Relocating for storm chasing

[Brett Roberts]

James's last post reminded me of a marginally useful tidbit I can share. I finally started a spreadsheet recently to track every tornado I've photographed, including location, time, etc. Here are the lat-lon stats for my 122 photographed tornadoes over a period of 19 years, chasing based out of the OKC area over that whole period:

	Latitude	Longitude
Median	36.41	-99.36
Average	36.91	-99.07
Minimum	30.46	-105.07
Maximum	45.45	-89.94

The median lat-lon coordinate is inside Woodward city limits, while the average coordinate is near the OK/KS state line between Freedom and Medicine Lodge.

Basically, the unsurprising takeaway is that living on the sparsely populated southern High Plains in the general vicinity of Woodward/Dodge City would probably maximize chase opportunities within an X-hour drive. My home location is obviously a significant source of bias, likely dragging my selection of chase setups farther south (and possibly slightly east?) than they'd be if I were nomadic. So I might hedge a few counties N and assume somewhere like Garden City to Hays is the true epicenter of chase opportunities -- at least for my chasing style.

 

[William Monfredo]

I always thought Amarillo would be a good place in the spring, especially for the west-of-35 activity in much of TX and OK.
And if a person wanted to avoid the shallow, cold Arctic air during the winter, they could head further west into NM and AZ.

 

[JamesCaruso]

My arc as a weather geek makes me think there's a fundamental distinction between two types of weather enthusiasm: one involves a kind of voyeuristic excitement over the hype, adrenaline, human impacts, and sheer public attention something like an I-95 nor'easter (or even a landfalling hurricane, if I'm allowed to go there) gets; but a totally different breed is what we indulge in standing in front of a sculpted supercell 50 miles NW of Garden City that no one else in the world cares about.

Interesting insight, particularly the distinction that “no one else in the world cares about” the isolated supercell (or most of the time even the tornado) that we pursue. But there are definitely overlaps between the “two types of weather enthusiasm” you defined (for example, there is an adrenaline aspect to chasing too; many of us are also interested in the human impacts when they occur, which is fortunately relatively rare, but which I consider to also include things like the social science of how the public responds to forecasts, watches and warnings). Not that you suggested otherwise, but I don’t think the “two types of weather enthusiasm” are mutually exclusive; I’m sure many of us fall into both camps.

I think I'd hilariously do the exact opposite of the thread title if I hit the jackpot. I'd love to be somewhere warm/mild and sunny in CA or AZ for most of the year, but spend April-June out here during active periods. If it was a huge jackpot maybe I'd spend summer someplace like CO, MT, or WA, but that would really be gravy.

Glad to see someone else besides me admit that, despite their love of chasing, they wouldn’t choose their full time residence based on it. My goal is similar - to spend more of April-June on the Plains when warranted, but to factor chasing in not at all when it comes to deciding where my primary residence is.

 

[Sean Ramsey]

TBH the "Never Stop Chasing" crowd is redefining what it means to chase by adopting a quasi-transient lifestyle and it really doesn't matter where you live, you get out and chase everything, everywhere. Home is merely where you rest your head on the off days in our current times.

 

[William Monfredo]

...someone else besides me admit that, despite their love of chasing, they wouldn’t choose their full time residence based on it...

I agree w/ you... that there needs to be more to do where you live during the year than just chase during several limited months.
If I remember one of your posts correctly about the unusual nature of chase philosophy, the big question for me remains how do you get something that other people don't, something fresh, new, exciting with your video, picture, or even experiences.
I think drones provide one such avenue regardless of city and state. A drone would be great in any new location after moving!

 

[Ben Holcomb]

I had been thinking about relocating since I am in Kansas City and I almost always head west to chase.

I think that is usually advantageous. You are less likely to miss something this way as you'd be 'chasing towards home' during most storms. I imagine there is always a decision to be made by those folks that live in Denver... "I can stick with this garbage for another hour or i can get home 2 hours earlier". Don't under estimate the strategy of living east of main chase territory.

If money were no object, I would absolutely have 2-3 residences. I surely wouldn't live in Oklahoma for July/August and would live some place cooler, probably with mountains. We can all wish.

 

[William Monfredo]

If money were no object, I would absolutely have 2-3 residences.

Well said. I believe that's what they call a "seasonal migrant," like snowbirds, only better!

 

[James Wilson]

I think that is usually advantageous. You are less likely to miss something this way as you'd be 'chasing towards home' during most storms. I imagine there is always a decision to be made by those folks that live in Denver... "I can stick with this garbage for another hour or i can get home 2 hours earlier". Don't under estimate the strategy of living east of main chase territory.

If money were no object, I would absolutely have 2-3 residences. I surely wouldn't live in Oklahoma for July/August and would live some place cooler, probably with mountains. We can all wish.

Good point of the chase back though it has not happened this year as much as I would like. I have a second place in NM but it is in the mountains near Ruidoso so not that far from eastern NM or western TX days but I am hardly ever there. I would like a place in Northern NE or southern SD for fall chases too before it gets too cold.