Solar Eclipse: April 8, 2024
Having witnessed a solar eclipse in Nebraska in 2017 and knowing this would be the last eclipse in the U.S. for about 20 years, I planned to head east for the one of a...
Category: News/Blog
Active start to 2023 chase season
This year’s storm season has been off to a hot start. While I haven’t made it out for every event, it’s still been one of my busiest early seasons so far. It’s kind of...
A Tornado and a Ghost Town
One day, one ghost town and one tornado. It felt like a bit of panhandle magic, all over again.
Arena, ND Photo Gallery
A photo gallery of Arena, North Dakota. Photos include St. John’s church, other abandoned buildings, an approaching storm and more.
What happened? May 23, 2020
Several computer models showed intense thunderstorms in the forecast and a Tornado Watch was issued, but robust storms never formed. What happened?
Hext, Oklahoma: Ghost Town
Hext is a small ghost town in western Oklahoma, along the old Route 66 corridor. What’s left of this community in 2020?
Ravanna, Kansas: Ghost Town
This is the story of Ravanna, Kansas, a once bustling city in the 1880s. After a controversial vote for a county seat, everything seemed to change as Ravanna faded away into the Kansas countryside.
Five Years of Chasing, a Retrospective
I just finished my fifth year of storm chasing in 2018. Sometimes it’s hard to believe it’s been that long, while at other times it feels like it’s been much longer. Although I did...
International Border
Storm chasing prospects today are north, near or possibly north of the international border with Canada, as a climatologically significant setup targets the area. As upper level energy pivots east from southwestern Canada, a...
Drifting Back to Oklahoma
Today’s severe weather setup drifts back toward Oklahoma. The surface setup features an area of low pressure over the Oklahoma/Texas panhandles, which will be moving slowly eastward through the day. South of the low...
Uncertain Prospects
Usually by early afternoon on a storm chase, I have a fairly good idea about where I’m going. It’s not always a slam dunk, but usually there’s a target in mind and reasonable confidence...
Modifying Outflow
An outflow boundary is draped from near the Red River in southern Oklahoma, northwestward into the eastern portion of the Texas panhandle this morning. Ongoing convection in central to eastern Oklahoma will tend to...
Similar Setup
The setup is similar to yesterday, with the only noteworthy differences being a slight eastward shift of a surface low and somewhat stronger mid and upper level forcing. The surface low should be positioned...
Wandering the High Plains
Today’s storm prospects are focusing in on eastern Colorado into southwestern Kansas, as an area of low pressure spins over the Front Range. Climatology says that northeastern Colorado is the tornado hotspot of this...
Panhandle of the North
As May carries on, poleward moisture transport is beginning to support storm chases farther north. Although it’s not completely unheard-of, it is still a bit early (climatologically speaking) to be chasing in the Nebraska...
Oklahoma Opportunities
The day’s severe threat is focused on western Oklahoma and the ingredients are coming into place for what could be a very active late afternoon. A dryline across the eastern portion of the Texas...