Hey everyone! I'm Michael and have been interested in severe/ tropical weather for the better part of 20 years. I'm originally from Alabama, born in Mobile and raised in Montgomery, and so have experienced several tropical cyclones (most notably Cindy- 2005, Ivan- 2004, Danny- 1997 , and Opal- 1995 were still high end tropical storms to low end hurricanes when I experienced them) and severe weather events. For me, my interest actually started out as a pretty serious phobia when I was in 2nd grade. I was near Birmingham, AL, staying away from my parents for the first time, when the Oak Grove F5 hit back in 1998. Now the tornado didn't hit where I was, but seeing the panic of the people around me, the destruction on TV, and being an 8 year old who had never been away from home before, it was traumatizing. A few years later a small F1 came close to my school in Montgomery, did a bunch of tree damage and even blew the doors to the school wide open, which only reinforced my fear. But about a year after that, I saw a waterspout while at the beach, and it was absolutely beautiful. After that, my fear began to turn to interest which eventually led me to attend the University of South Alabama to major in meteorology back in 2008. Unfortunately, being a young and somewhat dumb 18 year old, I goofed off, lost my scholarship, moved home and so on. Currently I've been in the Air Force for about 2.5 years and am stationed in San Angelo, TX. I have stayed a trained storm spotter and gone on several small chases in the years since college. Now, being more mature and financially stable, I'm starting to get more serious about my weather obsession again. I'm going to try to find time for more chases and I want to eventually finish my degree. I'm looking forward to learning from all of you!
