Storm chasing starts with examining forecast models well ahead of a chase day, sometimes multiple days ahead, to identify the potential for severe weather ingredients. We specifically look at the upper-level and mid-latitude jet streams. While forecasting, we also focus on other variables like expected positions of cold and warm fronts, drylines, outflow boundaries, and any mesoscale features that might come into play and increase the severe and tornado potential. 

Often times the entire Extreme Chase Tours team stays up very late looking at the latest weather model data the night before a possible chase. We do this to refine our storm chasing target areas, which can change very rapidly. We can usually narrow down our target areas to a couple locations. By utilizing the entire Extreme Chase Tours team experience (over 120-years’ worth) and being able to interpret and understand the weather models, helps us decide how far we need to travel to position ourselves for the next day’s storm chase and plan where to stay overnight.

To summarize, very morning we get into the nitty gritty of forecasting and the fine details by analyzing things like surface data, forecast models, and upper air data. This helps us to know exactly how the weather should set up for the day and where the best chance of storm chasing exists with the best tornado potential. We actually have a pretty good idea of where we need to be sometimes two to three days out.

We will usually know the night before what time we need to leave the following morning, and we will let all guests know the prior evening. Depending on the weather, we will usually depart our hotel between 10am and 11:00am (again, depending on where the best chance of severe weather is) after doing our morning weather briefing. Since the weather is very fluid, obviously we will refine our target areas as the day progresses, which you’ll get to see and experience this first-hand.

Since we may be in very rural areas for the afternoon and evening storm chases, stopping for dinner is sometimes not possible. Please note that we will not stop for dinner once the chase day begins. We do this to avoid missing any tornadoes or severe weather. You’ve paid hard earned money to witness severe weather and tornadoes, so we encourage you to purchase snacks or incidentals if you get hungry. After chasing, we will usually arrive at our pre-determined hotel after dark (which could be late at times) where we will check into our hotel rooms. And then, basically rinse and repeat for the following days.