First Chase Approved!

[James K]

@Marc R. O'Leary:
Basically half the cost of the lowest used copy on eBay...and its new! I think I know the better site to buy from

 

[ScottCurry]

All great advice here. Here's what I learned when I was first starting out:

• Gas will cost more than you think. It's not uncommon to put 800+ miles on your car in a single day. Gas will be more expensive than what you are paying now because of higher taxes in some states, and limited fueling options mean less supply, which means higher prices. Add 50 cents to whatever you are paying now, and re-calculate on your spreadsheet.
• Hotels will cost more than you think. $39 hotels aren't always available. Bring a sleeping bag and pillow just in case you need to sleep in your car.
• Don't expect to find a tornado. It's harder than you might imagine. Just go for some great structure on your first chase, and if you do happen to see a tornado, that's a plus.
• Get a chase partner. You can either ask in the chase partner thread, or just ask people you meet during the down days while you're waiting for the storms to arrive if you can shadow them. My chase partners and I often drive different cars because we each have our own plans on how many days we can chase, and we live in different cities or even different states. You might have to team up with 2 or 3 chase partners during the week depending upon where you are chasing and how long your chase partners can chase with you.
• Get some training. Either take and pass the spotternetwork test, or take a Skywarn training. This will help you understand what you are looking at, and can help keep you safe.
• Ask lots of questions on how to stay safe.
  • This includes understanding the safest spot to be in a supercell, bow echo, and squall line (all of which can produce tornadoes).
  • Learn how to avoid hail, which can end your chase.
  • Avoid dirt roads at all costs during your first chase.
  • Practice situational awareness. Don't be so focused on what's happening in front of you that you miss what's happening behind you.
  • Know and plan your escape routes. Always have 2 escape routes at a minimum. Often those escape routes will be East and South. West and North will often be blocked off by tornadoes, rain, and hail.
  • Drive slower in the rain and hail. If there is standing water on the roads, drive 40mph or less. People behind you will hate you, but remember that cars start to hydroplane at 40mph. It's better to be safe and have a few people behind you mad at you, than end up in a ditch with a wrecked car.
  • Beware of driver fatigue. If you start to feel tired or you notice you are missing things on the road such as signs and possible obstacles, stop and take a break. It's much better to sleep in your car for an hour or two, than end up dead because you fell asleep at the wheel or missed a stop sign.
  • If you can team up with someone in your car (dad, friend who's always wanted to storm chase and is willing to drive for you, etc), do it. That will allow you to focus on the radar and sky observations while someone else focuses on the road. If you can't find someone to drive for you, then I would highly recommend you pull off to the side of the road to check radar. Trying to look at radar while you're driving is distracted driving, and it's deadly.
• Bring a credit card. If your car breaks down and requires $2,000 of repairs in the middle of nowhere, how will you pay for repairs or a flight home?
• Bring a tow rope and shackles and know where your tow hook is located (usually in your trunk under your spare tire). So long as you have these, anybody passing by can tow you out of a ditch, wet grass, muddy road, etc.
• Have a plan for what you will do when you lose internet. Only experienced chasers should chase without radar. There are a couple of options:
  • Spend $50 on a handheld radio at Walmart that has weather channels. Listen to the weather channels for any warnings in your area.
  • Spend $150 - $400 on a cell booster so that you don't lose internet (I personally prefer Surecall, but Weboost is good too).
  • Get your HAM radio license and program all of the Skywarn channels into your radio before you leave home. You can monitor the nearest Skywarn chatter and listen for any dangers in your area.
  • Get a scanner and program as many Fire and Police frequencies as you can before you leave home. You can monitor these frequencies for any chatter of damage or tornadoes. If you are limited on frequencies, just focus on the Fire frequencies.

I know that's a lot. That's because there's a lot to learn.

I wish you the best of luck during your first chase, and if you happen to be out in Colorado or western Kansas at that time, I hope to see you out there!

 

[James K]

Yep, there's deff some goog advice posted here.
It'd be interesting to see an update from the original poster to see if/how some of his chases went.

In my case:
I would be going alone (which I know they say not to do), but...
I wouldn't be planning to go far from home, though I'm not sure just how far away(east of) the mountains (which I live pretty close to) I need to get?
I also would be staying back a good distance (it might be cool to get a 'up close' pic/video, but not a risk I'd personally want to take). I don't know that "I fear the tornado" would really be the right term, moreso its "I respect the power that storm may have in it" (and hail I do fear)
And I'd personally avoid dirt roads simply because of the fact I don't have a truck or SUV.
I'd honestly rather find something like a Walmart or Home Depot parkinglot in an outlying area of the city as places to begin, even though that may not be 'the best of' locations. Being farther away would give a nice overview of the storm too, seeing the whole cloud/structure is pretty impressive. I guess that could be called 'storm lurking' rather than 'storm chasing"? .LOL.
Oh and I would be in Colorado since that's my home state.

Besides looking around various parts of the forum here, I also found & read the Spotters Field Guide's (beginning & advanced). Looking forward to that book I just ordered arriving too now.

 

[ScottCurry]

In my case:
I would be going alone (which I know they say not to do), but...
Oh and I would be in Colorado since that's my home state.

James, if you want to chase this weekend, hit me up. I'll be leaving from Colorado Springs early Friday morning, and returning Sunday.

 

[James K]

Thanks for the offer @ScottCurry! but I have to work Friday, and tentatively planning to go to a family members thing Sunday morning.

 

[James K]

Looking forward to that book I just ordered arriving too now.

And it was waiting for me in today's mail