I`m just a nut job storm chaser out of the heartland of tornado alley. This is my first year to use in-car radar and I`m loving it. I`m getting allot of new toys this season so it should be a good one for us.
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*New Users. Meet and Greet Area*
- Thread starter Matthew Harding
- Start date
Kyle Soldani
EF2
Just joined tonight, Rookie in the same position Steve is in. My Jeep is completely outfitted with chase equipment and I'm here to further my education.
Here's the jeep.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyr7cMayQUY
Here's the jeep.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyr7cMayQUY
Drew.Gardonia
Hello everyone.
My name is Andrew Gardonia, and I'm from Murfreesboro, Tennessee. I've been fascinated with the weather since I was a young kid, and have been interested in storm chasing for quite some time. I'm just now starting to get actively into it. I've been on a few amateur chases, but have yet to see a tornado. I look forward to learning more about predicting and forecasting so I can become a more informed and knowledgeable chaser.
I've already had a few invites from some guys on another forum, and it's great to see people that share my enthusiasm for severe weather, and I'm ecstatic about the hospitality other chasers have shown.
Look forward to being on some successful chases and getting some great pictures and video of these awesome storms.
Andrew
My name is Andrew Gardonia, and I'm from Murfreesboro, Tennessee. I've been fascinated with the weather since I was a young kid, and have been interested in storm chasing for quite some time. I'm just now starting to get actively into it. I've been on a few amateur chases, but have yet to see a tornado. I look forward to learning more about predicting and forecasting so I can become a more informed and knowledgeable chaser.
I've already had a few invites from some guys on another forum, and it's great to see people that share my enthusiasm for severe weather, and I'm ecstatic about the hospitality other chasers have shown.
Look forward to being on some successful chases and getting some great pictures and video of these awesome storms.
Andrew
Hi all,
I'll keep it short for now. I'm a first year chaser out of Broken Arrow, OK. I've been enthralled by the ways of the atmosphere since I was a young kid and am finally living one of my dreams of storm chasing. I've been reading around here for a few months and have already learned a great deal from the experienced chasers here and look forward to continuing to increase my weather knowledge.
I'll keep it short for now. I'm a first year chaser out of Broken Arrow, OK. I've been enthralled by the ways of the atmosphere since I was a young kid and am finally living one of my dreams of storm chasing. I've been reading around here for a few months and have already learned a great deal from the experienced chasers here and look forward to continuing to increase my weather knowledge.
Drew.Gardonia
welcome to the site Austin. Lot's of good information on here.
Jason Boggs
Welcome guys. You will definitely learn a lot on here, and don't be afraid to ask questions. That's what the forum is for.
Dann Cianca
Welcome to all who are new!
John Dudgeon
Misunderstood by most, but hopefully not here.
Greetings! Hope everyone is enjoying the current lull and getting quality rest time.
I just joined up with Stormtrack and thought I'd do the typical, virtual self-intro. I live in St. Louis, MO and I thoroughly admire stormy skies! I know I'm in good company, here. I grew up in Kentucky, and have always been fond of gazing at towering cumulonimbus clouds and watching for storm activity. After H.S. I spent 3 1/2 years in the Navy and eventually returned home for a short spell, where I rediscovered the thrill of Midwestern storms. I remember the first storm of my first Spring back home. It was around 10pm, and I stood out in the street watching lightning off in the distance, predicting it would arrive after midnight. Sure enough, around 1:00am, I awoke to heavy lightning & thunder, and laid there enjoying the show. I actually tried to go on an impulse storm chase the following Spring, 1995, when an intense storm passed over Louisville. It was getting dark and the cell was moving 40 mph NE. I looked at a map, adding up the distance it would travel and how long it would take for me to catch up, and sadly had to dismiss the attempt, since it would be past dark, preventing me from seeing any visible cloud structure (as that is what I wanted to see the most ).
In '96 I moved out to Seattle, WA to escape the hot humid summers. While there I had actually considered studying Meteorology, and my brother, upon hearing about it, sent me a copy of Warren Faidley's book: Storm Chaser: In Pursuit of Untamed Skies, which I still have and enjoy! Sad to say, the academics just weren't cutting it for me, so I bailed and got caught up working in the IT industry, finding I had a knack for such things. Plus, there are essentially no storms in Western Washington, but wimpy drizzly rain. Each Spring, though, I would watch weather reports for the Midwest, for storm incidents, imagining what it was like to be there at that moment.
