*New Users. Meet and Greet Area*

[Kyle L]

Live long and prosper! I'm Kyle and I've been a weather weenie ever since I was a little boy and a massive supercell rolled through central Indiana, where I'm from... well, that and I saw Twister and thought I'd give it a shot. I started chasing during the 2013 chase season, dragging my mom out with me since I was still a freshman in high school and I couldn't drive. We saw one tornado that year, and ever since that one, I've been hooked.

I chase when I can, and I'm slowly changing my 2014 Chevy Cruze from a little run-of-the-mill sedan into a chase car. I have some of the stuff I need: phone with RadarScope, a small radio, and a GoPro that's missing its mount. Commonly, I can only chase small local stuff because I don't have the capability to chase long distances solo because I'm a college student, so money is fairly tight.

This year, if I can, I'm going to chase as much as possible. The South looks incredibly active this year, and if it keeps up, it might be worth chasing if I can find someone to partner up with who has experience chasing in Dixie. If nothing else, the plains would be a dream come true for it since you can see for miles once you get to the plains of Kansas down through Texas.

Aside from chasing, I've been dabbling a little bit in forecasting. It's like solving a puzzle for me. While I'm still honing the skill, I think I'm slowly starting to gain some insight for different regions as to what to expect.

 

[CJStefan]

Hello all! My name is Cam, and for many years I've loved thunder storms and severe weather. The science behind them has always fascinated me, and witnessing those sciences in action is absolutely thrilling.

When I was little, if I had a pencil and a piece of paper, there was a 50%chance there'd soon be a drawing of a tornado on it! I'd also often watch the storms roll in over our house, giving my parents predictions and warnings as I deemed necessary. The interest to chase didn't really appear until a particularly bad storm in the early 2000s. Tornado producing storms are rare in Pittsburgh, Pa, and so witnessing a storm with such an intensity definitely left an impression.

The years passed by, and even though I hadn't expressed outward interest, storm chasing was still on the back-burner. A few years ago, that interest rekindled, and I've decided to start taking steps to (safely!) pursue the amateur storm chasing status. I recently purchased a truck, so now mobility has opened new doors (and storm chasing is one of them).

I'm glad this community has a communication platform, and I look forward to contributing what I can to storm chasing.

 

[ruth.palacios]

Hello all!! My name is Ruth but everyone likes to call me by my middle name Anna. I have been interested in weather for as long as I can remember. Growing up in Milwaukee Wisconsin, we would get descent weather year round. The severe storms in the Spring and Summer, blizzards in Winter, and even waterspouts on lake Michigan. It made me always want to learn more. Fast-forward several years and here I am. I am super excited to be here!!

 

[David H]

Howdy! My name is David Heller and currently live in Southeast TX. My fascination with extreme weather dates back to when I was 4 years old and experienced the 1993 "Superstorm" while I was living in VA. Then, add to that the Blizzard of '96. I can also admit my increased interest to storms when I was 7 and saw the movie, Twister. It wasn't entirely a result of watching the movie itself, but rather, at the same time I was watching it in the local theater with my dad and sister, that my hometown area was struck by a tornado (F-2 if I remember correctly). Fast forward many years later to 2015, is when I officially began chasing tornadoes and supercells.

I am willing to chase Tornado and Dixie Alley, as well as eager to share thoughts and ideas about weather and storm chasing.

 

[TJKLECKNER]

Howdy David. Also here in Southeast TX. Weather in Galveston is quite null most of the year...minus the occasional hurricane. Most of my past chasing fun was in Louisiana and Iowa

 

[David H]

Howdy David. Also here in Southeast TX. Weather in Galveston is quite null most of the year...minus the occasional hurricane. Most of my past chasing fun was in Louisiana and Iowa

Howdy TJ. I actually lived in Galveston from '07-'16. Graduated from TAMUG, Class '11. I experienced the eyewall of Ike in '08. An experience I'll always remember! Now living in the Golden Triangle. I chased the Central MS monsters yesterday and will provide a report soon.

 

[acibarich]

Hey everyone, I'm Adam from New Hampshire. I've been forecasting the weather for the Air Force for the past 6 years, and I'm getting back to school this fall to finish up my degrees in Meteorology.

I'm excited to get into storm chasing, and this was to be my first year dedicating time to doing so, but it seems COVID-19 might have other plans. Luckily my chase vehicle is a GMC Yukon I've converted into an impromptu road trip camper, so I may yet be able to chase and keep social distance.

