After the chase

One of two things happened on the chase.

1. You didn't see squat. You completely busted.

2. You captured a storm and hopefully had the luxury of...

i. observing a tornado

ii. observing a rotating wall cloud

iii. observing the beauty of a supercell

iv. observing large hail

v. observing a spectacular squall line

vi. observing other spectacular features

 

If you busted...

Most storm chases do not result in witnessing a tornado but many will result in spectucular storms nevertheless. If you completely busted on your chase than hopefully you still enjoyed the drive, sourroundings, and companionship. You should look at the meteorological data to see why the storms did not form in your target area if storms formed at all. This is the educational aspect of storm chasing. You may wish to ask yourself questions like Was the cap too strong? Did I miss an important weather feature? Did I buy into a poor model solution? The most successful storm chasers are usually the ones who learn from previous mistakes. As the old saying goes, "Once a dummy, twice a fool".

If you succeeded...

You success might be another chasers' disappointment. The point that most chases will not result in the witnessing of a tornado is stressed. Each storm is unique. Enjoy them all. Success should not be determined solely by tornado observation. You may still wish to check out the meteorological data available to see if your forecast was similar to observed conditions. In addition, you may determine there was a "better" target area. If so, ask yourself "why there?"

- Feel free to share your storm chase "war stories" in chase discussion groups.

- You may wish to publish your photos and/or video on the web.

- Chase video is often shown at weather conferences. You may wish to participate.

Looking Ahead...

Be sure to check the forecast or make a forecast for severe weather potential over the next few days. The given area might be stuck in a stormy weather pattern.