It Happens To Us All; What to do?

[Ryan Pfeifer]

The only things I think of is, "man there is a 40 at my home, and my GF is there."
.

Just bring the girlfriend and the 40 with next time

It is hard to get friends to come along though. It's always on short notice and requires a large chunk of time. My solace is music though. I love driving and listening to music. I also adjust my how far I'm willing to drive based on which way the storms are moving. So w/ stereotypical storm motions I'm willing to drive like 4 times farther to the southwest then I am to the northeast. Maybe even more. It's really great to have storms lead you home.

 

[Dean Baron]

I busted on Monday and was chasing solo too. Solo busts suck, I turn on the music and go on auto pilate. A cigarillo or two can help too. Busting with a group helps on the drive home, but I like the freedom of chasing solo.
Also, as for not chasing slight risk any more, my view is ya gotta be in the game to win it.

 

[Jeff Passner]

A bust!!! oh my GOD, I busted!!! Get used to it, it's part of chasing.... The thing you are missing and the thing that has been mentioned --- learn from it. Simply, you want to avoid busts, get good at this. Nope, you won't eliminate busts, it's impossible, but what I mean is: pick and choose when to chase. You can't chase everything --- learn to play the odds. Learn the type of storm you want to chase --- the fast moving stuff of April or the slower stuff in June. Learn the "game." If you have limited funds or time, pick what you want.

Frankly, I HATE "high" risk days. It means the storms are moving fast and it's not a good chase day most of the time. The RISK has nothing to do with tornado potential or chase success.

As for me, I'm like some others here. I bust, I listen to music and drive away. I busted, so what. In the bigness of life, busting is small. You have your health, so what, you busted. Now go home, study what went wrong, and get experience. This takes years and years and years. And then you'll bust again. Doesn't matter, even at age 50 you'll be busting. It's the story of life itself ---you win and lose all the time. You grow with it.

 

[Brendon Lindsey]

Hey sweet input everyone! Well I am sure I am going to keep chasing slight risks, to tell you the truth it is kinda ignorant to talk about it like that, seeing as each category of risk has more to deal with coverage.

I don't know if anyone else has done this but, I moved back to Oklahoma in 2008 and decided im going to be a chaser. I think I kinda had a false idealization on what to expect ,seeing as the great success I had in 2008, I truly thought it was so so simple. And like it was a see a tornado every other chase type deal. So when 2009 / early 2010 comes up im chasing every slight risk, and as mentioned before, the more you chase, the more you bust.
I think I may limit my marginal chase days to very local, seeing as I am a part time employee and a student, and my budget isn't really prepared YET for a full chase season but graduation and a real job is soon lol.

But what I really wanted this thread to be about is lists of things people do on the way back home, I love music but not 8 hrs on haha. Grabbing a few cigarillos may be an idea.

I have stopped at haunted places on the way back, haha once again not a great idea solo. I am planning on expanding my contacts and maybe just make some new chaser buddies and ride with them and help with their expenses. I try getting people to go with me from around here but they dont like risking a whole day to maybe only see blue skies =D

In no means did I mean to sound whiney. I know it is part of chasing, it is just lame. Its the love I have for storms that keeps me going. Stupid addiction lol jk.

 

[Jeff Duda]

Rule #1, stop chasing Iowa! That'll cut down on your bust ratio in itself.. hehe

As politely offended as that makes me to hear you keep saying that, I have to admit Iowa has certainly been the place for huge busts this year and last year. However, Iowa is the site of the last EF5 tornado just 2 years ago...

I've become rather leary of SPC 10% and 15% hatched tornado risk busts. There sure have been a lot of them lately. However, I will most likely always chase them. Hitting one big event would make up for several busted ones.

I'm not a perfect forecaster or chaser, so most of the time when I bust I usually try to analyze why I busted. On Monday, for example, I knew it was a "high risk/high reward" kind of day, and that's just how it is. Can't do too much wrong with a cap bust. I also think of degrees of busting: whereas Monday was nearly a blue-sky cap bust (high-end bust), yesterday was a low-end bust, but was still somewhat frustrating. I could've done better yesterday by staying glued to the warm front (which I had told myself earlier in the day to to).

