Do you chase at night?

[David Drummond]

I have no problem chasing at night as long as I have radar. That said, I gave up at McLean the other night primarily because the large chaser convergence was getting to be a problem and dangerous. I decided I already had 7 tornadoes for the day, it was ok to quit.

Side note...funny how we were telling people all that long ago that Twister was outrageous because no one sees that many tornadoes in one day. heh

 

[Scott Olson]

Yes, I love night chasing.

 

[Karen Politte]

Yes.

But I don't like it. Sorry to be a hypocrite, but night chasing takes away 85% of what is so alluring to me about chasing. I need sunlight and contrast, daylight and colours.

But lightning suffices quite nice occasionally.

KL

 

[Amos Magliocco]

I'll chase at night but with some reluctance and usually not by myself. I guess XM and other data have made it marginally safter but that could give a false sense of of security too. On Wednesday, we were caught by surprise when the meso immediately east developed a tornado. We weren't sure if the RFD blowing west to east was perhaps the outer circulation of the tornado we already knew about, McLean. When we reached McLean proper, we spent several minutes reorienting ourselves.

We'd had enough after that and turned east (once the coast was clear) for home.

What I like least about night chasing, though, is reviewing video later, frame by frame, to find the illuminated shot.

If someone swore off night chasing forever, they would still have plenty of great opportunities in the daylight and improve their safety factor a bit, I would think.

 

[David Schuttler]

I'll add a yes vote.... Heck I've even gotten up after midnight more than once ,to drive up to S. Kansas or anywhere else that I could still make it back to work by 8 am.

 

[Darin Brunin]

I will 9 out of 10 times, if it deals with supercells. I absolutely hate "riding the wave" home though in an MCS. I guess I just don't like rain in general which is why I try to get through a supercell fast when I punch them.

 

[Shane Adams]

I have no interest in lightning, so I guess generally "no" I don't chase at night. However, if the storm I chased all evening is still tornadic as it becomes night, I'll stay on it. For me, I'm not really concerned about the hazards of night chasing, because I'm not trying to be 4 feet from the tornadoes. The thing that turns me off about it is you can't see. I'm out there to shoot video, and half-second glimpses via CGs are only good for website captures (which is reason enough to be out nocturnally if I'm there to see it), but overall video is moot at night.

 

[Tim Samaras]

.............Yes

 

[SteveCarter]

Nope. Won't do it. I have all the gadgets too...laptop, GPS, etc. even considered getting night vision, but just not that fun for me. I really like experiencing the entire structure of a storm, it's movements, it's striations, etc. If you are just trying to get the tornado, then yeah...you might get it with lightning, but it's not good enough for me. The roads are harder to navigate, and if you get caught in a downpour, you're cooked. NO visibilty at all. I've had a couple close calls at night...one was coming back from Dumas, AR Feb 24th, on my way to Greenwood, MS to get to the same hotel I had the night before. A tornado touched down in Itta Benna at 7:05. I left there at 7. Didn't even know it. There were no tornado warnings, but a STW, so I really didn't pay attention. Had this been daylight, it would have been totally different. Personally, I don't think it's safe enough to justify the work, the pictures, or the time.

 

[jason kissam]

.............Yes

Tims got "the passion!!!!" keep up the great work Tim.


IVE GOT CABIN FEVER!!!!!!
i only go and get lightning photos at night otherwise its too dangerous.

 

[Skip Talbot]

My first chase was into a tornadic supercell at night without data on May 10, 2003. Did I learn my lesson? Of course not. Did it again on March 12, 2006 after losing data and lightning. We persued the supercell until we got hit by a wicked blast of wind (probably RFD) and turned tail. March 28 though was a succesful night chase without incident. We did have to punch a squall when we called it quits though, but it was manageable. I definitely reflect on these stunts, and I now know my limits during night chases.

 

[Jason Boggs]

I chase at night because I chase for a local TV station and can call in for radar updates at any time. Actually, I really like chasing at night because there is something special about a lightning illuminated tornado. It's actually more exciting than seeing on in the daytime. Maybe it's the power flash thing...I'm not sure. Would I chase at night if I didn't have access to someone sitting in front of the radar? HECK NO!!!

 

[Brandon Sullivan]

Well.. If I have my laptop and GPS with me.. Then yes.. No problem.. The rush is still the same.. If its happening, Im game

 

[Michael Rogers]

No night chases here. I am very new to chasing and have a LOT to learn before I put myself in that kind of a situation. Plus, I don't have some of the gadgets like many of you do. At least maybe my wx radio would tell me I'm about to get slammed.

It gets VERY tough for me sometimes. Last year on March 12 is a great example of my frustrations. The infamous "5 state supercell" that dropped tornadoes all across Missouri and Illinois (including Springfield Illinois) came within driving range of me after sunset. I decided, "nah, I don't have the experience yet, I better drive home). After getting home and realizing what that storm did I wanted to crawl into a corner. I'm not quite sure how much more restraint I'll have, since night chasing is of large interest to me. Ohhh WxWorx, how I want you badly (I know, I know, it’s not the answer to all my problems).

 

[Bill Hark]

I voted yes but mainly for distant lightning shots. As I get older, my risk tolerance has decreased. The rewards of a few lightning illuminated video stills of a tornado are just not worth the extra danger. I may consider following an isolated slow-moving tornadic supercell if I have good visuals and decent road network. Otherwise, I'll hang farther back for cool lightning shots or find a nice restaurant and concentrate on the next day's potential.

Bill Hark