Looking forward to learning more about weather and chasing here, and any advice or recommendations are always appreciated!

 

[James Franc]

Hi everybody! Just wanted to break the ice and introduce myself on here. I'm from the Pittsburgh, PA area. I've been interested in weather ever since I can remember. The past 3 years, I've been really studying what makes the weather tick. Severe weather is my primary interest. IF I get to this year, this will be my third year chasing. I'm a bit of a recluse and socially awkward (lol), but I would like to try to be somewhat involved with the community and learn from all of you and just share the thrill and passion that we all have in common. Hope to see you (once it's safe ) on a road in the Plains with a twister bearing down!

 

[Isaiah Montgomery]

Hey there y'all
I'm a high school grad from Owensboro, KY moving into college for Meteorology this year, at ULM, here to introduce myself to everyone. I've been on the forum for a long time, and the threads on this site have helped me out a lot in the past, to say the least. I've been following the weather for as long as I can remember, but this month I actually chased for the first time. It's a moderately long drive to Central IL, but it has been very kind to me so far! I basically rely on RadarScope Pro (and a reliable road network) but I also run GRLevel3 and use an older iPhone for navigation purposes. Still new and learning, but so far so good I guess. If you've been to Western KY, you would know that the roads and terrain are, let's say "less forgiving", so I'm reluctant to go out more.

 

[Todd Lemery]

Good luck Isaiah. All of us who live in crappy chase terrain feel your pain!

 

[Scott Fortune]

Hey Everyone, Been a weather nut for 40 some years, active outdoorsman, mainly fishing, but always had a thing for storms. Being a fisherman, i usually get caught in the storm. My grandfather recorded everything weather wise and later i did too, seeing fish movements due to changing weather patterns. Born and raised in NE Ohio, experienced a micro burst first hand (caught on the water again..lol). I moved to SC and started chasing storms in 1999 to 2005, then gave it up. Here in the upstate South Carolina, some nasty storms have come through, but ive managed to not get caught on the lake as much. (I'm sure someone here will criticized me for saying this, but when a tornado warning was issued, Ive never took it serious enough, so dismissed it, till this year). We had a tornado outbreak this spring, mainly in April. April 12th our local meteorologist on the 11p news forecasted a really bad night for tornadoes.He even insisted someone stay up and monitor the weather. Something told me to stay up this time,instead of me just sleeping thru it like i normally would. About 3:25a April 13th 2020, I heard a loud roar coming closer and closer. At 3:29a, i grabbed both my cats and headed for the main bathroom,then it hit. An EF3 hit the southern side of the city. It literally came over my house, then quiet. Somehow the EF3 tornado spared my place and 5 surrounding homes, but destroying everything else, farther up my street (west) and on other side (east of me). A month ago I contacted that same meteorologist, about how to become a Storm Spotter. He quickly sent me to NWS and I took the online version (since the covid-19 thing is going on). I'm now a certified Skywarn Storm Spotter(still waiting on my id number and id badge from NWS, with the covid-19 going on dont know how long that will take. Might even have to take another certication course next spring, i don't know how thats gonna play out yet). I want to eventually get a used 4x4 pickup truck for chasing,so i dont have to worry about hail dents. In college, I took Fish & Wildlife Mgt & National Park Ranger training. Didnt get in with the Park Service, but got certified in Search & Rescue as well as EMT training. That training paid off this past April 13th.
Everyone knows the big tornadoes are out west in the plains, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas etc. The one that hit me, was one of those historic tornadoes, but not uncommon to get the EF0, EF1 and EF2 around here, so plenty of smaller tornadoes to chase here.

 

[Marc R. O'Leary]

