Best countries to chase in ?

[Ryan McGinnis]

Wasn't there an Italian chaser who used to post to Storm Track about the awesome storms he was seeing in eastern China? He'd post radar grabs of obvious supercells, and best of all it was completely "out of season" compared to the U.S. Dunno what the road network is like out there, but I suspect in the next couple decades, China will become a very chaseable area.

 

[Andrea Griffa]

Wasn't there an Italian chaser who used to post to Storm Track about the awesome storms he was seeing in eastern China? He'd post radar grabs of obvious supercells, and best of all it was completely "out of season" compared to the U.S. Dunno what the road network is like out there, but I suspect in the next couple decades, China will become a very chaseable area.

Yes, he is a friend of mine who lives in China and often chases some very nice stuff. His name is Simone Lussardi. He often speaks about very powerful storm systems, with huge dews and very large rain ammount. Sometimes he tells about strong tornadoes in those neck of the woods, even over populated areas.

 

[James Reynolds]

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The road network in China is generally very good and the mobile phone coverage is phenomenal. A lot of tornadoes spin up from typhoons which make landfall on China.

 

[John Farley]

The road network in China is generally very good and the mobile phone coverage is phenomenal. A lot of tornadoes spin up from typhoons which make landfall on China.

Yes, but before you get too excited, keep in mind that there are considerable restrictions on foreigners driving in China. And in some areas, cops on the take that will demand bribes. What I have heard is that if you want to travel on your own by car, hire a driver. Also, you are expected to tell the authorities where you plan to travel.

 

[Paul Knightley]

People do chase here in the UK, and some parts do offer some great roads/views. However, the frequency of storms, and the fact that many roads (certainly around the London area) are often full of traffic means that chasing is very oppurtunist. I tend to find a good viewpoint in the path of an approaching storm!

 

[Vicky Redwood]

I too have been to India quite a lot on business and can completely back up what is written above about the roads. Those photos of Bangladeshi roads must have been taken by the construction company when they were first completed!!! Even though there might be two lanes in either direction, there will be at least six lanes of traffic - and yes, on your side of the road, coming towards you will be a truck that thinks if he beeps his horn you will move out of the way. And lets face it, you more than likely will!

Cows pulling carts through Toll Gates, goats and goodness knows what else all piled high on scooters and tuk tuks its bedlam. The most people we ever saw on a tuk tuk was 17 and a goat.

The roads that are a bit further out of the cities flood easily and then parts of them just float away so you end up with pot holes about a foot deep, and the side of the road just missing. And when you're away from the cities the gas stations disappear and you see people by the side of the road selling what is meant to be fuel for your car.

Bangladesh might produce some pretty impressive storms but they really don't have the infrastructure there to support a proper chase. I'm not sure when their proper season would be either given the Monsoon has to come at some time but everyone you could meet there would be so friendly and helpful it would certainly be an adventure!

 

[James Reynolds]

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Yes, but before you get too excited, keep in mind that there are considerable restrictions on foreigners driving in China. And in some areas, cops on the take that will demand bribes. What I have heard is that if you want to travel on your own by car, hire a driver. Also, you are expected to tell the authorities where you plan to travel.

Yes, it's not possible to drive without a Chinese license but I know plenty of foreigners in China who have one, or just hire a car and driver.

Only travel restrictions in China for foreigners are if you want to go to Tibet or investigate lead smelting factories which are poisoning villages. I lived and worked there for 3.5 years and never had any problems, even filming in some very sensitive areas Urumqi, Xinjiang.

 

[Simone Lussardi]

Yes, he is a friend of mine who lives in China and often chases some very nice stuff. His name is Simone Lussardi. He often speaks about very powerful storm systems, with huge dews and very large rain ammount. Sometimes he tells about strong tornadoes in those neck of the woods, even over populated areas.

Ciao Andrea ! Thanks for the note, is really a long time I do not post here, being incredibly busy in recent years around China. This year storm season is the worst ever, I have never seen so few storms like this year. Hoping in some September typhoons then !!

The road network in China is generally very good and the mobile phone coverage is phenomenal. A lot of tornadoes spin up from typhoons which make landfall on China.

Hello !! Yes !! I have attached a rare catch, an F3 which roared down apparently in a factory 2~3 miles down mine in 2006, spawned by amazing Typhoon Prapiroon... unfortunately causing many damages (I forgot the link where I found it, but it was on this site: http://www.fs121.com/).

Yes, but before you get too excited, keep in mind that there are considerable restrictions on foreigners driving in China. And in some areas, cops on the take that will demand bribes. What I have heard is that if you want to travel on your own by car, hire a driver. Also, you are expected to tell the authorities where you plan to travel.

If you drive a car with a Chinese license you are free to do what you want, at the same extent as a Chinese driver. I drive here since early 2004 and I have never encountered any of the problems mentioned. I have crossed half China by car, doing 30~40.000 km per year almost every year.