Tornado Alley - McDonald's Chaser Convergence

Wharton, TX

Today's initiation will be quite late. We travel further south, down to Navasota, TX, where we have a brief nap in the parking lot of a Dairy Queen.

 The Jeep is actually quite roomy. 

Some cells eventually pop up, so we go south-west, towards Brenham. As the evening wears on though, they quickly congeal into a mess. We soon realize that we aren't alone. Daniel Shaw pops up on the ham radio. George tells him that I am chasing with them, so Daniel tracks my Spotter Network dot, since I am the only one who has one. We eventually all meet up and have dinner at Mcdonald's in Hungerford. 

I had met Daniel in passing, but I had never spent a lot of time with him. He works super hard and does everything all on his own. I admire his energy and dedication. To say he talks a lot is an understatement. A conversation with Daniel is an experience. It's not really something you participate in - it's something that happens to you. It's like trying to take a sip of water out of firehose blasting in your face. Now I know how George felt that first night when I arrived and couldn't stop talking... 

At one point, the lights flicker. Something knocks out the power, perhaps lightning, and the backup generators kick in. Even though we are no longer chasing, there are severe storms all around us. 

Had to get a pic with Dan.

Group shot.

Today ended in Wharton, TX. 

Total Distance Traveled: 423km.

Tornado Alley - Travel Day South

Fairfield, TX

Today we drive south to get into position for tomorrow. Just a long travel day.


From the left - Donald Dolan, Tom Dolan, and George Kourounis.

I really like this Jeep. 

This was the first proper meal I've eaten in 36 hours. Pulled pork mac and cheese at Dickey's Barbecue in Buffalo, TX. It really hit the spot! We crashed in Fairfield, TX.

Total Distance Traveled: 679km

Tornado Alley - The Day of Many Firsts

Shamrock, TX

My flight leaving Vancouver is delayed a bit because someone on the plane needed to be kicked off. The woman was being verbally abusive to the flight attendants. We find out after that she was in the process of being deported and that she had been in the terminal for 2 days already. This surreal journey has an interesting start to it already.

I almost miss my connection in Dallas because, for some weird reason, I had to clear customs in Dallas instead of in Canada. My flight to Oklahoma City leaves at 6:55am - I make it to the gate at 6:42am. I am the last person on the plane. I feel incredibly lucky to have made it on.

When I go to pick up my car, I am informed that they have run out of "intermediate SUVs" so I was upgraded, for free, to a Jeep Wrangler. A wave of excitement washes over me. This will be so great for chasing! Besides driving my parents' Jeep Grand Cherokee a handful of times, I didn't have a lot of experience driving a vehicle like this. I was renting a car for the first time, in a different country, and I was chasing tornadoes alone for the first time. And I had maybe an hour of sleep the night before. I touch base with George and he says to drive West on I-40, which is what I had planned to do anyway. I had to get to Amarillo as fast as possible. I only stop once or twice on the way. I have some coffee and only eat light, as to not feel sleepy.

I moved right in... 

By the time I get near Amarillo, storms are already firing up. There are some nice looking ones in the south but I am too far away. I go north on highway 87, towards Dumas. George and them are North-East of me somewhere. Eventually we give up trying to meet up and we just chase whatever we can and keep in touch. The visibility is not great. There is a lot of low hanging cloud and fog, so I can't see much structure. I stop at Dumas and regroup. I decide to try and get in position for one of the cells coming up from the South West. Highway 87 eventually turns into an East-West highway, which caused me a bit of confusion. I head West, towards Hartley, along 87. My only South option at this point is the 385, towards Channing. As I'm driving West, a truck in the oncoming lane flickers his lights at me. I know that means I'm probably driving into something bad. I glance at the radar. It's a small cell. It can't be that bad.. I keep driving. Eventually the rain becomes louder and my visibility turns to near zero. I feel cross winds pushing the car as I am pummelled with sheets of hail. It was maybe only dime or quarter sized.. but I suddenly became terrified. What if it gets bigger? What if my windshield breaks? I look at the velocity scan. There is no couplet but there are definitely some opposing winds. A peculiar thought suddenly dawns on me - storm chasing is kind of scary. Who'd a thought? This is a very different experience than being on a tour in a van driven by somebody else. When you are alone, driving your own vehicle, it's a whole different ball game. 

This is the only shot I took. I believe this is facing East on 385. It was literally the only marginally photogenic moment that day. 

I finally get back down to  I-40, near Vega, and proceed to go East. By this point, there is a tornado reported in Tulia, TX and that same cell is travelling North-East, heading towards Amarillo. There are so many chasers on it. The daylight is slowly fading. I had too much coffee and not enough sleep and start feeling a bit paranoid and jumpy. At one point I accidentally set off the car alarm and it takes me 2 minutes to figure out how to disable it. I want to get east and get ahead of this storm so that I can get a good look at it, but I realize that I am not driving fast enough. I am already getting hit by the outskirts of it and the head-winds keep pushing my vehicle side to side and it's jarring. I feel my nerve starting to slip. I start feeling dizzy. Something in my gut tells me that I need to pull over. I am disappointed in myself for being scared. I should be where the action is! I should at least be IN the tornado warning. This is why I was here! I see so many Spotter Network dots right in and around the circulation and feel sort of left out. However, after a couple scans, I see a hook forming. It's just a rain-wrapped monster. I am glad I am giving it some space. 

