*New Users. Meet and Greet Area*

[ScottCurry]

Hi everyone! I've always loved the outdoors and watching storms pass by. I'm always mesmerized by how high the winds can get during a storm and how awesome the lightning is. I saw my first tornado in Turkey, and then many more while living in Alabama. I lived in Florida for many years and experienced more than my fair share of hurricanes. I moved to New York a few years ago and found out about SKYWARN. So I took the class and got certified. The weather in New York generally isn't very severe and during major events such as hurricanes, a weather spotter isn't very helpful. So I got certified with CERT and found myself being used much more during major weather events.

Last week I moved to Colorado Springs, CO. Now that I'm much closer to the storm chasing action, I'm itching to get out on the road and chase. It's a little late for this season, but I'm here to learn as much as possible and hopefully hit next season prepared to chase safely and successfully. I just bought a 3D video camera and while I've been recording some awesome Colorado weather with it recently, my goal is to one day record an awesome tornado in 3D.

 

[Dave C]

Last week I moved to Colorado Springs, CO. Now that I'm much closer to the storm chasing action, I'm itching to get out on the road and chase. It's a little late for this season, but I'm here to learn as much as possible and hopefully hit next season prepared to chase safely and successfully. I just bought a 3D video camera and while I've been recording some awesome Colorado weather with it recently, my goal is to one day record an awesome tornado in 3D.

Welcome Scott! Colorado is a great place to launch from for many events. Cool idea with the 3D camera, can't wait to see your footage.

 

[plockyer]

* NEW USERS. MEET AND GREET AREA *

Hello all my name is Paul Lockyer I am new and am from Tulsa, Oklahoma. I have been interested in severe weather for many years. I have just recently got in contact with a chaser from NE Oklahoma and we are now chasing just in the NE Oklahoma area. I am hoping to learn from all who are willing to teach a new chaser. I have both , my basic and advanced skywarn certifications. Just wanted to stop in and introduce myself.

 

[BullDog]

I kind of hate the meet and greet posts I usually make. They always seem to feel like I am typing a personal add looking for a hook up LOL

I have been chasing severe weather for the past 3 years or so. As a kid I remember being scared of storms, hiding under my bed at night to sleep. Now I spend all my free time watching radar to see if I might get a chance to chase it. My wife has been my partner in this from the beginning. It started while we were living in McPherson,KS I, like a lot of new chasers, got the idea from the Discovery Chanel series. I do the best I can with educating myself online with understanding weather patterns and to know what to look for while chasing. I have no "formal" education in meteorology and know I have A LOT to yet learn. I look forward to getting active here and learning more. I also look forward to sharing what we experience and observing your experiences.

 

[Adam R Davis]

Hello all. I'm 32 years old, originally from Bloomington Indiana. My story is similar to many here. When I was very young (maybe 6 or 7) I saw a picture of the Hardtner KS tornado from 1929 and had to know more. I'm sure my grade school teachers would recall my constant preoccupation on the subject of severe weather. Then on June 02 1990 I was in the midst of the largest tornado outbreak in Indiana's history. Instead of becoming horrified of tornadoes like many did, I just ended up even more entranced than before.
From that point, I ate up any material on the subject I could get my hands on. I found the Nova documentary from 1988 featuring TOTO, and then later discovered Tornado Video Classics, which also went in depth on storm chasers. I knew I had to do this, one way or another. I was 14 when Twister hit theaters and I already knew the portrayal of storm chasing and the science was grossly innacurate.
I spent many years just learning about storm structure and behavior through local spotting. Though Indiana doesn't see the monster storms that the classic areas of tornado alley sees, there was enough to keep me learning. Eventually I started reading up on the forecasting side of things. I would use The Weather Channel to try to figure out target areas, and would see if I could watch radar and predict which storms would get tornado warnings.
I didn't start chasing until a few years ago. Numerous reasons (financial, lack of a partner I was confident with) held me back. But like many of you here, I don't think I'd be able to quit now. I missed out on this season due to having to move during the last two weeks of May. But I'll be back out there next year.

 

[mdstormchaser]

New User Meet and Greet

Been some time since a post on here! Well, my name is Mike. I'm 31 years old and live in Maryland, north of Baltimore. I've always loved severe weather. I grew up outside Detroit, Michigan, so we had some good Midwest summertime storms there. Loved watching them from the window when I was a kid. When I became a teen, I would enjoy a drive watching the storm do its thing. I saw 4 tornadoes as a kid and loved every one of them.