Well, nearly 12 years later, in 2007/8, pending a corp. layoff, I was offered a relocation to St Louis, MO. With my wife and I both being originally from this region, we decided it would be a good change, and I was excited to get back to a region even closer to tornado alley than where I grew up! Last year, upon our arrival, I spent a lot of time learning what I could about storm science & chasing. Near the end of that season, a chance came, when a moderate risk was marked, 2-3 days out, for Friday, 6/06/08, for my region. I scheduled a half day off so I could get out and chase any storm that might come near. I picked up an All-Hazards hand held radio the night before and waited. Sure enough, as the morning progressed, watching NOAA radar images, an MCS was heading right up the I-44 corridor towards St Louis. I went home, gathered my radio and camera and set out to meet the storm. It was grand, and the most intense storm I'd experienced first hand. Even with what little knowledge I had gained, I still had a good chase, staying out of immediate harm's way, while getting some good views of the storm. I have to say I'd never felt so charged up as I did out in that storm that day.
As I studied on the rest of that Spring, I also learned that the greater photogenic storms take place on the Great Plains, and as fortune would have it, my wife has relatives in SW MO & NW AR, close to the Plains, where I plan to visit again soon, in hopes of driving out to see those majestic structures. For preparation, this Spring, I attended Skywarn training and also obtained a HAM license. So, there you go. I apologize for any long-windedness, but I like telling stories. haha...
Greetings! Hope everyone is enjoying the current lull and getting quality rest time.
I just joined up with Stormtrack and thought I'd do the typical, virtual self-intro. I live in St. Louis, MO and I thoroughly admire stormy skies! I know I'm in good company, here. I grew up in Kentucky, and have always been fond of gazing at towering cumulonimbus clouds and watching for storm activity. After H.S. I spent 3 1/2 years in the Navy and eventually returned home for a short spell, where I rediscovered the thrill of Midwestern storms. I remember the first storm of my first Spring back home. It was around 10pm, and I stood out in the street watching lightning off in the distance, predicting it would arrive after midnight. Sure enough, around 1:00am, I awoke to heavy lightning & thunder, and laid there enjoying the show. I actually tried to go on an impulse storm chase the following Spring, 1995, when an intense storm passed over Louisville. It was getting dark and the cell was moving 40 mph NE. I looked at a map, adding up the distance it would travel and how long it would take for me to catch up, and sadly had to dismiss the attempt, since it would be past dark, preventing me from seeing any visible cloud structure (as that is what I wanted to see the most ). In '96 I moved out to Seattle, WA to escape the hot humid summers. While there I had actually considered studying Meteorology, and my brother, upon hearing about it, sent me a copy of Warren Faidley's book: Storm Chaser: In Pursuit of Untamed Skies, which I still have and enjoy! Sad to say, the academics just weren't cutting it for me, so I bailed and got caught up working in the IT industry, finding I had a knack for such things. Plus, there are essentially no storms in Western Washington, but wimpy drizzly rain. Each Spring, though, I would watch weather reports for the Midwest, for storm incidents, imagining what it was like to be there at that moment.
Well, nearly 12 years later, in 2007/8, pending a corp. layoff, I was offered a relocation to St Louis, MO. With my wife and I both being originally from this region, we decided it would be a good change, and I was excited to get back to a region even closer to tornado alley than where I grew up! Last year, upon our arrival, I spent a lot of time learning what I could about storm science & chasing. Near the end of that season, a chance came, when a moderate risk was marked, 2-3 days out, for Friday, 6/06/08, for my region. I scheduled a half day off so I could get out and chase any storm that might come near. I picked up an All-Hazards hand held radio the night before and waited. Sure enough, as the morning progressed, watching NOAA radar images, an MCS was heading right up the I-44 corridor towards St Louis. I went home, gathered my radio and camera and set out to meet the storm. It was grand, and the most intense storm I'd experienced first hand. Even with what little knowledge I had gained, I still had a good chase, staying out of immediate harm's way, while getting some good views of the storm. I have to say I'd never felt so charged up as I did out in that storm that day.
As I studied on the rest of that Spring, I also learned that the greater photogenic storms take place on the Great Plains, and as fortune would have it, my wife has relatives in SW MO & NW AR, close to the Plains, where I plan to visit again soon, in hopes of driving out to see those majestic structures. For preparation, this Spring, I attended Skywarn training and also obtained a HAM license. So, there you go. I apologize for any long-windedness, but I like telling stories. haha...
Last edited by a moderator:
Bryan Johnson
Hello to everyone, just wanted to post saying hi and a little about myself...
I'm from Lincoln, NE, I have been amazed by weather since I was a little kid. My dad has been a storm spotter for Lancaster County for many years, althought he hasn't been out the last couple years, I went out with him many times thru the years, I hope to get into spotting and chasing next year, as I missed the spotter training this year.
I have been lurking on here for a few years now, and have learned a lot and hope to continue to learn from many of you....