I would say don't let the busts get you down too much. There will be more chase days and you won't miss out on tornadoes/severe weather for sure until you refuse to chase.

 

[Jeff Passner]

The truth is: Over the next two months there will be a few incredible chase days.... Days you will remember for the rest of your life. That's the way storm season is.... Two or three great days. The rest is work, hard work that takes incredible effort and pain. Nothing is easy in life --- that's the way it is. Doesn't matter if it's chasing, school work, your job, or relationships.

As for driving home after a bust -- music gets me home. Anyting works. Search the net for interesting side trips or places to stop. Eight hours is NOT a long trip. Wait till you can take 12 and 16-hr trips. Once you get a job, your goal will change --- getting back home as fast as you can.

 

[Jason Boggs]

I almost decided not to chase on March 8th because of the low risk day. I almost had to force myself out the door because I was afraid of a bust after traveling over 2 hours. I wound up getting one of the prettiest tornadoes I've ever gotten in 12 years of chasing. I was reminded of a lot of the rules and strategies I try to live by during chase season. Like others, when I do bust, I try to take photo opportunities on the way home.

EDIT: Keep chasing the lower risk days Brendon. They have worked well for me over the past few years. I've almost gotten to where I like T-storm watch days better than Tor-watch days.

Sometime in 2004 during slight risk and T-storm watch---Got 3 brief tornadoes and the best rotating supercell I've ever seen near Alfalfa, OK.

May 9th of 2006--low end day with T-storm watch---Tornado hits Childress, TX and does damage. I was there because I chose to get out and not stay home. It paid off.

The best example---March 8th of this year. Low end day with no watch at all. Got the most photogenic tornado I've ever caught on film. Again, I got it because I decided to get out.

If you fail to go out on a low risk day, there will be no risk of you seeing something spectacular.

 

[Randall Marable]

Hey sweet input everyone! Well I am sure I am going to keep chasing slight risks, to tell you the truth it is kinda ignorant to talk about it like that, seeing as each category of risk has more to deal with coverage.

I don't know if anyone else has done this but, I moved back to Oklahoma in 2008 and decided im going to be a chaser. I think I kinda had a false idealization on what to expect ,seeing as the great success I had in 2008, I truly thought it was so so simple. And like it was a see a tornado every other chase type deal. So when 2009 / early 2010 comes up im chasing every slight risk, and as mentioned before, the more you chase, the more you bust.
I think I may limit my marginal chase days to very local, seeing as I am a part time employee and a student, and my budget isn't really prepared YET for a full chase season but graduation and a real job is soon lol.

But what I really wanted this thread to be about is lists of things people do on the way back home, I love music but not 8 hrs on haha. Grabbing a few cigarillos may be an idea.

I have stopped at haunted places on the way back, haha once again not a great idea solo. I am planning on expanding my contacts and maybe just make some new chaser buddies and ride with them and help with their expenses. I try getting people to go with me from around here but they dont like risking a whole day to maybe only see blue skies =D

In no means did I mean to sound whiney. I know it is part of chasing, it is just lame. Its the love I have for storms that keeps me going. Stupid addiction lol jk.

Surprised no one mentioned that May 3, 1999 started off as a 'Slight' risk day that morning as well. I'm sure you get the point by now.

 

[Kem Poyner]

bust days

for me...a bust day stormchasing is still better than busting my ass cutting hair all day in my salon...I also use the quiet time to meditate and put together a game plan on what to do with the rest of my life..I always go back to Phoenix with a new set of recharged batteries. I always come home with a new game plan to better my life...Then my Wife shoots it down so its back to the saltmine and plan my divorce! Ha ha..naaw shes awsome for putting up with my crazy obsessions.

 

[Kris Hair]

Drinking heavily will kill the pain of a bust


In all seriousness, you do this because you love it. If you went out and saw a tornado every time you'd get tired of it. And then boredome would set in because you didn't see a BIG tornado, or whatever.

Every setup is a challenge. They all have their own "makeup" if you will, and you aren't always going to nail it every time, and the setup isn't always going to be a perfect setup.

And look at it this way, if you go out and bust. Just imagine if you had stayed home and everything exploded.

