Your first time chasing

[L Kimbrel]

My first chase was spur of the moment, by myself, in '98. Backed out of the garage and there was an F-2 due west on the horizon, maybe 20 miles, heading northeast. Ran back in, grabbed my camera, jumped back in the car -- no film. Made a frantic but fruitless dig for a roll I KNEW was in my purse. By then the tornado had vanished into a rain curtain. I headed north and made it about 3 miles before I hit blinding rain, and suddenly realized with horror that I was driving the first new car I had ever owned straight into a probable hailstorm. Back to the house to get the old beater 4WD, but it was gone - my son had it off somewhere. My husband was gone with the other truck, too. I made one more stab north, but ended up sitting down at the corner on the county line with a county sheriff who was as far north as he could go, too. I just didn't have the guts to get any farther away from my garage with that shiny new ride.

The tornado left a continuous track for 20+ miles, tore up a hog-farrowing operation, farmhouses and machine sheds, wrapped sheet metal around a combine tight as tin foil, and killed a semi driver at a rest area. The sheriff and I never saw a thing. All the action was hidden behind a heavy rain curtain a few miles to the north. That first chase was a total bust -- no pictures, nothing. I got extra credit the next day, when I reached in my bag for something, and the first thing I pull out? TWO rolls of film. Pathetic.

 

[Tony Laubach]

First chase, May 14, 1997... I had my learner's permit and my Dad took me out after my Mom informed us of a tornado about 30 miles away from where we lived in Circleville, Ohio...

The result, my very first tornado! Got to share it with my Dad which made it all the more special. Needless to say, I never had to convince my folks why I loved it.

My vote, definitely inexperienced.. LOL

 

[Andrew Butler]

My first chase (meaning, getting in the car, going after a storm) was 5/25/08 in the northern Twin Cities metro, the day of the Hugo EF3.

Imagine your first time, trying to recognize structure (it was very hazy), having a monster HP barreling along at 50 mph, through a busy metro. All with no data in the car as well...

I'd rather not talk about the results. Let's just say I learned firsthand that day about rfd-driven hail.

 

[Matt Sellers]

5.30.1996... Beulah to Pueblo to Manzanola, CO - saw convection in the distance - then blasted north to near Elba to catch an F3 as it developed around 12 miles to my north-northwest.

I chased alone with a Kodak disposable camera (left over from a recent vacation) and a home weather radio with a bent antenna that barely worked within range of the Pueblo NWR transmitter, let alone the scarcity of NWR reception in rural northeast CO at the time.

 

[Perry Williams]

Hurricane Frederic in September 1979....I was only seventeen, very inexperienced, alone, and am lucky I didn't get myself killed. It wasn't as much of a storm chase as a teenager who wanted to experience his first hurricane; got more than I bargained for.

My first "real" severe storm chase was in April 1982 (1980 and 1981 were dry/ provided few opportunities to storm spot or chase in the southeast U.S); observed tennis ball sized hail in northern Carroll county, Georgia. By this time, I'd taken spotter training and learned much more about forecasting, storms, and storm structure; also my uncle was in the car as my chase/ spotting partner (and he was an experienced Skywarn spotter).

 

[markstauss]

First "official" chase where I was the chaser and not the chased was out west of Manhattan, KS. We took a rented (with the extra insurance) mini-van full of people. At least two of us did know something about the weather, safe driving and map reading. Every one was bored for about 4 hours until we finally found a storm. At least 4 in the group had never been that up close and personal with a huge storm before and they kind of freaked out when we saw a pretty sizable microburst about a mile and a half down the road from us. We got some decent pics (which have since been lost) and headed back to KC. Two of the people in the group still chase with me, one wouldn't dream of going again and I don't even remember who the other 3 that went were.

 

[Dennis Oswald]

My very first chase was a local multicell storm around my area. Nothing spectacular but intense lightning came with the storm. It was the 04.06.2002. I shot my first lightning picture at this evening.

 

[Kristi Branstetter]

I chase from my house. I have always been fascinated with storms. We get some really wild weather here in KC as many of you know. Probably the most wicked storm I've seen was the storm that blew thru here in June 2001. The NWS classified the storm as a microburst... The damage was to the tops of trees and some roofs. The microburst passes just to the west of my house. I saw stuff actually swirling in the street. I can remember yelling at my nieces to get in the basement as I stood at the window and watched the storm. Yes, I will stand on the front porch and covered deck to watch and take photos of storms.

Kristi

 

[Jason Boggs]

I chase from my house.

Isn't that an oxymoron?

 

[Kristi Branstetter]

I know but I don't drive so must do it from my house. Some friends and I plan on doing a couple of chases this spring. I could have gone last year but had some family health issues come up so I couldn't go. This year it looks like I may actually get to go on a chase.

Kristi

 

[Karla Dorman]

OH I'm so glad I'm not the only PorchChaser. Can drive, just can't afford a car, so ya gotta do what ya gotta do. =] Nice meeting you, Kristi!

 

[Kristi Branstetter]

Karla,
I have been doing the chase from the front porch for years. Nice to meet you too!

Kristi

 

[Daniel van Os]

In the US: last year with Cloud 9
In The Netherlands: by myself in 2002

Daniel

 

[Lanny Dean]

April 26, 1991 Red Rock, OK tornadic beast!
I was fresh and really had no idea what I was doing or even really looking at. (It was a wonder I didnt get myself killed!) Basically waited around the house until I saw the "red Box" go up over local tv and then headed out west towrads Stillwater....sat around on HWY 15 and the saw the monster sup. and the rest is history!

 

[Joshua Nall]

I don't remember dates but my first chase, with hopes of viewing a tornado, was on foot. I was in my teens, my parents lived in amongst some trees but my grandparents lived just down the road on the edge of a field. A tornado warning came up on TV and showed a storm going over town a few miles to the north. I ran through the trees to my grandparents to get a view of it across the field. I couldn't believe it, but by the twilight and the glow of the city lights I saw a large funnel to my north, looked like directly over town. I was SOOO excited that I didn't even stay to watch... I ran in to phone my parents and tell them to come take a look. They didn't believe me, enough to get out of the house anyway, and by the time I went back out, it was gone. The feeling I had then is the reason I chase now. On the way home I doubted what I had seen, but When I got back in side there were numerous reports of a funnel cloud being sighted over town.
My first attempt at a chase in a vehicle was several years later. A lone supercell developed nearly directly overhead It was daylight this time, I was out riding my bike and it started to hail at my grandparents house with no rain. I looked up and saw the mesocyclone structure, of which I had been reading up on. We don't often see much structure around here. I rode home, jumped in my truck and took off. It took me a while to get to a highway and it was racing to the E so I gave up on it. Stopped for a while to look at the huge mushroom shaped supercell, with no other cloud cover around. It was unbelievable.
Last year was my first chase with laptop and radar, no tornado, but had a blast. Hopefully this year I'll see my first genuine tornado.