Thanks, Bryan
I'm from Lincoln, NE, I have been amazed by weather since I was a little kid. My dad has been a storm spotter for Lancaster County for many years, althought he hasn't been out the last couple years, I went out with him many times thru the years, I hope to get into spotting and chasing next year, as I missed the spotter training this year.
I have been lurking on here for a few years now, and have learned a lot and hope to continue to learn from many of you....
Thanks, Bryan
Kevin Cramer
EF0
Hello everyone. I typically hate doing these posts, but I figured that I would on here especially since I have my real name as my handle. Plus, this crowd seems pretty chill and knowledgeable so it can't hurt.
Anyways, as my handle states, my name is Kevin Cramer, and I am from Ohio (Not great for chasing haha). I am a 20 year old student of Computer Engineering at Ohio Northern and am currently enjoying it. I have always enjoyed weather since we got cable and I discovered TWC, and I have always been fascinated by pretty much all things "sciency." As I got older and older my love for weather somewhat waned and shifted towards astronomy, physics, and computer science, but I never really lost my fascination for meteorology. Chasing storms has been something I have always wanted to do, but living in Ohio has not made it easy to do so due to monetary concerns. However, I finally now have some extra money that I can spend and have decided that this is one hobby I might be able to try now.
Over the past several years I have gotten into weather again, mostly due to a subscription someone gave to me at Weather Underground. From this I taught myself how to determine where a tornado might be based on the NEXRAD that is available on the site. Since then, more so in the past several weeks, I have really started learning again. The Spotter Network training guide has proved useful, as well as several people I have met online (at reddit) that have helped me understand more about weather phenonemom.
This year, I have convinced several of my friends to spend some time out west after our school gets out (tomorrow), so if this ridge ever gets busted, we will be heading out. I am looking forward to this experience, and hope to be well prepared (and thankfully I have an awesome userbase here to hopefully help me with that).
I am involved with several other projects around the web, one being my personal blog that I have recently started [cramesblog], as well as being a reviewer for the computer techonology site Overclockers Club, where I operate under the handle of "Propane". Other hobbies I enjoy include Ultimate (Frisbee), Photography, and Computing. Also, I'm a SigEp, so if any of you here are too, be sure to shoot me a message!
I look forward to continuing my learning experience, and getting the opportunity to meet some of you as well. Again, thanks for having an awesome community to which I look forward to contributing to!
Anyways, as my handle states, my name is Kevin Cramer, and I am from Ohio (Not great for chasing haha). I am a 20 year old student of Computer Engineering at Ohio Northern and am currently enjoying it. I have always enjoyed weather since we got cable and I discovered TWC, and I have always been fascinated by pretty much all things "sciency." As I got older and older my love for weather somewhat waned and shifted towards astronomy, physics, and computer science, but I never really lost my fascination for meteorology. Chasing storms has been something I have always wanted to do, but living in Ohio has not made it easy to do so due to monetary concerns. However, I finally now have some extra money that I can spend and have decided that this is one hobby I might be able to try now.
Over the past several years I have gotten into weather again, mostly due to a subscription someone gave to me at Weather Underground. From this I taught myself how to determine where a tornado might be based on the NEXRAD that is available on the site. Since then, more so in the past several weeks, I have really started learning again. The Spotter Network training guide has proved useful, as well as several people I have met online (at reddit) that have helped me understand more about weather phenonemom.
This year, I have convinced several of my friends to spend some time out west after our school gets out (tomorrow), so if this ridge ever gets busted, we will be heading out. I am looking forward to this experience, and hope to be well prepared (and thankfully I have an awesome userbase here to hopefully help me with that).
I am involved with several other projects around the web, one being my personal blog that I have recently started [cramesblog], as well as being a reviewer for the computer techonology site Overclockers Club, where I operate under the handle of "Propane". Other hobbies I enjoy include Ultimate (Frisbee), Photography, and Computing. Also, I'm a SigEp, so if any of you here are too, be sure to shoot me a message!
I look forward to continuing my learning experience, and getting the opportunity to meet some of you as well. Again, thanks for having an awesome community to which I look forward to contributing to!
Tim Cook
Enthusiast
Hello all,
Amateur chaser here from the Philly area...I've been lurking around for quite some time and finally decided to sign up. I was out in the plains two weeks ago (5/3 through 5/8) and might have been in the vicinity of some of you during that hail monster near Breckenridge, TX. I am hard to miss as I am the idiot chasing in a silver 350Z sports car...not your typical chase vehicle but it's the only one I have, and it actually works out fine for solo chasing, as long as you stick to the asphalt.
This was the second year in a row I've taken a week to do this. Last year I was out there during Memorial Day week, and crossed the paths of many chasers near Pratt, KS on 5/26, a huge photogenic supercell near Altus, OK on 5/27, and learned the meaning of chaser convergence around Kearny, NE on 5/29.
