Chasing alone---Mistake?

[Chris Lott]

This year will be my first year I actually try to set out in chase. One problem-I don't have a chase partner. I'm thinking to myself that this would not come highly recommended from the more experienced chasers out there, but I don't want to pass up any chase opportunities this year if they come along. Would this be a mistake on my part?

 

[Bill Hamilton]

It all depends on your skill level, how well you understand storm structures, driving skills, etc...
Chasing can be very dangerous, especially when many chasers and local citizens converge on one particular cell.
Traffic can be a nightmare and if it is raining hard you have to take extra precautions. Look out for traffic hazards.

With that said, I almost always chase alone. It started off with just spotting in 1988 and grew from there.
Always have someone you can check in with while chasing that can give you current data and knows your position.
A cell phone is a must when you chase alone.
Have emergency gear (first aid, clothes, etc..) with you and make sure your vehicle is in as good shape as possible.
The best thing for you to do if you chase alone is to meet up with other chasers and convoy with them (IF they don't mind - ask first!). Once you chase a while then you will feel more confident in what you are doing and won't have as many worries.

 

[Jonathan Whitehead]

I too chase alone sometimes b/c dont always have a chase partner but not always with the best prepardness, which is why im saving up for a Baron mobile radar or something of that sort. I always keep a cell phone with me and have a good base spotting me.

 

[Mike Hollingshead]

Well it is rather hard to get seriously injured chasing given you stay in the car.

 

[Susan Strom]

I wouldn't let not having a partner stop you for one minute, but that's a personal opinion. I'm a solo chaser, nine years, 10 states later, not too many scary situations to report, although there have been exceptions, mainly due to human interference and being female (a few run-ins, men who wanted to cause trouble/got chased last year), but that's just one of the hazards to deal with so I have to extra pay attention. It's just like wildlife photography, same thing, you have to watch what's going on.

Solo chasing is my method because of two reasons: I travel long distances at a time, and move from point to point rapidly while shooting.

I'll take a reporter once in awhile but honestly, less photography gets done on those chases, but it is still enjoyable, just a different kind of experience.

Best situation for me in the Plains - just Kansas & I, we get a lot done. I'm half obsessed with Kansas anyway and love to spend time there in the open. In the desert, I chase alone too. It is quiet, I can concentrate, and go home at 4 o'clock in the morning, whenever the storms decide they are finished for the night and I have done my day's (or night's) work worth of shooting.

Once or twice I have teamed for a chase in the Plains or in a caravan, far less gets done in a caravan, but it is fun when good friends are about in their vehicles too as you head toward a storm.

I have brought a friend maybe 5 times or so in the desert, pretty much all good experiences but impossible to coordinate during Monsoon so again, solo chasing is far more productive for me. I learned my lesson, back in 1997 I took some people one night, and my passengers did some really unsafe things and I was so concerned about their safety that it ruined the chase. It is very rare that I have passengers these days.

 

[Sarah Berling]

Anything can be dangerous. Go into the ocean, you might get eaten by a shark. Go bouldering, you might fall and crack your skull. Go swimming, some large man might jump off the diving board onto your head and you'll sink to the bottom of the pool and drown.

Thing is, if you know what you're doing, you can be safe in pretty much any situation, storm chasing included.

Sarah

 

[nickgrillo]

Well it is rather hard to get seriously injured chasing given you stay in the car.

And I couldn't agree more...

I have been seriously chasing since 2003... I got into my first golfball hail storm in August 2003 (and again in May 2004) and into my first baseball hail storm in 2005 (Hill City, KS monster)... I was chasing with Dan Robinson that day and I believe he got a few small dents from the incident. Now, hail can be VERY bad (please don't misunderstand me there) but it takes a pretty damn good stone to break your windshield (although would imagine a golfball accompanied by extreme straight-line winds can do some damage).

I cannot tell you how many linear storms I've gotten right into (with the highlight being nearly 100MPH microburst winds in metro Detroit on 5-23-2004) in the past few years. The bottom line is, it is very, very hard for a storm to hurt you when you are in your car. People who have chased a lot of storms will likely tell you this.

Lightning is about the most dangerous threat to you when outside of your car. A storm may exhibit very little lightning, and boom... Instant CG (this happened to me on 9-22-05 in southcentral MI and again on 6-12-05 from the Jayton supercell). If you can chase by yourself, go for it... Just make sure you know what your doing around severe storms (understand storm structure) and learn as much as possible about forecasting (so you can make your own forecasts). Remember that I am not telling you it's okay to drive into storms... I am just merely saying that after chasing dozens upon dozens of severe storms (over 100 I imagine) that it isn't that dangerous if you know what your doing... Just study and chase (and then expierence will follow).

 

[Tony Laubach]

My thoughts, be safe, be smart, and you can roam the Plains alone all you want. My first years were that way, and I learned a lot about myself as a road warrior and chaser in those years. I still chase alone from time-to-time, but I'm usually always in a caravan or chasing with a shotgun friend. I don't think its a mistake at all to chase alone. Just be smart and know what's going on. And besides, I'm sure you'll run into friends out there and end up with someone ultimately. You'll be fine!