Just my $0.02

 

[Nathan Hoelting]

Jason, every time I read one of your posts about March 8th I cry a little bit. I left Amarillo that afternoon to have one of those "dust off the equipment" chases. I sat near Wheeler for a couple of hours waiting and watching. I lost my radar images due to a faulty battery for my laptop, but nonetheless, was happy just to be out for the first time this season. I really thought about continuing on to the East and catching what would have eventually been the Roll, OK storm, but I just didn't feel like it would be worth the time. (Read as: My wife had already called me 3 times telling me not to go too far, not too spend too much, and she thinks I love chasing more than her). So Jason, please stop with the "it was the prettiest tornado in 12 yrs of chasing" stuff. I don't think my wounds can handle any more salt in them.

 

[Chris Gullikson]

The truth is: Over the next two months there will be a few incredible chase days.... Days you will remember for the rest of your life.

Care to clue us in on what days those will be??

My motto is...I would rather be busting under a clear blue sky then watching an outbreak from my office chair. The long drives are exhausting and costly but worth it knowing that eventually you will get rewarded by an experience that will last a lifetime.

What defines a bust anyways? A loaded atmosphere that doesn't convect by sunset? A blown forecast? A good supercell but it doesn't produce the holy grail? Choosing the wrong storm or a tactical error that causes you to miss the show?
I am driven to see a spectacular supercell tornado but I love seeing structure and lightning and the open plains. The mistakes you make out in the field hurt, especially when you check in here to see the spectacular pictures and videos. However, I feel better knowing I screwed up out there then sitting here and wishing I had gone.

Entertaining yourself on the drive home?? How about stopping to photograph a nice sunrise on the way back... I need to move closer to the plains one of these days!!

 

[Jason Boggs]

Jason, every time I read one of your posts about March 8th I cry a little bit. I left Amarillo that afternoon to have one of those "dust off the equipment" chases. I sat near Wheeler for a couple of hours waiting and watching. I lost my radar images due to a faulty battery for my laptop, but nonetheless, was happy just to be out for the first time this season. I really thought about continuing on to the East and catching what would have eventually been the Roll, OK storm, but I just didn't feel like it would be worth the time. (Read as: My wife had already called me 3 times telling me not to go too far, not too spend too much, and she thinks I love chasing more than her). So Jason, please stop with the "it was the prettiest tornado in 12 yrs of chasing" stuff. I don't think my wounds can handle any more salt in them.

Man, I feel you. I can't tell you how many times I've been chasing and missed a tornado by 10 or 15 minutes. It sucks, but at least you were out. You're wounds will heal quite well when May comes around Nathan. Good luck out there the rest of the year!

 

[Michael Wurzburger]

Friday, April 2nd was my first chase ever. I drove to Walcott, IA and sat at the I-80 truckstop watching the radar and going over the RUC models. Things started to look interesting on the radar so I headed west toward Iowa City. Things turned to mush pretty quickly. On top of that my DC converter to power my laptop decided to break and then my laptop wouldn't hold a charge. Great. Second guessing myself for making such a long trip and on my way to the nearest Best Buy, I came across something I had never seen before. A roll cloud. I didn't believe it at first, but after safely pulling over I confirmed its validity. I didn't see any real structure that day and was just happy to see rain falling, but then I thought....hey, you did see your first roll cloud.

Being a newbie, I realize that busts are inevitable. However, I keep going back to the advice that Adam Lucio gave me in an e-mail response to some advice I asked of him....."Just get out there and chase. Even if they are common, everyday type of thunderstorms, there is no better learning experience."

So whether your a newbie or a veteran chaser, I believe that there is always something to gain by just getting out there.

 

[Rob H]

I got a big smile on my face reading this thread and realizing that some chasers considered this a bust - it means I have a lot more to look forward to.

I personally considered it a huge success because it was the first time I've ever picked a target area outside of MN and pulled the trigger. It was also the first time I had obsessed over/followed the GFS for a week, and kept up on the changes between models and runs. I got to test my forecasting, got to learn some nowcasting, and got to see some supercell structure that really tied the book stuff into the real world stuff. Last but not least, I met four friends I wouldn't otherwise have met and laughed more than I've laughed in a long time.

I realize that one day I may look at the "little" storms that "only" drop 1" hail and wish they were something bigger and better - I hope that isn't the case and that I'm always in awe of weather like this.