• After witnessing the continued decrease of involvement in the SpotterNetwork staff in serving SN members with troubleshooting issues recently, I have unilaterally decided to terminate the relationship between SpotterNetwork's support and Stormtrack. I have witnessed multiple users unable to receive support weeks after initiating help threads on the forum. I find this lack of response from SpotterNetwork officials disappointing and a failure to hold up their end of the agreement that was made years ago, before I took over management of this site. In my opinion, having Stormtrack users sit and wait for so long to receive help on SpotterNetwork issues on the Stormtrack forums reflects poorly not only on SpotterNetwork, but on Stormtrack and (by association) me as well. Since the issue has not been satisfactorily addressed, I no longer wish for the Stormtrack forum to be associated with SpotterNetwork.

    I apologize to those who continue to have issues with the service and continue to see their issues left unaddressed. Please understand that the connection between ST and SN was put in place long before I had any say over it. But now that I am the "captain of this ship," it is within my right (nay, duty) to make adjustments as I see necessary. Ending this relationship is such an adjustment.

    For those who continue to need help, I recommend navigating a web browswer to SpotterNetwork's About page, and seeking the individuals listed on that page for all further inquiries about SpotterNetwork.

    From this moment forward, the SpotterNetwork sub-forum has been hidden/deleted and there will be no assurance that any SpotterNetwork issues brought up in any of Stormtrack's other sub-forums will be addressed. Do not rely on Stormtrack for help with SpotterNetwork issues.

    Sincerely, Jeff D.

Your best local chase?

Joined
Mar 28, 2016
Messages
42
Location
Hyannis, MA
They say sometimes the best things happen in your own backyard. One of my favorite local chases (albeit terrifying) was Easter, 2010. Went up to Macoupin County, IL and saw some great lightning, hail, and storm structure lit up by the lightning. Was in a tornado warned area and was in the core getting pelted with hail and torrential rains (IIRC the long track supercell was an HP.) Weather radio was blaring the tornado warning, and I could have been in the path (later I found out there wasn't a TOR on the ground in the part of the county I was in.)

The reason it's my favorite is because I learned a lot from this chase.
Lessons Learned:

a.) know your road network.
b.) don't end up a statistic by doing something stupid like I did. I was in the 'cage'
c.) have a chase partner with you in your vehicle, I didn't. He rode in his own truck and got the hell out before I did. He yelled at me over the CB, telling me to get out of there.
d.) if you don't have to, don't chase at night. There's not a lot to see.

That was my favorite. The runner up was later in the month: April 24, 2010. Tornado wreaked havoc at the mall in western Saint Louis County.
 
1996. West of Davenport, IA. I intercepted a supercell after racing 50 miles from Iowa City. I looked up, saw cloud fragments curling around the rim of an open area, with other fragments swinging around to follow the leaders. I suddenly decided I had urgent business anyplace other than where I was standing. The radio broadcast a Tornado Warning for a funnel located over Walcott, IA, meaning, over me. I pictured it lowering onto the top of my car.

For a four-cylinder car, that Cavalier had surprisingly good acceleration.

I got past the clouds. The sun was out. There it was, in my rear view mirror. A thin grey tornado against a bluish-grey sky. I skidded to a stop on the shoulder of I-80 (with plenty of company). In my excitement, I forgot how to turn on my video camera. The same video camera I, as a corporate videomaker and documentary filmmaker, I had switched on thousands of times. Thousands, mind you. Where's the "on" button? I had no bleeping idea.

Well, eventually after a few seconds, I figured it out in time to get a precious bit of footage before the star of the sroped out. Flush with victory, I went home for a change of underwear.
 
Back
Top