*New Users. Meet and Greet Area*

[Keith Buck]

I have been a frequent visitor to this website for three years now and I figured it was about time to join. I recently passed the rudimentary storm test on Spotter Network to be able to submit reports, but I have never chased a storm. One of these days, I'd really like to do that.

I don't know a whole lot about the weather and all the dynamics that go into it, but I learn more everyday. I'm just glad to be able to come here and learn from all the folks that post here.

 

[Bonnie Frank]

Lurked around for awhile and then signed up. This place has been invaluable for me living out here in Western Kansas. You guys seem to be a whole lot more accurate then the tv weather guys alot of the time. I probably wont post much since I am just learning and I generally don't get involved in a conversation if I don't know what Im talking about.. Thanks so much for the opportunity to learn from you all.

 

[Catina Jones]

Hello. I too have lurked around since last year. Even though we do not get much severe weather here in Maryland, I have always been interested in weather. I consider myself an extreme novice. I did take a Intro to Severe Weather course while in College back in NW Ohio. I currently stay at home with my two young daughters but would like to in the future attend Storm Spotter classes.

 

[Daniel Beuchert]

Howdie. I am a beginning storm chaser living in mid-Michigan. I've lived in Southern Maryland, Northern Louisiana, Arizona (Flagstaff, a Phoenix suburb, and the west coast), and most recently the Lansing area. Through those stays, I have been blessed with experiencing many different types of weather, and I have found this forum very useful in learning more about chasing, spotting (as I'm a Skywarn member), and just enjoying nature!

 

[Steve Conley]

Iowa Newbie

Hey folks,

Another newbie here. Born and raised in small town Iowa (wouldn't have it any other way). I got interested in storms (weather in general) when I was 10yrs old while watching the Sept '86 tornado (F4) tear through by Baxter, IA; we watched the hole thing from my uncle's place.

I buried myself in my career for a long time, and finally decided to chase for the first time in 2004. My boss had started out college with a meteorology degree (he changed later on), and he was able to help me get started. And believe it or not, I filmed a tornado my FIRST TRIP out! I was hooked.

In 2005 I got a unique opportunity to travel to Baton Rouge, LA and help out Bell South with the post-Katrina fallout. That was a great experience, but living in the aftermath of a storm (I lived in a tent city for two weeks and worked with people who had been displaced), right beside the people it affected, sort of ruined it for me for a while. Then, a couple years ago, I watched a TV interview with an older couple that basically said had "some of them there storm chasers" not come through town ahead of the storm, they never would have known what was coming.....that showed me another side of chasing, and I've been going strong since.

So that's the long and the short. I've been through the online storm spotter training, read Tim's stormchaser handbook, and just recently started learning how to read forecasts (models, balloon data, etc). StormTrack seemed like an obvious next step.

 

[BenWhite]

Hello Folks,

Also a long time lurker of the site. Decided to sign up and put in my 2 cents every once in a while. I have been a somewhat active member with a few storm chaser chat services for a few years now. (Sorry, not posting what sites due to possible conflict)

I am a born and raised Kansas guy here in North East Kansas. I have been fascinated with weather and severe storms for years. I have been to many Skywarn classes in the past, but unfortunately I have not been to any recent ones due to the crazy world called "life."

I have not been out and done any hardcore chasing for a few years now, mainly been doing the "arm chair" end of it helping out with road networks. If anyone needs any help here in North East Kansas don't hesitate to holler, I am always willing to help.

Looking forward to seeing everyone in Topeka Kansas in July 18th for the Topeka Storm Chaser Showcase '09.

Thanks!

Ben White
North East Kansas

 

[Damen Winslow]

Hi everyone,
I'm also a storm enthusiast. Just joined this site a few days ago finally and wanted to say hello.

I'm currently living in Denver, CO and can't wait for the monsoon season to kick in! Grew up in Lawrence, KS at the eastern edge of Tornado Alley.

It's been a rather dismal season in terms of tornadoes for most of the country but we were pretty active along the Front Range up until a week ago with hail, funnel clouds, and occasional tornadoes almost every day! I will submit some of those pics soon!

 

[Shaun Galman]

Hi guys,
Guess it's finally time to introduce myself here also. My name is Shaun (Shauno) I'm 30yrs of age and have lived in Australia and been inspired by weather all my life. I've been on and off these forums (just browsing) for a while now, through various website links from the regular chasers here so I thought I should join up. It's a great way to kill my southern hemisphere winter weather blues and stay in the storm action until we get our regular storm season return in September.

I have been chasing for almost 12years as an amateur and have been photographing for 6years (4 of those professionally - full time). I live in and mine in a small opal mining town called Lighting Ridge in the outback of NSW. You may have heard the Aussie expression "Out the back of Bourke" well Bourke is one of our neighboring towns to the West, so we are pretty remote from everywhere! Myself and my good friend and fellow storm photographer have the entire Upper Western NSW area to ourselves as far as storm chasing, though the dirt roads out here are treacherous once wet and just spell disaster if you have to cross them. I report on most events that hit our area before the storms make it to more populated regions.

