New to chasing

[Kevin J Nagle]

I've never been chasing, I've never even seen a tornado before. What equipment will I need, and are there any apps that I would need for my laptop? Also, what areas are generally pretty active with weather?

 

[Marc R. O'Leary]

Go here, buy books.

http://www.weathergraphics.com/chasing/


Also, try to find a seasoned chaser to see if you can tag along a few times to learn before you just hop in the car and go looking for dangerous weather.

 

[Paul Knightley]

Welcome to chasing! The below is not meant to sound sharp/angry/critical, etc, but it's easiest to just list things - we're all friendly really!

• Equipment is no substitute for experience. It's quite easy to find storms these days with little or no meteorological knowledge, due to the fact models are *fairly* good at delineating areas where storms might form, and there is no shortage of weather discussion online (the SPC being a great starting point, of course). However, if you want repeatable success you need to know what you're doing, how you're doing it, and what you're seeing. Read, read, read! And try to go along with someone who knows what they're doing. A chase tour from a reputable company might be your best bet.
• If you go by yourself, try not to be by yourself. You can't do everything and drive at the same time (well, you can, but then you're doing none of them very well, and you're making yourself a hazard to others, and yourself). Get a chase partner.
• Drive properly! It's very easy to be distracted whilst chasing storms - indeed, it seems quite a few people (non-chasers, for example) are more than happy to phone/text whilst driving - a very bad idea. If you're on a storm and want to stop to watch it - good plan - but make sure you're off the main carriageway and don't amble along blocking the traffic.

There is much more to say, of course - and don't get me wrong - I'm not perfect at all! The main thing is to just use basic common sense, as in life in general. But you should start by asking yourself why you want to chase and observe storms. Everyone is different, of course - but everyone has a reason.

From your questions it appears to me, at least, that you've got quite a bit of research to do - but that is a fun part too!

 

[Jeff Duda]

Since you posted in the Introductory Weather and Chasing subforum, I'm assuming you looked through the stickies (threads that always stay at the top of the listing) in this subforum as well. The best information and links to more information are all presented there. Start with those threads and go from there. There's too much to say to concentrate it into one post or even one thread here. You can start a new thread when specific questions come up.

 

[Todd Lemery]

I've got one thing to add that isn't mentioned a lot. After every chase, figure out why the day went the way it did. If you score a nice twister, don't just say "I'm awesome!" Or "This is easy, there's nothing to it!" Figure out why the setup worked. What triggered the cell? Why did it get so intense? What got it rotating? Was I in the best position on the storm?
On a bust, the same thing. Don't just say "Oh well, I guess I just wasn't lucky today..." Ask why didn't any storms form? Why did the whole state pop up one big rain shower? Why didn't the storm turn into a supercell? Why didn't I see the tornado that everyone else on the storm saw? Why didn't the storms pop where I was?
Just keep learning from your experiences. Of course, all of this would go a lot better if you had an experienced chaser with to explain things to you as they occurred.

 

[Kevin J Nagle]

I don't think I'll be able to go with anyone experienced, simply because I don't know anyone who really does it. I'll most likely have a partner though, if not, I'll find the safest method of doing a solo. What vehicles are often taken, and do they need any modifications?

 

[Paul Knightley]

Any car will do, really - but if you intend to go down unpaved roads, you might add mud tyres - also, 4WD is an advantage, but only (really) if you have the mud tyres. Some roads (e.g. in OK/KS) turn from paved to gravel to mud quickly - and you can be in a whole lot of bother if it's been a wet few days beforehand, or even if you're in behind a storm.

 

[Justin Hassie]

What you need depends on why you want to chase. A casual observer that isn't getting too close wouldn't need any special vehicle or tires. RadarScope or PYKL3 on a tablet is plenty sufficient. I certainly would not recommend trying to intercept a tornado by yourself as a new chaser. There's more danger than just the tornado itself. My first time seeing a tornado during a chase I was probably 1.5-2 miles south and we'll clear of it's path. Start with local storms since you will be more familiar with the roads. As others have stated, you can't substitute technology for experience. Good luck!

 

[Jeff Duda]

Alright, the more I watch this thread, the more I'm thinking you should try chasing with a tour group before doing something else. Literally do a Google search for "storm chase tours" and you'll get 5 independent and popular tour companies on the first page. I'd look into one of those before trying anything on your own first. Without some sort of background meteorological knowledge or spotter training, you're gonna struggle and potentially prove to be more of a hazard to others than you will be a help to yourself.