I will wait until the circulation crosses the interstate before I proceed East. 

I find out from George that they are staying in Shamrock. The storm is far away now. I head east, along I-40 and I am treated to a nice lightning show. When I arrive, I am so happy to see a familiar face. I hadn't talked to anyone all day. George endures a verbal explosion as I talk his ear off for the better part of an hour. I am so wired and tired. Today was one of the most challenging days of my life. I have never pushed myself so far out of my comfort zone in one shot like this before. 

Distance driven: 807km

Yeah.. I look a little tired. 

On a side note: my very first storm chase ever was exactly 5 years ago today. I saw my first supercell in Henrietta, TX on May 7th, 2014. We also had golfball sized hail smash through the side window that day. I keep the chards of glass in a clear locket.  

Tornado Alley - Pulling the Trigger

After many hours of obsessing and looking at the forecast, I knew I had to be down there. I went through so many options. I thought about jumping on Cloud 9 Tours, I thought about starting my Tornado Hunters tour early, I asked a bunch of other chasers if they were going and if I could tag along. My friend, George Kourounis was already down there, chasing with Tom Dolan, who is also a member of the Explorer's Club and is working on the Tornado Visualization and Radar Analysis Project. They invited me to follow along in my own vehicle.

I booked a red eye to Oklahoma city, secured a car rental.. and it was done. I was going chasing!

The Storm Prediction Centre forecasts a moderate risk for severe storms and theres a 10% tornado risk.

This is probably one of the most impulsive things I've ever done (second only to jumping on another Cloud 9 tour an hour before my flight home, back in 2014). 

Chasing is Life. Everything Before or After is Just Waiting

Something happens to my brain around this time of year.

It's like a unique form of seasonal affective disorder.

As soon as the calendar strikes May, something flickers to life.

A spark soon turns into a blaze and a large part of my everyday life just fades into the background. I hastily scroll past any post on social media that isn't related to severe weather. I'm constantly refreshing forecast models and the SPC.

I start having tunnel (or in this case funnel) vision. Nothing else seems to matter as this sense of agonizing desire slowly creeps in. My focus, obsession, and priority becomes preparing, and looking forward to, the chase.

Something happens to my brain around this time of year.

The manic days of May.

It's like a piece of me that's dormant for the other 11 months is suddenly awoken.

It's a part that makes me feel the most alive, present, and with some sense of purpose. I can't exactly pinpoint what it is about chasing - whether it's the awe of nature, the adventure, the novelty, or the visual artistry that comes with it - but after 5 years of doing this, more so than ever, I am realizing that documenting severe weather is what truly makes me the happiest. Nothing else in my life comes close. I have yet to conclude whether this is healthy or not, but I don't really care because I am grateful that something can bring so much joy. For me, it feels like chasing is life and everything before or after is just waiting.

I saw a documentary about Steve McQueen when I came back from my first storm chase trip in 2014 and his quote, "Racing is life. Everything before or after is just waiting," really resonated with me, so I decided to borrow it.

Another sign of "storm fever" is when your worlds start colliding. Pro tip: A quick way to stress out your nail technician - ask her to draw radar signatures on your thumbs.

When you're both a weather nerd and a nail freak.

I don't know when I leave to chase yet.. but stay tuned! 

The Weather Files - A Dramatic Reenactment of the Infamous Farm Equipment Video

Seeing a reenactment of a pivotal moment in your life is definitely a little surreal.

I just filmed bits with my phone, but here are segments of The Weather Files episode: "Tornado Part 2". They got the date wrong; it's supposed to be May 11th, 2014, not May 12th, 2013.

Click here to watch the original footage!

Windy Friday on the Pier at Lonsdale Quay

After a stressful week at work, I noticed the wind pick up and the clouds roll in. It had been sunny and clear for the majority of March. I decided to head down to the quay with my camera so that I can get some more practice with my new lens. The wind in my hair felt really good. All my stress melted away and I felt alive again.

There were a couple others taking photos as well but, for the most part, the pier was empty. At one point the wind really picked up and some rain drops fell. This caused the pier to clear out. I was the only one left. North Van at night is so peaceful. It has become so populated in the last couple decades but at night it becomes the sleepy little suburb it once was when I first moved here, 25 years ago.


The pier, completely deserted.

Here are a couple of my best shots.

This is the look of satisfaction after having been in a little bit of active weather... I can't wait to get to tornado alley. It's been so long since I've seen lightning.