Our climate is conducive to severe electrical storms due to the 40-45Degrees Celsius + temps that rage here throughout Summer. We haven't ever had a tornado that I or anyone else knows of, nor have I seen one to date (I live for the day however!). We do get supercells extremely rarely, but they seem to be of a more linear nature and don't show too much in the way of well defined wall clouds, large hail (never had any of that either?) or a resulting tornado. We are more accustomed to the squall line or pulse/pulse severe type storms that are usually pretty isolated in nature but can really put on a great light show!

I'm always in awe of the amazing structures displayed in the SC storms over there! One of these years I will try and get across to chase! I'm not even concerned about a tornado, I'd just love to photograph a well defined wall cloud or large hail for a change

It is indeed a great pleasure to meet everyone here and I hope we will strike up some great friendships over time and share some great stories, info and photos!

Take care,
Shauno

 

[Stephen Barabas]

I'm new, so wish me luck!

Greetings, everyone. Hopefully I'm posting my introduction in the correct section of the forum. If not, I will delete it.

Anyway, My name is Stephen Barabas. I came across this form while reading on about storm chasing (An interest of mine for about 12 years). I am a meteorology student at Western Connecticut State with an interest in mesoscale as well as engineering. I've put this in my profile information though, so never mind it!

I'm so obsessed with storm chasing that I have been decking my Junky '91 Ford Ranger with anemometers and other gadgets. . . though I don't advise using a light bed rear wheel driven vehicle. Hopefully I'll get out to the plains states soon to intercept the big storms, though Connecticut provides a learning experience in maneuvering traffic and though trees and various roadways. A skill I hope will serve me while chasing in the jungles, as some chasers have dubbed wooded areas in the Midwest.

I plan to have a wonderful time on Stormtrack and am sure I will be learning much from everyone on here. GREAT TO MEET ALL OF YOU!

 

[Skip Talbot]

Welcome aboard, Stephen.

(mods might want to move this to new users meet and greet)

 

[Dave Kaplow]

Hi Stephen. Nice to meet a fellow CT chaser - there aren't that many of us, that's for sure. Good to have you on board here at ST.

 

[Justin Pullin]

Hello, my name is Justin Pullin. I am 19 years old and a Sophomore in Atmospheric Sciences at UL-Monroe in Louisiana. Like many others, I’ve been a “lurkerâ€￾ here on storm track for a while, so I decided it was time to join. I recently took up storm chasing this year by pursuing smaller, non severe thunderstorms that allow more margin for error. The only major weather event that I’ve chased this year was the Central Louisiana derecheo event on May 3rd, and I quickly learned that storms that move at speeds of 70+ mph are impossible to chase, especially with a poor road network.. Hopefully the lessons that I’ve learned this chase season will help me to become a better forecaster and strategist out in the field. Outside of chasing, I am staying well involved in school wide meteorological programs, including the student chapter of the American Meteorological Society as an officer, and student research. After undergrad, I plan on applying to grad school somewhere (probably OU) to continue learning and preparing myself for what I hope is a long career in Meteorology. I look forward to learning a lot from the successful Meteorologist’s and Chasers here on ST.

Justin

 

[Lonnie Kopecky]

I am a new member

Am I doing this right? This is my first post.

I was made a new member on 06-18-09, one day after the Aurora, Nebraska area tornado. Aurora is where I now live. But I used to live in Grand Island, Nebraska and was there for the June 3rd 1980 tornadoes.

A tornado went by the south side of Aurora last summer shortly after I moved here. Tornadoes seem to chase me, so it is now time I chase them back. In fact my first real chase was the 06-17-09 Aurora area tornado. Shortly after 8:30PM I drove west from Aurora on Hwy 34 to the Hwy 2 Spur, then south about 2 miles. I watched the storm from it's southwest side and shortly after 9:00 PM saw the tornado form well to my east and a little north.

For now I wish to chase storms close to home, in south central Nebraska. Even though I am a trained weather spotter, I feel I have learned more from reading, watching the Weather Channel and reading the posts on Stormtrack.

I hope to meet some of you Stormtrack members out on a chase sometime.

 

[acantens]

Well I ran across this site and started reading, I must say there is alot of great info on here. We don't do much chasing here in Miami, Fl but we do watch the weather. We actually had a Tornado Warning today around 2:30pm I haven't heard any confirmed reports of a touch down. I have always loved storms since I was a kid. I hope to gain alot more knowledge from this site. Well just wanted to say hi for now.

Gus

 

[Nathan Withrow]

I am Nathan Withrow a new member here. So new that I post my hello in the wrong thread. So I am sorry that I did that. I hope everybody has a great 4th of July!