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Northern Plains chases coming!

Chris — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 01:53:14 +0000

June 2013 is here, and some severe weather is in the forecast! The second half of May reared its ugly head, and I certainly hope the large-scale tornado outbreaks are over with, for the sake of everyone. However, there may still be some storms (and possibly tornadoes) to observe in the coming days. With some smaller weather events possible Saturday through Monday, I think Tuesday the 11th will begin several days of chaseable setups. The following are some maps of the supercell composite in the Northern Plains over the coming days.

Daily tours will be available each day. Let us know if you’d like to experience these severe weather events with us! Just go to www.rapidrotationtours.com/day-tours to get on the mailing list. Come experience storm chasing at its finest!

Staying the Course

Chris — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 01:35:14 +0000

As most of you know, severe weather has been in the headlines lately. As if the May 20 and May 31 EF5 tornadoes in Moore and El Reno, Oklahoma weren’t large and destructive enough, three of our own were taken by the wind. Tim Samaras, Paul Samaras, and Carl Young were widely respected storm chasers and scientific researchers. All of us had the great honor of meeting and collaborating with these three great men on many occasions. We even saw the Twistex team out in the field on May 30, and Tim graciously waved at us as they passed. Little did we know it was a wave goodbye. Rachel was able to attend the funeral in Littleton, Colorado on Thursday. She expressed to me how sad it was to see the Samaras family relate their experiences and memories of their beloved.

I think all storm chasers had a brief moment of questioning themselves after they heard the news of Tim, Paul, and Carl’s passing. Do we keep chasing? I struggled with this question for a few moments, and then realized that our fallen brothers would want us to continue. They made a career of observing, measuring, and analyzing weather, and all the elements that go into tornado development. Their research has no doubt saved countless lives over the years, with unending contributions to meteorology. The data they collected has aided forecasters and civil defense in getting warnings out to the public, and helping everyone to better understand tornado behavior.

So the answer to the question is a resounding YES. We chase to help inform the public and to make a difference in any way we can. During the Moore tornado on May 20, Damon was on the phone with the National Weather Service as we first sighted the tornado before it moved into the city. The employee at NWS Norman thanked him for the report, as it aided them in locating the tornado and providing the public in the path with the proper warning. We then went into the affected area and transported some people out of Moore whose cars were destroyed in the storm. This is just one example, but being able to make a difference that day was very rewarding to all of us. Had we not been chasing, none of these things could have been accomplished.

Having said all this, we shall persevere and continue. The 2013 storm season is not yet over, and we intend to be there amongst the severe weather. The rest of our season is dedicated to the memory of Tim, Paul, and Carl. I have looked up to those men for years, and will continue to do so.

Looking back: May 10, 2010

rapidrotation — Sat, 11 May 2013 02:31:17 +0000

Three years ago today we chased on a high risk day from SPC. We headed to northern Oklahoma, in the highest part of the risk, and witnessed some tornadic activity. Later in the afternoon, our hometown of Norman was hit by a tornado that became quite strong as it approached Little Axe, in eastern Cleveland County. The tornado was even briefly a waterspout as it crossed Lake Thunderbird. Overall it was an active day, but the damage could have been much worse!

Here is some of our footage from this day:

Watch our blog and our social media accounts. We’ll be announcing when we have space for daily tours as this storm season progresses!
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May 8 chase in North Texas

rapidrotation — Fri, 10 May 2013 00:22:31 +0000

May 8 we went out in search of what Mother Nature could provide. Compared to what it was ten years ago (see 2003), it was not the severe weather outbreak it could have been. Even still, we drove through Lawton, Altus, and Hollis, Oklahoma before heading into the open expanses of the Texas Panhandle. We first sat north of Childress and watched a supercell form and then die in northern Hall County. This storm was not without some fanfare as it did carry a severe thunderstorm warning from NWS Amarillo for the duration of its life cycle. It also produced large hail and some very interesting structure. In the picture below, there appears to be a cone tornado under the rain-free base of a large rotating thunderstorm. But you can’t always judge a book by its cover. We had been on this cell for some time already and had noted several instances of rising scud clouds that appeared from our vantage point to be in contact with both the cloud and the ground. What looks like a tornado in this picture is actually a harmless condensed area of rising air. It takes a lot of storm chasing experience to properly discern what’s what out there, and even very seasoned storm spotters and chasers can occasionally be fooled. We knew what we were looking at did not report this as a tornado.

