Storm Chasing Tours With
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Meet The Team
| Owner-Lanny Dean |
Number of Tornadoes Seen: 271 Lanny Dean is no doubt one of the best STORMCHASING GUIDES in the market and is an 19 year STORM CHASING veteran! You may have seen Lanny on the hit show "TORNADO HUNTERS" that aired on TRUTV. He and his video have also been seen on THE WEATHER CHANNEL, STORM STORIES, CNN, ABC, GOOD MORNING AMERICA, TLC, THE DISCOVERY CHANNEL, MSNBC, NBC, REALTV, INSIDE EDITION, FOX NEWS NETWORK, as well as in many local Television markets throughout the United States and Canada. Lanny is also a former member of "THE OUTLAW CHASER'S" and has witnessed and filmed 271 tornadoes and many hurricanes to date. Lanny was awarded "Storm Chaser Of The Year" in 2005 and 2007. He is the only current STORMCHASING TOURS owner/operator to receive that award and hold it multiple years. Lanny holds a B.A. in Electronic TeleCommunication and is completing his degree in Atmospheric Science (Meteorology) Lanny recently worked for KJRH Channel 2 in Tulsa as their severe weather photographer. Prior to KJRH Lanny worked for KAKE 10 in Wichita, KS as a severe weather reporter and photographer. Lanny is an award winning photojournalist and reporter and recently received an Emmy nomination for his weather reporting. He has also won several SPJ awards for his photography and Lanny was just awarded HM for his photojournalism by The Oklahoma Association Of Broadcaster for an investigative story he shot in 2008. He is trained in meteorology and is one of the best weather forecasters chasing today. Lanny is the owner of Extreme Chase Tours and lead forecaster. |
| Co-Owner-Jeff Smith |
 Number of Tornadoes Seen: manyJeff Smith has recently joined forces with Lanny as co-owner in Extreme Chase Tours. Jeff brings his 15 plus years of storm spotting and storm chasing experience to the team in order to help provide you the best storm chase tour experience on the planet. Jeff’s obsession with weather began when he was five years old as an F-3 tornado was ravaging East Tulsa in December, 1975. Jeff and his family watched the tornado from his bedroom window. Since that day, Jeff has had a passion for witnessing Mother Nature’s fury wherever it may take him. In elementary school, Jeff’s teachers grew concerned because Jeff was always drawing different tornadoes. Those stunts actually got Jeff’s parents several phone calls from school often resulting in a sore backside J Jeff has seen many tornadoes, one of the most notable was on March 12, 2006 where he and chase partner TJ caught rare footage of the after dark F-3 Delaware county tornado. Another was the May 24, 2008 tonadofest in North Central Oklahoma where Jeff witnessed several tornadoes. Jeff has been out many times after dark during some of the more notable events. From the May 8, 2003 event to the May 3, 1999 tornadoes, he has been there, done that. Jeff has a pretty demanding work schedule so instead of being out on the storms sometimes he has to forecast and nowcast. Jeff has nowcasted for several well known chasers, including co-owner Lanny Dean. Jeff’s radar interpreting skills are second to none and he can help get you to the storm of the day. Jeff also is a devoted Christian. Without being overbearing, Jeff shares God’s love with those around him. Jeff became a Christian a little more that 10 years ago and has been called to youth ministry. Currently he is Children and Youth Director of New Life Baptist Church in Claremore , Oklahoma . Jeff also heads up Mission of Compassion, a disaster relief ministry. For more info, please see http://www.missionofcompassion.net. Jeff wants believers and non-believers to understand that God loves them unconditionally and also that not all Christians are hypocrites. While interested in severe weather and tornadoes, Jeff understands completely that the loss that these storms can incur. From devastation of peoples’ homes and lives, to folks being injured and killed, Jeff is always mindful and respectful of the damage that nature’s fury can bestow. That is part of his reason to found Mission of Compassion. Jeff currently chases for KJRH Channel 2 in Tulsa Oklahoma where he helps provide ground truth reports and warnings to the public. |
| Chad Berryhill-Lead guide |
Number Of Tornadoes Seen 2 Chad Berryhill has lived in Oklahoma all his life and has seen all kinds of severe weather, but his love for extreme weather started after he witnessed the 1991 Billings/Red Rock OK, F-4 tornado live on TV. That event sparked a deep interest in Chad to study and learn more about severe weather and tornadoes. Chad currently attends Oklahoma State University and majors in Geography. He also holds an Associates Degree in Applied Science. He has been trained in meteorology and has a specialty in forecasting and nowcasting severe weather. Chad also pulls double duty as a tour guide/driver and weather forecaster and will be helping during our "Remote Tours" His hobbies are flying, scuba diving, photography, hunting, fishing, and just being outdoors. He eats just about anything, so hide your snacks. If you have Mike & Ikes, he will be your best friend!! |
| Laura Dean-Radar/Tech Support |
Number of Tornadoes Seen: 3 Laura Dean is our lead technical support advisor and the wife of Lanny Dean. She will be giving tactical support to us in the field during your STORMCHASING TOURS should we need it. Laura's specialty is radar support and radar interpretation. She is also trained in operational meteorology. Laura is a 9 year veteran storm chaser and has seen he fair share of severe weather. Laura will also help in scheduling your tour dates and other tour related duties. Laura also has a love for severe weather but really likes tornadoes, her first tornado was the infamous Throckmorton TX, F-4 where she and Lanny filmed the tornado from very close range! |
| David Moran-Meteorologist |