This year I've decided to truly understand more about the science behind chasing, part of which includes listening and learning from the experts here. I've started reading much more about chasing and forecasting (Tim Vasquez's books are helping immensely), and look forward to future trips and eventual success. Although, I truly do enjoy the simple act of chasing and just storms in general, so not bagging an actual funnel yet has not dampened my excitement.
Certainly doesn't look like I will be heading out again this season, as I already have a vacation planned for June, but I look forward to maybe meeting some of the real chasers on here next spring.
Regards,
Tim Cook
Amateur chaser here from the Philly area...I've been lurking around for quite some time and finally decided to sign up. I was out in the plains two weeks ago (5/3 through 5/8) and might have been in the vicinity of some of you during that hail monster near Breckenridge, TX. I am hard to miss as I am the idiot chasing in a silver 350Z sports car...not your typical chase vehicle but it's the only one I have, and it actually works out fine for solo chasing, as long as you stick to the asphalt.
This was the second year in a row I've taken a week to do this. Last year I was out there during Memorial Day week, and crossed the paths of many chasers near Pratt, KS on 5/26, a huge photogenic supercell near Altus, OK on 5/27, and learned the meaning of chaser convergence around Kearny, NE on 5/29.
This year I've decided to truly understand more about the science behind chasing, part of which includes listening and learning from the experts here. I've started reading much more about chasing and forecasting (Tim Vasquez's books are helping immensely), and look forward to future trips and eventual success. Although, I truly do enjoy the simple act of chasing and just storms in general, so not bagging an actual funnel yet has not dampened my excitement.
Certainly doesn't look like I will be heading out again this season, as I already have a vacation planned for June, but I look forward to maybe meeting some of the real chasers on here next spring.
Regards,
Tim Cook
Drew.Gardonia
Tim Cook
Enthusiast
dont feel bad, I chase in a mustang...
welcome to the site!
Thanks!
Although, after this year, I may not be chasing in the Z anymore. The trip from the east coast, coupled with the miles spent roaming the plains, followed by the long drive home is kinda pushing it in a week's time. Don't get me wrong, I love driving all day and road trips, but that additional 2500-3000 miles spent getting to and from the alley is a bit much, especially as I try to do as much of the trips out and back in a day each to maximize my chasing time.
In the future I think I will try flying in and renting a vehicle to lessen some of the strain.
Sam Hall
Hey guys, just thought I'd properly introduce myself... been posting when I can in the forecast section. I consider myself an enthusiastic amateur, still with a fair bit to learn and loving every second. Have been chasing for 5 years now annually in the US and am heavily involved in research into severe weather in the UK with TORRO and edit the IJMet. I adore it all, it's my passion and my life.
Was a member of stormtrack the other year but got booted off because of inactivity, but with me not living here, I'm not going to post as much as many but will contribute as much as I can and definitely when we're here chasing. My brother Keith also comes chasing - he does the navigating and I do the driving and he calls me 'chief forecaster' LOL... we do the forecasting together really over discussions at motels and on the road. This year has become more exciting for me as I have been accepted as an official Skywarn spotter (mainly for submitting reports etc when chasing) for some eastern states of the Alley and so am really glad to be able to actually make a difference too where possible with reports and notifications.
Chasing over here is our only annual holiday - Keith admits he's not as nutty about weather as me, but he loves the thrill of the chase and the challenge of forecasting. He's absolutely excellent technically, so I am particularly lucky there to have such a great bro who has and can sort all the gadgets!
Anyway, wonderful to be back and nice to meet you all. Maybe see you out here at any time! I love the chase community, a honk and wave from you all really makes me feel welcome in this amazing big country.
All I want now is some STORMS!
Was a member of stormtrack the other year but got booted off because of inactivity, but with me not living here, I'm not going to post as much as many but will contribute as much as I can and definitely when we're here chasing. My brother Keith also comes chasing - he does the navigating and I do the driving and he calls me 'chief forecaster' LOL... we do the forecasting together really over discussions at motels and on the road. This year has become more exciting for me as I have been accepted as an official Skywarn spotter (mainly for submitting reports etc when chasing) for some eastern states of the Alley and so am really glad to be able to actually make a difference too where possible with reports and notifications.
Chasing over here is our only annual holiday - Keith admits he's not as nutty about weather as me, but he loves the thrill of the chase and the challenge of forecasting. He's absolutely excellent technically, so I am particularly lucky there to have such a great bro who has and can sort all the gadgets!
Anyway, wonderful to be back and nice to meet you all. Maybe see you out here at any time! I love the chase community, a honk and wave from you all really makes me feel welcome in this amazing big country.
All I want now is some STORMS!
Jason Boggs
Sam, welcome to ST my friend.
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