The “fakenado” in Hall County, TX

We (and a bevvy of other chasers) watched this storm for some time, as it was the most dominant supercell in the area. But out of thin air, the storm almost completely dissipated. We dropped further south on Highway 83 towards Paducah, Texas and another developing supercell. We got there with a good visual on the back side of this rotating cell, witnessing a small lowering and some larger hail on the side of the highway just outside city limits. This wasn’t a day for tornadoes, but there were certainly some interesting storms out there!

Storm structure near Paducah, TX

Fragmented pieces of a baseball-size hailstone near Paducah, TX

April Fools’ chase near Benjamin, TX

Chris — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 17:27:41 +0000

April fools! Outlooks for this chase day in northwest Texas didn’t promise a whole lot. The chance of tornadoes was relatively low, and hailstorms were the most significant threat. At the end of the day, although no tornadoes occurred we were treated to quite a lightning and structure show. There was even a gustnado (small non-tornadic area of swirling dust and high winds associated with gust fronts) that chased us down Highway 82!

As we approached the storm, we were greeted by a mean-looking wall cloud that seemed like it wanted to drop a tornado at any minute.

We pulled off the road for some CG (cloud to ground) lightning strikes while we waited for the storm to get a bit closer.

We found a better vantage point among cacti and barbed wire to watch the whole supercell tighten up. (Note: when chasing in NW Texas, beware of rattlesnakes!)

Gustnadoes can still be a damaging threat, so we snapped a few shots and grabbed some video before it had a chance to chase us too far down 82. For a day that didn’t hold a lot of promise, it was still a gorgeous storm and one heck of an adrenaline rush!

Daily tours are a go!

rapidrotation — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 18:37:19 +0000

Well folks, it’s April. Springtime is here, most of the snow is gone, and severe weather is right on the doorstep. Next week is looking volatile on the latest model runs, and this is your first chance to ride along with us in pursuit of nature’s fury. If you live in or are willing to meet us in central or southern Oklahoma or northern Texas on Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday, and you want to experience storm chasing during potential severe weather outbreaks, then let us know! We take people on a first-come first-serve basis, and space is limited.

Here’s a look at the three severe weather days on the horizon. These three images show CAPE (Convective Available Potential Energy) in the southern Plains on Sunday, April 7, Monday, April 8, and Tuesday, April 9 respectively. At this time, Monday looks to be the most volatile of the three, although severe weather is certainly possible on the other two days as well (images courtesy TwisterData.com). We’ll quite possibly meet up and chase with Tornado Titans on one or more of these setups as well!

If you want to chase with us on one or more of these days and you’re available to be in these areas where we can meet you, please fill out the form below! It’s free to get on the notification list. If you decide to join us when we contact you, daily tours are $350 per person per day. It’s almost certain we’ll see tornadoes, and you can be there with us taking in this experience! You must give us valid contact info, or we can’t get in touch with you. And remember, space is limited. If we can’t take you this time, check our blog often and follow us on social media. We will also announce upcoming chases on Facebook and Twitter!

Just a few weeks to go!

rapidrotation — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 20:50:26 +0000

It’s March. It’s meteorological spring. Snow is melting, the conventions are over, forecasts are out, and storm season is knocking on the door. I don’t know about you, but we are very busy getting prepared for it! So far this year we have chased the blizzard in northwest Oklahoma on February 25 and a linear mess of a storm setup in north Texas on March 9. Nothing too spectacular yet this year, but it’s technically not even spring for another week!

If you want to join us on the road this spring, now is the time to act! We’ve got weeklong and daily tours available that are the best value you’ll find anywhere. Come join us and experience something you’ll never forget. That guy you know at work is going to the beach? Who cares. You’ll be on the open road with us hunting down tornadoes. That’s much cooler!

It’s a little over four weeks until weeklong tours start, and daily tours are starting very soon. When we have daily spots available, we will call those on our interest list, and then post them here, on Facebook, and on Twitter. It’s free to get on the interest list. Just click “Storm Chasing Tours” on the menu above, choose “Day Tours,” and fill out the form.

To keep up with us this year, follow us on Twitter and on Facebook!

Storm Chase Tours Rank #7 on LonelyPlanet

Rachel — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 18:42:40 +0000

In scouring the Internet for more extreme things to do in the off-season, I recently came across an article from LonelyPlanet.com. In case you’re wondering what LonelyPlanet is and if only lonely people go there, let me shed some light on the subject.

LonelyPlanet is all about helping travelers get started. From planning to what to do while you’re there, they have book after book (and of course the website) to help everyone get the most out of their journeys.

