About Us


Rapid Rotation Storm Tours is based in Norman, Oklahoma: the unofficial capital of Tornado Alley and center of severe weather research. Severe weather is an important part of life here in the Heartland, and our goal as tour guides is to help you share in the experience. We combine storm tracking technology with years of storm chasing expertise to get you close to the heart of the storm. There really is no other adventure like it! We hope you’ll join us on the plains of North America and see for yourself what Mother Nature has to offer.

Introducing Rapid Rotation’s tour guides:

 

 Chris McBee
Co-owner, lead storm chaser, lead videographer

Chris McBee, 31, is an experienced storm chaser living (and raised) in Norman, Oklahoma, and has had a lifelong interest in severe weather and meteorology. A graduate from the University of Oklahoma, Chris has been chasing storms for about ten years. He has filmed and documented numerous tornadoes, and his footage has been featured on CNN, The Weather ChannelPBS, and Weather Underground. Chris has been operating CentralOKStorms.com since 2007, and many of his chases can be seen there. When not chasing storms, Chris enjoys traveling, playing basketball, and the occasional game of poker.

 

 Damon Bearden
Co-owner, storm chaser

Damon Bearden, 28, has lived in Oklahoma his entire life. He witnessed his first tornado at age 7 from a basement window as an F2 tornado destroyed homes and businesses less than half a mile from his childhood home.  Since that time, he has had a strong appreciation of the beauty of tornadoes, as well as a healthy respect for their destructive power and for the devastation they cause to those in their path. For many years, he kept a close eye on local weather broadcasts and took shelter when tornadoes were near, but when given the opportunity to chase tornadoes with Chris McBee in 2010, he jumped at the chance. After witnessing three small tornadoes on his first chase, he was hooked.  Since then, he has been studying and chasing, learning more with each trip. Damon initially served as navigator, assisting Chris and Shane Carmack in finding good roads with safe escape routes and allowing them to focus on traffic and the developing storms. He began driving for Chris on chases in 2012. His first chase on his own was April 14, 2012, where he witnessed 4 tornadoes in northwestern Oklahoma.

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