Storm Chasing Tours


Make your next vacation or holiday an adventure! Rapid Rotation Storm Tours is gearing up for the 2013 season, and we’re ready to put all of our storm chasing expertise to work for you. Experience a trip like no other!

 

Tour Arrival and Departure

Most tours will begin and end in Oklahoma City, at a hotel near Will Rogers World Airport (airport code OKC). The last two tours of the season will start and end near Denver International Airport (airport code DEN). Tour fees do not include your travel to and from the staging hotel, so please plan accordingly. Make sure you schedule your travel for the day before the tour begins and the day after it ends. We’re on a strict schedule and must leave on time! We will meet you at the hotel on the Sunday morning of your tour week for a brief orientation before leaving to begin our drive to the day’s target area.

What to Bring

Please pack lightly. Because of cargo restrictions, we are forced to limit everyone to one medium-sized suitcase and a personal item such as a backpack or purse. We will do our best to accommodate as much luggage as possible, but please understand that space is limited. Most hotels will have laundry facilities available. We recommend you pack the following:

  • Clothing for both hot and cooler weather – rain and wind can quickly make weather conditions much colder!
  • Long Pants
  • Rubber-soled shoes
  • MP3 player or other personal music device, with headphones
  • Camera!
  • Chargers for electronic devices (AC power outlets will be available in the van for charging)

 

When Traveling

We use 15-passenger vans with the last row of seats removed to accommodate luggage. We only seat two passengers in each row, so every seat is a window seat. This means there will only be six or seven patrons per van, which maximizes comfort and viewing capabilities once we’re near a storm. Whenever possible, we will get out of the vans to take pictures and video, but this is not always possible due to rain, hail, and lightning.

On the road, we will do our best to get the group to an area where severe weather is possible. Unfortunately there are some days, even during storm season, when severe weather just isn’t going to happen. On these days, we will travel to any nearby tourist attractions. In addition, some days will be “travel days” where we will drive all day to get to the next day’s target.

Chasing after dark can be quite dangerous, and is not something we will generally do with a tour group, so don’t expect any all-nighters. We will try to stop somewhere for a sit-down meal when possible, but there may be days when fast food is our only option and we don’t arrive at the hotel until late at night. Please bear with us–it’s all in the interest of seeing as many storms as possible!

Depending on the time of year, we may not travel far from our staging hotel! Oklahoma is a frequent destination for storm chasing, as is much of the Southern Plains. On the map below, you can see which states we will most often visit on the tour (red) vs. other states (yellow) that are less common, but are considered “fair game.” We plan to travel anywhere severe weather may strike, as long as it’s within a safe driving range. At this time, we do not plan to chase outside the United States.

 

Additional Info

Safety is of the utmost importance on our tours, and any conduct detrimental to the other patrons and/or the company may result in your removal from the tour. Also, if you suffer from any medical conditions, such as heart problems, blood pressure problems, diabetes, or motion sickness, please consult with your doctor before booking your tour. If you are in a condition that prevents you from getting in and out of the van quickly or sitting comfortably in the van, the tour may present some hardship for you as well. We will do our best to accommodate everyone possible. Please contact us about your needs and together we can determine if a storm chase tour is suitable for you.

For any other questions, please see our FAQ page or contact us!

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