When I got to the article Adventure playground USA: the top 10 adrenalin rushes, I honestly didn’t expect Tornado Alley to be on there. I mean, it’s one thing to live there or chase there, but who really considers taking a storm tour? Oh wait, anyone that’s reading this blog right now.

The first several adventures were clearly of the extreme nature: ice climbing, rock climbing, canyoneering…the list goes on. But before kayaking, before sandboarding, came Storm Chase in Tornado Alley. I was shocked! There it was: my hobby, my love, for anyone to take a shot at (with a camera). And LonelyPlanet had great things to say about it.

“In spring winds spin wildly at up to 500km/h and Tornado Alley can experience more than 400 twisters. … You probably are in Kansas now, Dorothy.”

I’m trying to see just who at LonelyPlanet took a tour, and how many tornadoes the came across. Our goal? To beat that tour’s record day. But what really made my whole day about this article is that even though Tornado Alley came in at #7, we still beat out Manta Rays in Hawaii. Boom.

Want to learn more about LonelyPlanet? Check out www.lonelyplanet.com for more.

Making the Rounds: Chasercon & the Minnesota Storm Chasing Convention

rapidrotation — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 23:52:15 +0000

Minnesota Storm Chasing Convention

In the past few weeks, Rapid Rotation Tours has been doing some traveling! On January 26, Chris McBee and Rachel Sager traveled to Big Lake, MN for the 5th annual Minnesota Storm Chasing Convention. Many chasers from all over the U.S. were there, including filmographer and TIV I & II creator Sean Casey, attending as the keynote speaker. It certainly was cold, but it was a great convention.

The trip home proved pretty arduous, as a large crippling winter storm was plaguing the Northern Plains. The snow in Minneapolis resulted in long airline delays for our flight back to Denver. Chris didn’t arrive back to Norman, OK until nearly 3 a.m.

15th Annual Chasercon!

Cut to a few weeks later when Chris, Damon Bearden, and Rachel attended the 15th annual National Storm Chasers Convention (Chasercon) in Denver from February 15-17. It was a great time as always, storm chasers from around the world were in attendance. Some of the many speakers included Dr. Greg Forbes from The Weather Channel, Tim Samaras of Team TWISTEX and Discovery Channel’s Storm Chasers, engineer and legendary chaser Tim Marshall, and Brandon Sullivan of Tornado Titans. We took a look back at the 2012 storm season, learned more about chasing safety, were informed and entertained by Tim Marshall’s Star Trek-themed presentation (the latest in a line of movie- and TV-themed hilarity), and listened to a very well-done overview of sounding data by Brandon Sullivan.

The culmination of Chasercon is always Video Night, held late on Saturday night when chasers can submit their best videos of the previous year for everyone to see. It’s the best time before storm season to view up-close high-quality tornado footage, and is looked forward to by everyone.

Rapid Rotation Tours was a part of Chasercon for the first time! We rented booth space in the vendor area among some of the most well-known companies in the storm chasing world (ChaserTV, KDR Media, Tornado Titans, Baron Services, and more). Below is a picture of Rapid Rotation tour guides Chris (right) and Damon (center). On the left is Kansas storm chaser Dillon Killoren, a friend of ours who volunteered to help us out with the booth. A big thanks to everyone who stopped by! We met some great people, got to talk with lots of severe weather enthusiasts, and of course got to socialize with other storm chasers! Can’t wait for next year!

Some pictures from Chasercon:

Tim Marshall, as Spock’s brother Spark, giving a very logical account of his 2012 season.

Brandon Sullivan of Tornado Titans, analyzing sounding data.

Dr. Greg Forbes of The Weather Channel, speaking about the 2012 severe weather season.

Our Upcoming Season

rapidrotation — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 03:46:56 +0000

We don’t know about you, but we are getting excited for spring 2013! We have big plans for storm season, and we’d love for you to be a part of it as well. We plan to chase everything we can between April and June, and we hope to observe as many tornadoes as possible.

By now, you’ve probably heard that we’ve lowered our prices. $2,250 will now get you a full week on the highways of America with experienced storm chasers. If you’ve ever wanted to get out there in the elements and see Mother Nature at her angriest, this is your answer. You don’t have to worry about navigation and trip planning. Leave all that to us. Book your seats soon though!

If you still have some questions about our mission, check out this video just released today! In December, Rapid Rotation’s lead storm chaser Chris McBee met with Chris Sanner of Tornado Titans for an interview. They spoke about the upcoming storm season, and what our guests can expect on the tour.