Hey Everyone, Been a weather nut for 40 some years, active outdoorsman, mainly fishing, but always had a thing for storms. Being a fisherman, i usually get caught in the storm. My grandfather recorded everything weather wise and later i did too, seeing fish movements due to changing weather patterns. Born and raised in NE Ohio, experienced a micro burst first hand (caught on the water again..lol). I moved to SC and started chasing storms in 1999 to 2005, then gave it up. Here in the upstate South Carolina, some nasty storms have come through, but ive managed to not get caught on the lake as much. (I'm sure someone here will criticized me for saying this, but when a tornado warning was issued, Ive never took it serious enough, so dismissed it, till this year). We had a tornado outbreak this spring, mainly in April. April 12th our local meteorologist on the 11p news forecasted a really bad night for tornadoes.He even insisted someone stay up and monitor the weather. Something told me to stay up this time,instead of me just sleeping thru it like i normally would. About 3:25a April 13th 2020, I heard a loud roar coming closer and closer. At 3:29a, i grabbed both my cats and headed for the main bathroom,then it hit. An EF3 hit the southern side of the city. It literally came over my house, then quiet. Somehow the EF3 tornado spared my place and 5 surrounding homes, but destroying everything else, farther up my street (west) and on other side (east of me). A month ago I contacted that same meteorologist, about how to become a Storm Spotter. He quickly sent me to NWS and I took the online version (since the covid-19 thing is going on). I'm now a certified Skywarn Storm Spotter(still waiting on my id number and id badge from NWS, with the covid-19 going on dont know how long that will take. Might even have to take another certication course next spring, i don't know how thats gonna play out yet). I want to eventually get a used 4x4 pickup truck for chasing,so i dont have to worry about hail dents. In college, I took Fish & Wildlife Mgt & National Park Ranger training. Didnt get in with the Park Service, but got certified in Search & Rescue as well as EMT training. That training paid off this past April 13th.
Everyone knows the big tornadoes are out west in the plains, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas etc. The one that hit me, was one of those historic tornadoes, but not uncommon to get the EF0, EF1 and EF2 around here, so plenty of smaller tornadoes to chase here.

If you decide chasing is for you, it sounds like you'll be a valuable resource for the rest of us and others impacted. Welcome aboard and don't hesitate to ask questions. This forum has been my referral source to confirm my practical experience, and while I've seen however many tors I've seen, I'm still in awe of the skills and knowledge that can be found here.

 

[Scott Fortune]

If you decide chasing is for you, it sounds like you'll be a valuable resource for the rest of us and others impacted. Welcome aboard and don't hesitate to ask questions. This forum has been my referral source to confirm my practical experience, and while I've seen however many tors I've seen, I'm still in awe of the skills and knowledge that can be found here.

Thanks Marc, I plan on getting back into chasing. I got the RadarScope app, but planning to add a HAM radio, an anemometer and most important 4x4 pickup that dont mind getting hail damaged on or rolled. Bit hard to do with my 2018 Explorer, so stuck with spotting for now.

 

[Matt Lochansky]

Hi all, here is my first post - I thought I would introduce myself and why I am here!

I am Matt Lochansky from Raleigh, NC. I'm a professional scientist (analytical chemist) and computer guy, with a keen interest in many things in the natural world - I'm an active amateur astronomer, gardener, and recently got my open water SCUBA certificate. I am also interested in weather, but it's been brought to the forefront by my son, Jack, who recently celebrated his 15th birthday. He's been a weather kid for many years. He's gone to weather camps, been to a few NWS offices, and is very active learning meteorology principles and climatology with other weather folks through discord, twitter, and his youtube channel. For a 15 year old, I think he spends too much time tracking/forecasting storms and stuff, be he loves it. He plans to pursue a career in atmospheric sciences / meteorology. He's been wanting to chase for a while now but we don't live in the most tornado-prone area. Before he graduates high school, I want to get him out on a tornado expedition. Perhaps closer to home, Hurricane Isaias should be in the area on Monday and we were going to go see what we see. We've got lots of radar tools (GRAnalyst, Radarscope), a handheld bluetooth weather meter, and our gopro cameras. Wish us luck!

 

[Todd Lemery]

Hi all, here is my first post - I thought I would introduce myself and why I am here!

I am Matt Lochansky from Raleigh, NC. I'm a professional scientist (analytical chemist) and computer guy, with a keen interest in many things in the natural world - I'm an active amateur astronomer, gardener, and recently got my open water SCUBA certificate. I am also interested in weather, but it's been brought to the forefront by my son, Jack, who recently celebrated his 15th birthday. He's been a weather kid for many years. He's gone to weather camps, been to a few NWS offices, and is very active learning meteorology principles and climatology with other weather folks through discord, twitter, and his youtube channel. For a 15 year old, I think he spends too much time tracking/forecasting storms and stuff, be he loves it. He plans to pursue a career in atmospheric sciences / meteorology. He's been wanting to chase for a while now but we don't live in the most tornado-prone area. Before he graduates high school, I want to get him out on a tornado expedition. Perhaps closer to home, Hurricane Isaias should be in the area on Monday and we were going to go see what we see. We've got lots of radar tools (GRAnalyst, Radarscope), a handheld bluetooth weather meter, and our gopro cameras. Wish us luck!

Good luck! A spring Southern plains trip would be a hell of a graduation present!

