Record Rainfall and Asperatus Clouds

Vancouver is no stranger to rain.. but this week we saw some records get broken.

I filmed and then tweeted a bit of flooding near my work and a clip of it was used on CBC News! I didn't actually see it live on TV, but a friend of mine did and she reached out to me.

The next day, I saw some gorgeous asperatus (gravity wave) clouds. I noticed it as I was driving to work. I took some photos as soon as I parked.

ChaserCon Canada

This past weekend, I went to ChaserCon Canada for a second year in a row. I brought with me, my good friend Erin, who I met back in 2014, on Cloud 9. It was held in Winnipeg this year.

One of my favourite photographers, Mike Olbinski, was the keynote speaker.

The first night was a meet and greet while sharing videos and photos. I got to share my mammatus time-lapse, as well as my birthday tornado video.

After all the talks finished, we took a tour of Prairie and Arctic Storm Prediction Centre!

I really wanted to keep the hand drawn sounding data that Kyle, one of the young meteorologists had, but he still needed them.

Luckily for me, we ran into the guys at the pub that night and he gave them to me!

Erin and I wore our matching necklaces from when golf ball sized hail shattered the side window while on our very first chase together (my first chase ever), on May 7th, 2014 in TX. We both kept a few pieces of the shattered glass.

The 30 Year Anniversary of Hurricane Gilbert

As Hurricane Florence makes landfall... it makes me think back to Hurricane Gilbert which, 30 years ago today, made landfall in Jamaica.

Gilbert reached a Category 5, but was only a Category 3 when it hit Jamaica. It was the strongest Atlantic hurricane on record until being surpassed by Wilma, in 2005. 

My mom was caught in this hurricane during a "fam" trip in Jamaica when she used to be a travel agent. I remember when she came back; she told me about how they were in a concrete hotel and they were drinking all the rum in a closet hoping they live through the night. She said it sounded like a train was rushing past and the whole building was shaking. They had no running water or electricity for a couple days and the roof was ripped right off. 

When she came home and shared stories and photos with me, at age 7, I remember thinking, "I need to experience a hurricane at least once in my life."

(Click on photos to enlarge)

Back in the 1980's, it was thought that taping an X on your windows before a hurricane would prevent them from breaking. The truth is, it's actually more dangerous because the window will still break.. and then you are left with larger shards of glass, due to them being taped together.

     

Apartments with their roofs missing.

Radio Interview on The Shift with Drex

The day that my Vancouver Sun article came out, someone from Global News reached out to me and wanted to interview me on the late night radio show called  The Shift with Drex.

I was actually interviewed by Alex Carr, who was filling in for Drex at the time.

Take a listen below.

Vancouver Sun Article

So after my article in the North Shore News, someone from The Province/ Vancouver Sun reached out to me for an interview.

Check it out below!

https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/north-vancouver-woman-feels-alive-chasing-storms-across-north-america

North Shore News Article

I had an interview and photoshoot with the North Shore News recently. Here is a pic of the hard copy version.

Here is the link to the online article. Enjoy!

https://www.nsnews.com/news/eye-in-the-storm-north-van-woman-chases-tornadoes-1.23410829

June 1st, 2018 - Mammatus Time-lapse

You would never associate such a peaceful scene with imminent danger, but while I was filming this, our hair started to stand up from all the static in the air. When watching back at normal speed, with the audio, you can hear Ray in the background mumbling about electricity in the air and then he gets my attention and says, "Hey, your hair is standing up!". Since I was the one with the longest hair, it was a lot more obvious.

May 28th, 2018 Tornado Video - Finally Done!

I finally edited and uploaded my birthday tornado video. Enjoy!

Lightning and Wildfire Smoke at Nicola Lake

Spent a night up at Nicola Lake, BC. The intention was to watch the Perseid meteor shower, but Mother Nature had other plans. On the Saturday we saw a thunderstorm roll in, late in the afternoon. I was filming and managed to get a couple screen grabs of lightning. It ended up raining through most of the night, so no meteors again this year.

This would have been a sweet cloud-to-ground shot if it weren't for the rolling shutter.

The next morning we went for breakfast in Kamloops and the wildfire smoke was extremely thick. The air quality index was at a 10+.

