Get help and help others with their chasing strategy!

[Rob H]

I was just thinking about how I almost always miss the 1st tornado on a storm for some reason and that some other people don't seem to have that problem. I got to thinking maybe there's a simple rule of thumb, or change in strategy that someone else did that helped with the same problem, and it might be a good idea for a thread.

Basically if you want to post in this thread and offer suggestions to other people, try to first share at least one legitimate problem that you have with technology, forecasting, or chasing in general. Give and take

To start, like I said, I always seem to show up on a cell after the first tornado. I usually try positioning myself so that I can choose from a number of cells before committing, and it seems like this puts me 30-50 miles out in most cases. While I'm driving to the cell the tor warning usually gets issued, and when I can just about see the base the tor LSR pops up. I think a lot of people would say "drive faster", but that's not a good answer for a few reasons. So basically how do I stop showing up to a cell after the first tornado?

 

[Dan Robinson]

For me it's been simply a matter of staying on the ball all day. As much as I like to take it easy and chat at chaser convergences, eat a leisurely breakfast, or sightsee in the morning/early afternoon - this can all cost valuable time. *Every* minute counts in chasing. I also do not stop early on to watch the storm get organized. I keep moving until it is ready to produce, and even then I keep moving until I get to the position I want for the right contrast/angle. In the past, I'd stop and tripod immediately when I saw a storm looked like it was getting good. I got some great tripoded video - from 10 miles away. Now, I want the better contrast, so I keep moving until I get where I want - even if the tornado is already in progress.

Of course, nailing the forecast is the only way to be there for the first tornado. I certainly don't do that myself as much as I'd like, but I'm getting better. On the days you don't nail it, there's not much you can do other than accept missing the first part of the show. When you do nail it, you have to stay focused and not get distracted/complacent. That's just my experience, others may have different insights.

 

[Bill Hark]

Dan makes very good pints above. I would also ad that it is important to continually monitor satellite images in the target area and to start moving toward an area with "agitated cu." Waiting until one sees radar echos can be too late. Of course, one may have to re-target if another storm nearby is becoming more dominant. If you don't have internet access, I find the "tops" function on WX WORX to be very useful as those little white blogs are a good indication of robust towers.

Bill Hark