 

[Scott Fortune]

Hi all, here is my first post - I thought I would introduce myself and why I am here!

I am Matt Lochansky from Raleigh, NC. I'm a professional scientist (analytical chemist) and computer guy, with a keen interest in many things in the natural world - I'm an active amateur astronomer, gardener, and recently got my open water SCUBA certificate. I am also interested in weather, but it's been brought to the forefront by my son, Jack, who recently celebrated his 15th birthday. He's been a weather kid for many years. He's gone to weather camps, been to a few NWS offices, and is very active learning meteorology principles and climatology with other weather folks through discord, twitter, and his youtube channel. For a 15 year old, I think he spends too much time tracking/forecasting storms and stuff, be he loves it. He plans to pursue a career in atmospheric sciences / meteorology. He's been wanting to chase for a while now but we don't live in the most tornado-prone area. Before he graduates high school, I want to get him out on a tornado expedition. Perhaps closer to home, Hurricane Isaias should be in the area on Monday and we were going to go see what we see. We've got lots of radar tools (GRAnalyst, Radarscope), a handheld bluetooth weather meter, and our gopro cameras. Wish us luck!

Hey Matt, Good Luck, but not wasting my time or gas on Isaias. Tropical storm, Cat 1 at best,can get that over here on upstate SC without going anywhere. I'm waiting for at least a Cat 3 to come. Certified SCUBA here too, use it gold dredging.

 

[Rick Dubowits]

Hello,

I’m Rick and Iive in rural Manitoba (as far as I can tell, the North Eastern fringes of the tornado belt). I saw my first tornado as a teen when we were poor dirt farmers. The wind picked up During a hail storm and shingles we couldn’t afford to replace on anew outbuilding were blowing off. I went up to hammer some boards down to keep them from lifting. That’s when the twister formed to the south right in front of me on our 80 acre barley crop. I couldn’t do anything other than hold on and watch and hope it didn’t come my way (it didn’t).
To this day I still remember those few moments, yet I always wondered how I could see a tornado yet not hear about it on the weather... since then I had a 16 year army career which involved endless miles of travel across Canada. I happened across other tornadoes, mosltly in rural/northern Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. Again, they were never seen on the news.
I realized after a while that meteorologists likely couldn’t detect these tornadoes, and I was likely the only person (or one of a few) to see them in remote areas and they were just never reported since they didn’t do significant damage or hurt anyone. So, lately I’ve gotten an idea in my head that I should, when possible, watch these storms when I can and do my part to fill in the gaps. I came to this board mostly to read, learn, maybe ask a few questions when I’m stumped.

I should add, this interest sparked recently when I took my wife and kids, with a huge camper and canoe, near a region the very same day a fatal tornado touched down not all that far from where I went... I had no clue that there was even a potential threat of a storm in the area. There are clearly gaps that need filling in our weather reporting system, especially for rural/remote areas where I am.

 

[Andy Miller]

Hi, I’m Andy!!! I have been interested in meteorology since I was a kid. I would sit watching the Weather Channel for hours and after Twister came out, I was hooked. Growing up in Southern California in San Diego, I was far from tornados and severe storms, but during the summer when we would get monsoonal thunderstorms in the mountains, my parents would take me out “chasing”. During high school my family moved to Minnesota, living in a small town north of the Twin Cities. The first spring in Minnesota I found out about Skywarn and attended my first class, that was in 2000, now being involved in Metro Skywarn for 20 years. Now living someplace that has tornadoes and storms, I was able to start chasing and spotting. While finishing high school I intended to go to college for meteorology and I even got to job shadow with one of the local tv meteorologist in the Twin Cities. Well after graduating high school, I decided to change majors and career paths. I have a degree in animal science, it was really a pre-med/pre-vet degree. During this time, I never lost my interest in the weather and I got more involved with emergency management for the county that I lived in. Working towards gaining experience for medical school, I started working in EMS and after three years working on an ALS ambulance, I switched to working in an emergency department. For several reasons, I decided to leave the medical field. Trying to figure out what I was going to do, I decided to go back and get my meteorology degree. With in meteorology, my interest are severe storms and fire meteorology. Interests outside of weather are living history/re-enacting, other earth sciences, space and astronomy, woodworking and blacksmithing, and anything outdoors, fishing, camping, hiking, etc… That’s about it.