Niagara Falls

On July 8th, my father in Ontario passed away. As I was processing that, I took a little trip to Niagara Falls and met up with a storm chaser friend from the US.

We did a "behind the falls" tour. It was amazing how the falls creates its own weather. The weather was calm for the most part, but up close to the falls you were hit with huge, warm and wet wind gusts. It feels like what I imagine hurricane chasing to feel like, at least in the very early stages.

These were all shot with my cell phone, since my DSLR would have been toast after all that water.

We stopped at the Inniskillin winery and saw some interesting cloud structures.

Tornado Alley - Saying Goodbye to My Second Home

Norman, OK

In about 4 hours, I'm heading to the airport. I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, I do look forward to seeing friends and family, sleeping in my own bed, and resuming my exercise routine.. But on the other hand, I'm sad that the chase is over. We had dinner tonight at a Cajun restaurant in Edmond, OK called Brent's Cajun. And then said our goodbyes in the parking lot of the Days Inn in Norman.

This hotel always brings back a flood of memories. Thad startling me in the lobby with the flash of his camera before I even knew who he was, that very first day of Tour 1 in 2014. George launching his new drone in the parking lot that same night. Climbing the fence drunk on my way back from Wal-Mart a few days later. Deciding to jump on Tour 2 during breakfast at "the trough" the day I was supposed to fly home. That time we found a snake while having drinks outside someone's room. Meeting Mark and Jaclyn for the first time, when they pulled up in their Weather Network vehicle. Being wheeled to the breakfast room in an office chair after my ankle broke in 2015. From the morning briefings in the lobby to the switchover parties in the rooms, this hotel will always hold a special place in my mind and feel like a second home.

Watched the sunrise at Oklahoma City airport while waiting for my flight. 

Tornado Alley - Last chase day in South Dakota

Sidney, NE

Today was our last chase day. Wasn't much rotation but we saw some great structure. We chased in South Dakota, almost up near Mount Rushmore. Then we made our way down to Nebraska and saw Carhenge (pics of that later). We then had some really good Chinese food in Alliance. We're in Sidney tonight.. In what is quite possibly the nicest Motel 6 I've ever been in. I'm pleasantly surprised. We have an early start tomorrow.. And then a long travel day back to Norman.

Tornado Alley - Northern Plains Bust

Rapid City, SD

Today was a bit of a bust again. We chased from Montana down into Wyoming and then ended up back in Rapid City, SD. We saw a bit of nice structure, but nothing too organized.

Tornado Alley - Sleepy Travel Day

Miles City, MT

Today was a travel day. We stopped at Salem Sue, which is a giant cow sculpture on top of a hill in North Dakota, just outside Bismarck. Here is a group shot of Tour 3. (That's me in the purple skirt)

Last night I was too wired and didn't get to bed until 3.. But then couldn't fall asleep because I could hear people in the adjacent room so clearly. They weren't even being that loud but the walls are so thin that I could hear someone crack open a can of beer or pop. There was a woman and I think maybe two men and they kept coming in and out. I kept hearing what sounded like packing tape being pulled and a bottle of pills being rattled around. I kept trying to imagine what they could be doing. Are they selling drugs? Hiding a body? Filming a porno? What could it be?? Eventually the sound of birds chirping at 5:20am drowned out any other noise and I was able to fall asleep as light started pouring in below the curtain.


Anyway.. After a big Mexican dinner and some sangria, I think I'm going to hit the sack early tonight.

Tomorrow is a chase day.. Time to rest up.

Tornado Alley - Late Initiation in North Dakota

Bismark, ND

And now we're in North Dakota. State number 10 on this trip! Today wasn't totally a bust, since we got some lightning at night, but there wasn't really much to chase since the storms took SO long to initiate.. And when they finally did, they were all too far south.

Earlier today we went to the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. We saw prairie dogs and even a bison on the side of the road. Then we hung out for about an hour at a park in the little town of Wing, right near their tornado siren.. Wishful thinking, I guess. They also had a bizzare bathroom with 2 toilets separated by a shower curtain. No toilet paper, but they did have soap and a tap with brown water coming out of it.

My best lightning shot of the night. Was able to catch a bit of the illuminated mammatus.