After the military and moving to Maryland, I wanted to photograph everything and anything. Learning how to photograph storms was one of the first things I tried to learn. It took time and money, but I finally started "chasing" storms about 5 years ago. After seeing constant wind damage and "core-punching" because I didn't know better, I took time to learn all I could about weather. I've taken college courses in meteorology, taken the SKYWARN spotter class, researched online, learned a lot of information from MetEd on storms and radar, and bought books.

Storms are somewhat different out in the east coast, but I've learned how to shoot the best locations for storm structure and lightning, learned how to do this hobby safe, and feel I have enough talent to take my chasing to the next level. In May of 2014, I'm chasing in the Plains. I've saved almost all the money I need for the trip, have all the equipment I will need, and I'm as ready as I will be. I'm also a volunteer firefighter with EMS training, so I do have something to offer to the victims of storms (which of course I hope doesn't happen, but it does.) I am more of a structure photographer and lightning, but I would love to see a photogenic tornado a few miles away in open country. Late May sounds like the time to go, so that's when I'm going.

You can look at my work from the past on my Facebook page named Maryland Severe Weather Photography & Storm Chasing, YouTube at mdstormchaser, and online at www.mdstormchaser.com. Below is a photo I took in July of 2013.

 

[Shane Adams]

Welcome to the Asylum Mike

 

[John Olexa]

Hey Mike, (and everybody who has joined) Welcome! I'm at the other end of the state in Southern MD. LaPlata ( Charles County)

 

[sooner_bandit]

Hello!

I'm a spotter in Norman. Obviously a lot of people around here but since a lot of them travel, there's still a need around here sometimes.

I've been interested in weather all my life, still am of course. I majored briefly in meteorology at OU until ROTC put an end to that, (do NOT do meteo with the Army program, if you want good grades or enough time for ROTC).

 

[Troy Boerner]

hello my name is troy and yeah so i am new here and wanting to start getting my new ride hooked up for this up coming storm season. last year i chased in a 2002 saturn sl1 ... good on gas but very small and light, it didnt like high winds ... this year i have a 1998 isuzu rodeo v6 4wd 5 speed ... so way way less mpg but way more room, power, and capability being 4wd.

so i have had a passion for storm chasing ever since i could drive. now i have a much better rig this year i am going to be serious about it and have more fun.

 

[Marcus Diaz]

Troy, those last 3 words in your post is all you have to remember. Stick to that, and you'll naturally become a better storm chaser.

 

[Troy Boerner]

Troy, those last 3 words in your post is all you have to remember. Stick to that, and you'll naturally become a better storm chaser.

oh its tons of fun ... its an adrenaline rush every time

 

[John Olexa]

Welcome Troy, and everybody

 

[Doug Harlow]

Hello everyone. My name is Doug Harlow. I am 42, live in southern Indiana. This might sound crazy, but my first TV memory is the 1974 Super Outbreak, which hit my area and the area of my family hard. I remember my grandmother taking me for drives a few years later and pointing out areas that were hit. I guess that is where I first got my interest in severe weather, along with later seeing a tornado skip her home and touch down on the other side of there. That sort of thing seems to stick with you!

Anyway, I have no official training in meteorology. What I do have is a great college education that allowed me enough science classes to feed my self-taught interest in meteorology. Oddly, while growing up in the Ohio Valley I really first got into the weather bug with winter severe weather while living in the mountains of West Virginia for a time. The Allegheny Highlands are so unique in catching snow from the west, from leftover lake effect, and from East Coast storms that there was a lot to absorb and be fascinated by. I had to learn to understand three different forecasting areas basically! This is nothing against the fine TV meteorologists for my area but they were low down in elevation and often missed the mark for us folks up in elevation so I was on my own, learned a lot in those days.

Now I am back in Southern Indiana and my "regular" severe weather bug has been on high tilt for a few years. I have done some chasing locally. I missed out on the "Henryville" EF4 due to being at work so don't ask me about it, although I was within sight of that terrifying monster (what a crazy day). I am not into chasing for glory or videos or pictures, but I don't have any issue at all with those that do and enjoy the gifts of their visuals they give us. I stay out of the danger area as I don't need the best shot of anything, I simply like to see the science come together. That is my fascination. I apologize if that sounds like a condemnation of those pushing the limits, it is not, I simply have my own limits and I know the arguments going on since that horrible day last May 31st.

I am here to learn from folks that know a hell of a lot more than I do. I might get closer if you know your stuff better than me and if anyone needs a local that knows the roads around here when the conditions are ripe just let me know.

 

[John Olexa]

Welcome Doug. Glad to have you join us!