 

[Paul Knightley]

I must say, I tend to agree with Jeff on this. Of course, many of us started chasing without going on tours - and made, and learned from, mistakes in the field. However, I like to think that when I did as such I put as much effort into learning about severe weather, chasing, etc, as possible, before going - and to be quite frank, that involves a lot more than a few answers on a forum. I am happy to give advice, etc - in this case, my advice would go along with Jeff's - get on a tour - you'll see a lot more than if chasing alone, and you'll learn from some experienced chasers.

 

[Justin Hassie]

His profile says he's in PA, probably not many storm chasing tours there. One would need to be willing and able (financially or otherwise) to travel to the plains AND pay for a chase tour, which can be several hundred dollars per day. Sure it's a good way to get some experience, but that's a huge expense for just a few days with a veteran chaser.

I say make friends with some chasers on here and work out some sort of "apprenticeship". It'll likely be much cheaper and you wouldn't be with a group of random dudes in a van for a week.

 

[Jeff Duda]

His profile says he's in PA, probably not many storm chasing tours there. One would need to be willing and able (financially or otherwise) to travel to the plains AND pay for a chase tour, which can be several hundred dollars per day. Sure it's a good way to get some experience, but that's a huge expense for just a few days with a veteran chaser

Taking your own personal vehicle out to the plains from PA is going to cost a lot of money also when you consider not just fuel costs (probably at least $150 just to get out to the Plains and back, not considering any actual chase miles driven) but also hotel stays and food. At that point, jumping on a tour (with the added expertise and lack of responsibility plus meeting other enthusiasts) might not be a bad option.

I say make friends with some chasers on here and work out some sort of "apprenticeship". It'll likely be much cheaper and you wouldn't be with a group of random dudes in a van for a week.

This is definitely one solid piece of advice. In the old days that's how people were advised to get into chase - chase with someone who is experienced before going out on your own.

I must say, I tend to agree with Jeff on this. Of course, many of us started chasing without going on tours - and made, and learned from, mistakes in the field. However, I like to think that when I did as such I put as much effort into learning about severe weather, chasing, etc, as possible, before going - and to be quite frank, that involves a lot more than a few answers on a forum. I am happy to give advice, etc - in this case, my advice would go along with Jeff's - get on a tour - you'll see a lot more than if chasing alone, and you'll learn from some experienced chasers.

I would still emphasize this point unless money is a significant issue for you. By the time I was on my first few chases I was already a year into my undergrad program in meteorology, had taken spotter training, and was going with others who had chased before, so for me it was a very smooth transition to get into it. If you have no prior knowledge or experience with weather or spotting, then in my opinion you have no real business being out there alone. Storm chasing is certainly way easier today than it was 5, 10, 20...years ago with improved technology, but if you don't know how to use it or you don't know the background technical knowledge that technology was built on, it's not gonna help you much, and in fact may fool you into making bad decisions. Think Dunning-Kruger Effect.

 

[Paul Knightley]

I guess it all depends on what the end goal is. I'm in the UK and, although it's possible to chase storms here, it's not easy and the end results are not usually worth the trip (and the stress of trying to chase on very clogged roads!). So, for me, the only real way of chasing is to head to the Plains - which is a big outlay, of course, so one must have the means. I accept that many don't.

I think chasing a few local non-severe storms and learn about storm structure, behaviour, and also how to position around the storm is a great way to get started - @Tim Vasquez makes this suggestion in his excellent book on storm chasing.

 

[JamesCaruso]

I agree with Jeff and Paul. The OP's questions are so basic ("what areas are generally active with weather" ??!!??) as to show little or no preparedness for chasing without someone more experienced. True it's an expense to take a tour, but like many things in life we sometimes can't have immediate gratification. I had studied severe weather and still started out on tours, for three years, before going it alone (and I still feel like I suck at it). I was 30 years old when I first had the wherewithal to make a trip to the Plains from NJ where I was living at the time. Like Jeff said, the OP may be a hazard to others out there, not to mention himself.


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[Kevin J Nagle]

Because paying $3,000+ for a tour is realistic lol. Have you seen the price of these tours?