 

[Jeff Snyder]

Pretty much agree w/ everything that's been said. I started off chasing by myself (for the most part, though I had a few chases in the first several years during which I had a chase partner), and it worked fine for me. You do need to be the right type of person however... If you crave attention or people, spendings hours upon hours in the car by yourself day after day won't be exciting. That is a good reason, however, to get to know folks and get a ham radio license -- socialization can sometimes be tough to come by during some periods. Personally, I enjoy solo chases. It's always nice (and usually quite beneficial) to chase with one or two other people, particularly if you're all pretty much on the same playing field in terms of experience and knowledge, and if you have a similar chase philosophy/style. While I don't mind long chases (multi-state), it's almost always nice to have someone else to talk to, etc.

 

[Dan Robinson]

I've chased tens of thousands of miles alone and can say it's much better when you have company. It is much safer to have someone watching the laptop and the sky so I can focus on driving. And chasing with just one passenger cuts your costs in half.

But, I love to have a solo chase or two on the Plains taking in the solitude with a good CD playing.

 

[Aaron Kennedy]

I have no issues chasing alone, although usually I chase with freinds. A) The company is nice and we have a good time regardless of the catch and B) gas costs!

Putting 2 others in my car decreases my gas costs by 66%... that's substantial.

Aaron

 

[Bill Doms]

One aspect no one has really hit on here is decision making when chasing alone. I fully agree the cost differential of having a chase partner is very attractive, but there are other costs. Having a chase partner for the sole purpose of splitting expenses is kind of like having a roommate. You share the same space but have totally different ideas. If you are the only one in the vehicle, you get to call the shots on when and where to target but most importantly, once you are on a storm. If I make good decisions and have a great chase, there is nothing better. But if I make a poor choice and get cored, stuck, etc., I only have myself to blame.

The best choice is probably to convoy (with permission of course). That gives the most hands on experience to the drving portion (which is the most dangerous in a convoy) while someone with more experience can be responsible for positioning, navigating etc. So, for the first couple of years, save up the bucks for gas, know how to be self-sufficient on a chase, then look for a partner with equal skills to split the costs.

Just my $.008 ($.02 of opinion based on $2.25 per gallon).

 

[Andrea Griffa]

Originally posted by Dan Robinson
I've chased tens of thousands of miles alone and can say it's much better when you have company. It is much safer to have someone watching the laptop and the sky so I can focus on driving. And chasing with just one passenger cuts your costs in half.

But, I love to have a solo chase or two on the Plains taking in the solitude with a good CD playing.

I completely agree with Dan...Besides there're some moments in storm chasing when it could happen that, because of many reasons, you don't understand nothing more...You are under the hail, heavy rain, or who knows near a rainy tornado(but you don't see nothing),radar doesn't work, and in that moment you feel lost and you don't know what to do; so two or more brains that work could be better than one.

 

[Shane Adams]

Originally posted by Chris Lott
This year will be my first year I actually try to set out in chase. One problem-I don't have a chase partner. I'm thinking to myself that this would not come highly recommended from the more experienced chasers out there, but I don't want to pass up any chase opportunities this year if they come along. Would this be a mistake on my part?

Absolutely not. A lot of the misconception surrounding the "dangers" of chasing alone hinge on today's chasers relying on technology so heavily; we need a navigator, we need a camera guy, we need a driver, we need someone on the radio, blah blah blah. Chasing isn't a team sport by default.

Whether someone chases alone or with others is decided by one basic method: choice. Chasing alone can be more challenging personally, but it's no more dangerous than a convoy of three or four vehicles full of people who are focusing more on the radios than they are the road. There are pros and cons to each, but neither is above the other. It's personal preference. Myself, I enjoy both immensely.

 

[Amos Magliocco]

I would recommend a partner if you can find one, but I wouldn't skip chasing if you can't. When I started chasing, a friend accompanied me who was only marginally interested in severe weather. He had attended Skywarn, but what he really liked was driving. This was great since it afforded me time to observe the sky uninterrupted; then I compared notes with other chasers when I got home.

I didn't own a camera---any kind of camera--- or a laptop in those days and I didn't have other 'tasks' to attend besides staring out the window. I'm convinced that was beneficial. I had an amateur radio, however, from Day 1. I'm glad too. In later chase convoys, I learned a ton by asking questions and listening to QSOs on 2 meters.

Buy some videos about structure, like Stormwatch or MikeH's Storm Structure 101 to give you a basic idea about anatomy. Storms usually don't look like their idealized diagrams, but over time, your experience will blend the knowledge. Go to a Skywarn session---it sounds like you already probably plan on this since you've mentioned local hams in previous posts. Carry a First Aid kit and a cell phone. Don't get out of your car in a CG barrage. You'll be fine.