's not even worth documenting. But that's to be expected these days, as it falls in line with pretty much anything else through the eyes of this generation.

(2) I need to finally go HD. It's time. Even lowest-end HD. SD works for just about everything I've done until now, because it's nostalgic and I had no other options. But after two decades, it's time to wrap up the SD phase of my career an at least attempt to improve my quality moving forward.

(3) Chasing, as it's consumed by the public, has devolved into a huge melting pot of reality television/social media fodder. Everything must be instant gratification or it's not interesting enough to acknowledge. For example, years ago the chatroom consisted of people who just sat around shooting the bull about weather, storms, chasing. Past events, personal experiences. Today, it's not much more than a live play-by-play of people who are all constantly either watching live streams or anticipating the next big event. It feels more like a group of fans than chasers or enthusiasts. A different world now I suppose.

(4) Droughts don't change anything. After a years-long run of crap luck, we were back into the swing of things in 2017. And the moment we saw our first high contrast, fully-condensed tornado in exactly four years, it was like the drought never happened. Back to business as usual: nailing tornadoes.

 

[Adam R Davis]

My biggest lessons for 2017:
1. If your car starts making a bizarre screeching sound after it starts, it means the ignition is staying engaged. This will result in the ignition system frying, requiring a tow from McLean to Amarillo, a $1000 car repair, and being stranded at a hotel for 4 days. Listen carefully to any unusual sound or behavior from your car. It may be trying to tell you something important.
2. Make sure your partner is not only calm and collected, but emotionally stable and self assured. Confidence issues can lead to problems other than those directly related to storms.