Number of Tornadoes Seen: N/A David Moran is also one of our forecasters and meteorologist. He is originally from Kansas but has lived in Oklahoma most of his life. His interest in weather started while he was living in Broken Arrow, OK and after high school he moved to Norman to go to The University of Oklahoma, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Meteorology and Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mathematics. He is also a full member of the American Meteorological Society. David's area of meteorological expertise are radar meteorology and synoptic meteorology. He is currently the Chief Meteorologist for the Oklahoma Internet Weather Center, a weather station that prepares forecasts for Tulsa and Oklahoma City. While in college, David was employed at the National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman (NSSL). There, he learned about radar analysis and did various data analysis jobs. When he is not forecasting, David enjoys reading, watching sports, traveling, and spending time with friends and family. David also has a physical condition called Cerebral Palsy. Despite having this condition David graduated college with two full degrees and can do almost anything an able bodied person can do. He is truly a unique person with a love for life and severe weather! David will be our morning and afternoon forecaster during your tours in 2010 and we are very excited to have him as a part of the team! |
| Jim Sellars-Lead Nowcaster |
Number of Tornadoes Seen: A few Jim Sellars is a long time veteran of the weather world and has spent over 35 years spotting, chasing and enjoying severe weather. Jim has seen tornadoes spawned by Hurricane Alicia in 1983, the Pierce City MO tornado of 2003 and numerous other severe weather events across the Midwest. Like most recreational chasers raising a family, Jim was only able to chase a few times a year but got his money's worth. Jim has been involved with the SKYWARN program for over 15 years and currently is the the National Weather Service Regional SKYWARN Coordinator for Southwest Missouri. Jim made a presentation on Emergency Communications and Preparedness at the National Severe Weather Workshop in 2004. He has assisted with synoptic and mesoscale forecasts for high profile chasers and chase groups such as Extreme Chase Tours owner, Lanny Dean as well as The Outlaw Chasers and many others. Recently Jim assisted media teams involved with the Vortex 2 Project as well as helping with Missouri State University's storm class as it chased the Midwest. Jim was trained on Doppler radar in classes led by the pioneers that took it from the drawing board to operational reality. Jim is a member of the AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY and NATIONAL WEATHER ASSOCIATION and has been a "HAM" radio operator for many years. He currently holds a General Class license with a call sign of N0UAM and utilizes it for communication during severe weather. He has many interests including electronics, photography, ham radio, football, baseball, cooking and many others. You may hear Jim on your tour during a phone call updating us on the severe weather potential as needed. Feel free to say hi! |
| JD Stewart-Lead Driver |
Number of Tornadoes Seen: 81 JD Stewart is our lead driver and electronics guru. He is not only one of the best drivers chasing today but he also has the ability and cool level head to keep you safe when driving in close range of a tornado or severe weather. JD is a 25 year veteran storm chaser and has personally seen 79 tornadoes to date. He has had a life long passion for severe weather and has been a storm chaser working for KOTV6 in Tulsa, OK for many years. His video has been seen across the nation and he was featured in a Weather Channel Storm Stories about the Mulvane, KS tornado. JD has a BA in Political Science and an udergraduate in History, he has also been trained in storm structure and has utilized SKYWARN for over 15 years to help warn the public of severe weather. JD also has a love for acting and has showcased his talents in many motion screen movies including the latest, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMINE BUTTON (2008) JD also enjoys electronics and "ham radio" and has been a radio operator for many years. In addition to being your tour driver, JD also helps with all of our electronic equipment while on tour as well as technical support. |
| Eric Duncan-Guide/Driver |
Number of Tornadoes Seen: 57 Eric Duncan is a 4 year veteran stormchaser and is one of our chasing guides and drivers. Eric has seen over 40 tornadoes to date including the infamous Greensburg EF-5 in which he was extremely close to. He has taken part in many productions about weather and tornadoes, including a docu-drama called "Blown Away" that aired on the Discovery Channel. This production showcased Eric as he was digging through rubble pulling people to safety right after the tornado went through Greensburg. Eric is a Kansas native and currently lives north of Wichita and has forecasted for the likes of the United States Navy. When he is not storm chasing or forecasting, Eric enjoys fishing, photography, being outdoors and spending time with his girlfriend. |
| T.J. Smith-Radar Support |
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Number of Tornadoes seen: 7We are a full STORMCHASING TOUR AND TORNADO TOURS company. We offer many packaged deals to take you on the best STORMCHASING TOUR possible. Our TORNADO GUIDES are some of the best in the industry. Looking for stock video?
Extreme Chase Tours has filmed over 400 tornadoes to date and has a very large stock of severe and unusual weather including hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, lightning, flooding and the like.
Have an extended vacation? No problem! We book week long STORMCHASING TOURS and if you need or want we can book long tours.
Maybe you only have a few days on your vacation, no problem! We also book 1 to 15 day STORMCHASING VACATIONS AND TORNADO TOURS
Come see why we were voted storm chasers of the year!