 

[MarkH]

Howdy, y'all......I've checked out this site several times in the last few years, and finally decided to sign up. Name's Mark, I just moved to Lawton, OK. I'm a freelance photographer, audio/video editor, and travel writer that specializes in Route 66, and the desert southwest. Hoping to have new camera gear before next year's chase season....it seems I'm in prime territory, and won't have to go very far. I'm a trained spotter through Skywarn, also taking some online weather classes. Looking forward to learning more on here.

 

[DJ Gisler]

Hello everyone! My name is Dylan, and I reside in South/Central Texas. I started chasing locally in my area about 3 years ago and just this year started branching out into North Texas and Oklahoma. I normally chase solo but I'm always willing to learn from someone that has more experience. I've been pouring over the message boards on here for a couple months and there is a wealth of knowledge in here and some very talented people. I hope to meet some of yall out on the road one day! I come from a Public Utility background and I am CPR/first aid trained should it ever be needed in the field. I chase for photography but public safety is always my top priority, I'm not the guy you will see blowing past a damage area to keep chasing. That's about it!

 

[Don Kemper]

Howdy from NE KY. I'm Don Kemper, an old worn out, broken down, dilapidated caver of yesteryear and have a wide range of interests. Several of my interests have strong ties with weather. Has anyone heard of "Clear Sky Charts?" It is the opposite of what would be of interest here since it is for astronomers. You could imagine the weather concerns for caving. Don't get me wrong, I like like storms and am greatly interested in weather of al types.

A few years ago a friend at a local radio museum gave me a cheap PoFung hand transceiver and told me I had no excuse for not getting a ham license. So I studied for four weeks (monthly exams) and passed the tech exam, a month later became a general class operator and spent the rest of the year getting certs of several kinds that are related to ham radio and ARES, among them SKYWARN and FEMA certs.

Since the Covid-19 epidemic, I've been pretty much hiding under a rock and have just recently thought I'd review SKYWARN information and ran across Spotter Network. Having already watched a few hours of weather tech/chaser videos on YouTube, I decided to join. Again I was faced with yet another course and test, Awareness. It was well done, just right with technical information and fascinating. I enjoyed it every bit, including the test, even though I couldn't see any of the videos including the two in the test. It closely resembled the SKYWARN material I studied a couple of years ago but with more detail and additional information.

Will I be a chaser? Spotter? Some yahoo sitting around in the back of the room? Well, I live on the Cumberland Plateau, in the Ohio River Valley where Ohio, West Virginia, and Kentucky comes together in the Charleston WV radar and forecast area. The topography is a lot of eroded valleys, making for a hill and valley landscape with meandering backroads with tight turns here and there and high horizons. It is not as conducive to storm chasing as it is in the midwest planes. For this group, I'd be a weather enthusiast and that's how I have it when I made the SN profile as well as a spotter from time to time when there is something suitable to report.

Other interests include, caves and related geology, triking, astronomy, electronics and repairing vintage electronic entertainment equipment, antique electronic equipment, photography, shopwork and a few other things. I used to be a caver, cave rescue instructor, and somewhat of a hiker. I still get out and walk trails occasionally, do a little geocaching, but the days of hard caving are over for me for various reasons.

As a weather enthusiast, I'll enjoy the thunderstorm course and will continue to learn to identify cloud types and weather. I look forward to that and to reporting once in a while. I hope to make a few friends here and if you are in my area, I'd like to meet you. OK, I'd probably like to meet you if you aren't in this area... I enjoy a little humor once in a while.

 

[Don Kemper]

We do have a new place across the street, the old Hitchin' Post, but nothing compares to the F4! Every year on May 22nd at 8:30 the 9 of us that took shelter in the cooler would pile in there again for a "celebration" shot. Hmmmm, wonder where we'll go this year...can't break tradition!

WOW! What a scary experience that must have been.

I know this is an old post but I just joined and thought I'd read up on others' introductions. From NE KY, I can't imagine what that must have been like. Life is so different in other parts of the country.

 

[Wes Carter]

Howdy from NE KY. I'm Don Kemper, an old worn out, broken down, dilapidated caver of yesteryear and have a wide range of interests. Several of my interests have strong ties with weather. Has anyone heard of "Clear Sky Charts?" It is the opposite of what would be of interest here since it is for astronomers. You could imagine the weather concerns for caving. Don't get me wrong, I like like storms and am greatly interested in weather of al types.

A few years ago a friend at a local radio museum gave me a cheap PoFung hand transceiver and told me I had no excuse for not getting a ham license. So I studied for four weeks (monthly exams) and passed the tech exam, a month later became a general class operator and spent the rest of the year getting certs of several kinds that are related to ham radio and ARES, among them SKYWARN and FEMA certs.

