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| May 22, 2010: Bowdle, SD EF4 Tornado |
I was asked by
Jessica to write a post for her blog about how I got to where I am today as a meteorologist, and how my hobby of storm chasing plays into my career. First off, thank you to Jessica for extending
the invitation! My story begins on a
homestead in rural southern Minnesota outside of the small town of Blooming
Prairie. Growing up in farm country
really gave me an understanding of and fascination with how weather plays into our lives, and how this can affect the crops, harvest and day-to-day
activities. We had a plot of land
surrounded by fields on somewhat of a hill- we could see thunderstorms
arriving from the west fairly often during the spring and summer months. As a young lad, I used to park myself out by
the corn crib to watch storms approach and would sit in amazement at all of the
colors, undulations, and fierceness of each event. Winter storms were fascinating as well since
we would frequently receive several storms a season that brought heavy snow,
freezing rain and high winds. One
particular storm that stands out is the 1991 Halloween Blizzard, in which we
received 2 inches of ice and knocked out power for a week-and-a-half.
After high school,
the decision was made to head to St. Cloud State University to pursue my degree
in meteorology. The college years are where my interest for
weather really grew to full on geekdom.
The professors gave me the knowledge and skills that I needed to
understand and forecast the weather, and I also met some amazing people that I consider friends for life. Two ladies
stand out as a major influence on my continued interest and success as a storm
chaser. The Twister Sisters,
Peggy and Melanie, took me on my first ‘real’ storm chase on June 24, 2003; a
day that I will never forget. Our chase took us to near the small town of Centerville, South Dakota in
the southeast corner of the state. Here
is where an intense, cyclic, slow-moving supercell storm produced at least 13
tornadoes (that we saw). I remember
ending the day by having to seek shelter in a Chili’s refrigerated cooler as
the still tornadic storm rolled over Sioux Falls after we had ended the chase
for the evening. Here are a few photos
from that day:
Peggy and Melanie also gave me the opportunity to be a cast member the reality show, Twister Sisters, which aired on WETV during the winter of 2007/2008. One of my most harrowing chases of my life occurred in filming this show and it gave me real-life experience in how dangerous and devestating tornadoes can be. The Greensburg EF5 occurred on May 4, 2007, killing a dozen people and laying waste to 95% of the town. We saw this tornado initially develop near Protection, Kansas and followed behind it as it went towards Greensburg. The images of the massive wedge tornado lit up only by lightning and power flashes, and the damage aftermath that followed, will forever be ingrained in my mind. Incredibly, this was my wife’s very first tornado! We had only been dating for 4 months at the time.
Since then, my
passion for storm chasing has grown and I now have the opportunity to chase
with my wife, MaryLynn, and as a guide for Roger Hill and Silver Lining Tours. It
is such a fun and enjoyable experience to be able to teach others about weather
and show tour guests from all over the world some amazing storms and
tornadoes. Plus, it’s great to meet some
cool people like Jessica! To date, I
have 75 tornadoes under my belt and many incredible supercells and other
weather phenomenon that are hard to comprehend. Out of these tornadoes, 1 was EF5, 4 were EF4s, and there have been
several EF3s in strength. It’s also been
a blessing to have a successful career as a meteorologist with Schneider
Electric since graduating college in 2004, and also to be a part of the on-site
forecasting team for the PGA Tour and other golf entities. Being able to take my knowledge of weather to
help keep people safe at golf tournaments and assist in course setup/planning
is very satisfying and fun.
Storm chasing is
obviously a big part of my life, it helps me to translate what I learned in college and read in textbooks
to real life storms. The forecasting
experience that I gain in searching for the biggest and meanest supercells and
tornadoes helps me in other parts of my job. Plus, the excitement of seeing these unworldly storms and the adrenaline
rush that comes from chasing tornadoes is something that I cannot compare to
anything else. It’s amazing that a hobby
can give you such a rush, but can also be relaxing and mind decompressing. An example of this is the journey across the plains of the U.S., seeing small towns and visiting places you would never
visit otherwise, off the beaten path. It’s interesting to see the sights and talk to and hear the stories from
the small town folk that are seasoned veterans of severe weather and tornadoes. They know how to prepare, what to do, how to help
each other, and how to rebuild after a storm rips through their town…values and
determination that you do not always see elsewhere. Being out on the open prairie, away from
civilization brings a calming influence that is difficult to mirror in an urban
setting.
To summarize, I love everything about chasing storms! I have no plans to ever stop chasing, and hope to safely pass along my geekery in weather and chasing to my children when they get old enough to understand. For a dramatic ending, here is a video of one of my favorite chases of all time, June 17, 2010 in Minnesota:
