Dan Robinson
EF5
We probably could have started this thread 3 weeks ago, but that's the 2019 chase season for you: ever giving you hope, then failing to deliver.
This season was one of my worst ever, despite having one very good tornado day. 2019 ranks #2 all-time (27 years) for me in both chase mileage and chasing expenses, but ranks near the bottom in terms of quality/usable imagery and video captures. I logged a total of 18 chase days in the Plains over the course of 3 separate trips, the longest being a 12-day run in late May. Again, that's 2nd only to 2005 in which I logged 22 Plains days. I'd rather have a 2006 or 2009 death ridge season than one like this - the end result would be the same, and I'd still have those thousands of dollars in my pocket.
This season was exhausting and maddening both in the Plains and here at home. I was Charlie Brown, the weather was Lucy and the football. I made a substantial investment in a new camera to capture lightning footage, and this was my main goal all season long. And I went into the season motivated and ready to work hard for it! But storms failed to produce and were extremely uncooperative. Storms died as they approached or as I approached them. I spent hours at a time recording countless storms that failed to produce even one quality bolt. Great lightning repeated in an area of sky, then refused to strike again once I had the camera on it. Going into June, it just kept happening over and over and over. Yet I kept on, expecting that this bad streak couldn't last forever. But it just kept going.
So here I am, with maybe 5 or 6 quality lightning captures on my new camera - I had expected to have 40 or 50, enough for a really nice video highlight reel. That will have to wait probably until next year, unless this summer can break my trend.
The bright spot in the season was May 17 in Nebraska, a quality tornado day. I have to look at that and be very thankful I was there - I only got it because I left one day early for my third trip than I'd been planning.
My stats:
Tornadoes: 8
- Plains: 6
- Midwest: 2
Miles: no clue yet, easily 15,000
States chased: 9
Firsts:
- First March tornado (Vega, Texas on the 22nd)
- First time getting stuck on a dirt road (Kirkland, TX on May 20)
This season was one of my worst ever, despite having one very good tornado day. 2019 ranks #2 all-time (27 years) for me in both chase mileage and chasing expenses, but ranks near the bottom in terms of quality/usable imagery and video captures. I logged a total of 18 chase days in the Plains over the course of 3 separate trips, the longest being a 12-day run in late May. Again, that's 2nd only to 2005 in which I logged 22 Plains days. I'd rather have a 2006 or 2009 death ridge season than one like this - the end result would be the same, and I'd still have those thousands of dollars in my pocket.
This season was exhausting and maddening both in the Plains and here at home. I was Charlie Brown, the weather was Lucy and the football. I made a substantial investment in a new camera to capture lightning footage, and this was my main goal all season long. And I went into the season motivated and ready to work hard for it! But storms failed to produce and were extremely uncooperative. Storms died as they approached or as I approached them. I spent hours at a time recording countless storms that failed to produce even one quality bolt. Great lightning repeated in an area of sky, then refused to strike again once I had the camera on it. Going into June, it just kept happening over and over and over. Yet I kept on, expecting that this bad streak couldn't last forever. But it just kept going.
So here I am, with maybe 5 or 6 quality lightning captures on my new camera - I had expected to have 40 or 50, enough for a really nice video highlight reel. That will have to wait probably until next year, unless this summer can break my trend.
The bright spot in the season was May 17 in Nebraska, a quality tornado day. I have to look at that and be very thankful I was there - I only got it because I left one day early for my third trip than I'd been planning.
My stats:
Tornadoes: 8
- Plains: 6
- Midwest: 2
Miles: no clue yet, easily 15,000
States chased: 9
Firsts:
- First March tornado (Vega, Texas on the 22nd)
- First time getting stuck on a dirt road (Kirkland, TX on May 20)
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