Since the Covid-19 epidemic, I've been pretty much hiding under a rock and have just recently thought I'd review SKYWARN information and ran across Spotter Network. Having already watched a few hours of weather tech/chaser videos on YouTube, I decided to join. Again I was faced with yet another course and test, Awareness. It was well done, just right with technical information and fascinating. I enjoyed it every bit, including the test, even though I couldn't see any of the videos including the two in the test. It closely resembled the SKYWARN material I studied a couple of years ago but with more detail and additional information.

Will I be a chaser? Spotter? Some yahoo sitting around in the back of the room? Well, I live on the Cumberland Plateau, in the Ohio River Valley where Ohio, West Virginia, and Kentucky comes together in the Charleston WV radar and forecast area. The topography is a lot of eroded valleys, making for a hill and valley landscape with meandering backroads with tight turns here and there and high horizons. It is not as conducive to storm chasing as it is in the midwest planes. For this group, I'd be a weather enthusiast and that's how I have it when I made the SN profile as well as a spotter from time to time when there is something suitable to report.

Other interests include, caves and related geology, triking, astronomy, electronics and repairing vintage electronic entertainment equipment, antique electronic equipment, photography, shopwork and a few other things. I used to be a caver, cave rescue instructor, and somewhat of a hiker. I still get out and walk trails occasionally, do a little geocaching, but the days of hard caving are over for me for various reasons.

As a weather enthusiast, I'll enjoy the thunderstorm course and will continue to learn to identify cloud types and weather. I look forward to that and to reporting once in a while. I hope to make a few friends here and if you are in my area, I'd like to meet you. OK, I'd probably like to meet you if you aren't in this area... I enjoy a little humor once in a while.

Welcome! I grew up in coal mining country near the Cumberland Gap and worked in mining for a few years so I’m very familiar with your neck of the woods. Now I live within sight of the other end of the Cumberland Plateau down near the Alabama state line.

This is a good place to learn and you can be in decent chase territory within a few hours of where you live. Indiana and Illinois both have some decent terrain for chasing.

 

[Mark Stephens]

Hi!

I've been following these forums for a few years now, but decided to actually set up an account and contribute for once. I'm Mark from Philadelphia PA and I'm an amateur storm chaser. I've spent time researching the basics of meteorology during my spare time from resources found on the internet, and spend time every year getting out in the field to chase storms!

While I do spend a good amount of time chasing locally in PA and elsewhere in the Mid Atlantic, I also venture out a couple times per year to the Southern/Central/Northern Plains.

Have been chasing for 4 years now and plan to do many more!

Thanks for being a wonderful community all!
Mark

 

[JamesCaruso]

Hi!

I've been following these forums for a few years now, but decided to actually set up an account and contribute for once. I'm Mark from Philadelphia PA and I'm an amateur storm chaser. I've spent time researching the basics of meteorology during my spare time from resources found on the internet, and spend time every year getting out in the field to chase storms!

While I do spend a good amount of time chasing locally in PA and elsewhere in the Mid Atlantic, I also venture out a couple times per year to the Southern/Central/Northern Plains.

Have been chasing for 4 years now and plan to do many more!

Thanks for being a wonderful community all!
Mark

Welcome Mark! Noticed you are from the Philadelphia area so wanted to say hello! Where in the Philly area do you live? I am in Newtown in Bucks County. I have been chasing for almost 25 years, but don’t know many chasers out our way, other than @Lou Ruh and @Jeff Lieberman (I also know someone in NJ that has been chasing even longer than me, but I don’t think he is on Stormtrack).

Interested in hearing about your local chasing activities, as I have never considered it worth doing around here with the traffic, hills, trees, traffic lights, etc. I have driven a few miles from time to time just to get a somewhat clearer view of an approaching storm already in progress, and I like going to the NJ shore if a hurricane is churning up the surf, but that’s about it. Also interesting that you are able to get out to the Plains more than once per year, I guess you do a couple of short trips instead of one longer chase vacation?

Would be great to connect, feel free to message me directly on Stormtrack. Also wondering if you are on the local Philadelphia weather forum, PhillyWx.com? Great group of people, including NWS Mt. Holly mets. The members are mostly into winter storms more so than severe weather (all of us snow lovers are pumped up about the pattern starting today through the next two weeks) but great variety of content throughout the whole year for weather geeks like us I am on there as JimCaruso (I go by Jim, even though my username here is James Caruso).

Again, welcome and hope we can meet one day.

Jim