4/8/2024 Total Solar Eclipse

Got up early Monday AM to head for peak totality line in srn IL or sw IN (pending satellite picture). Settled on the Mt. Carmel Municipal Airport (KAJG) just southwest of Lawrenceville, IL (38.61198077705763, -87.72500880706056). Pics were not the first goal for me...I just really wanted to experience totality (I ended up ruining most of them anyway due to a rookie mistake of leaving my storm chasing UV filter on). As we pulled into airport parking lot and started to settle in, another car pulls in next to us and also starts unpacking. We start to munch on cooler food for lunch and then I notice a very familiar face in the distance walking toward the vehicle that had parked next to us...it was Aaron Kennedy, who drove all the way from ND with his two daughters! I almost fell out of my chair. The universe seemed so small and so vast at the same time. The four min and six seconds of totality was one of the coolest things I have ever experienced.

5/7/2023 Departure day 2023

Targeted west-central Iowa. Early elevated storm/storms worked over the airmass north of the stationary / warm front. Timing of the lead storm was somewhat unfortunate and sent outflow down in all quadrants. Set eyes to the west for developing convection ahead of the next wave and on nose of a low-level jet. Watched line of storms in the Red Oak to Essex, IA corridor. A couple of interesting mesos, and even a brief tornado warning. Structure was okay, but a bit grungy aloft due to the significant amount of convection. Overnighted in Council Bluffs, IA.

6/9/2022 Season send-off

Focused 5% tornado risk in sw NE. Awoke in LBF with target just to the southwest knowing this would likely be the last formal chase day for me in 2022. Storms were unable to sustain mid-level rotation and thus we backed off an let the convection push east to photograph the updraft from the west (a great decision). We enjoyed beautiful skyscapes between Wallace and Hayes Center before pushing east for the evening. Overnighted in Omaha, NE.

6/7/2022 Benkelman Bomber

 Much better ingredients with a swath of ENH probabilities across srn NE and nrn KS. Very close to a beautiful open-field tornado early on between Sydney and Lodgepole, NE on HWY 30, but could not quite get the near-surface vertical vorticity focused. Transitioned to some impressive outflow structure later on as we stair-stepped southeast toward Sedgwick, Venango, and eventually Benkelman, NE. Overnighted in McCook, NE. 

6/6/2022 Roamin' the sandhills

Not much to show for this day, but it always nice to roam around the Sandhills. We tailed some occasionally severe convection (rather meager ingredients) and took in the scenery. Overnighted in Gothenburg, NE.

6/5/2022 Oberlin, KS Lightning and Windmill

Broad brushed ENH. Several bouts with a beauty of a storm exhibiting lots of lightning laminar shelf structure due to outflow and stable air in the boundary layer. Most stops were along US HWY 83 just south of Oberlin, KS; in particular, one very memorable pause to take in a classic Great Plains windmill and copious lightning. Overnighted in McCook, NE.

6/3/2022 Give us Hope!

Initial target of Hope, NM. Several supercells developed in a N/S oriented fashion along the higher terrain of NM. Storm formed just northwest of Hope. Struggled to find good roads (Rock Daisy Road). Roads west of Enice in oil & gas country were…interesting. Stopped several times for structure and lightning along S18 from Jal to Kermit. Storm was tornado warned at one point, but seemed to lack SRH in the lowest levels for tors (moisture probably an issue, too). Overnighted in Midland, TX.

6/2/2022 More MRGL

Initial target just west of Roswell, NM, another day with MRGL ingredients. Got on a severe storm near Roswell; mostly a lightning opportunity (lack of good structure). Overnighted in Roswell, NM.

5/31/2022 Wildfire and Hail Flight

Targeted ern TX panhandle (initial target of Memphis, TX). Saw a crazy wildfire. Busted west to new convection and found lots of significant hail near Tulia, TX. A random 2x4 in a ditch served as a great opportunity pause for a "hail flight." Overnighted in Lubbock, TX.

5/30/2022: MDT Risk?

Large MDT risk to the north, targeted area near Newton, KS. Storms struggled to get low-level mesocyclones due to lack of helicity and low-level shear. Overnighted in Wichita, KS.

5/28/2022 Antelope Lake, SD CGs

Awoke in Ft. Pierre with an initial target of Martin, SD, as severe convection was forecast to move northeast out of the Sandhills. Sat at a park in Martin most of the afternoon. CI occurred just SW of Martin with an initial pseudo-supercell mode (dewpoints were only in the low 50s). Continued tracking this cell east of Martin as it acquired some weak mid-level rotation and tracked along US 18 toward Vetal. Found a nice old church in Upper Cut Meat before again scrambling east to stay ahead for structure shots. Highlight was a stop along the dam of Antelope Lake just east of Mission, SD, with high-based rotation and a lot of CGs. Stopped to take in some lightning WSW of Winner, SD, before calling it a night. Overnighted in Winner, SD.

5/28/2021 Loco Hills to Artesia, NM convection

Targeted area west of Roswell, and waited on supercells to approach on County Road 246 northwest of Roswell. Followed the mean supercell west of town, and took in the base-sucking dust plume supercell near the Roswell airport. Caught another perspective east of Hagerman, before we let the cells meander northbound and weaken. Played with a mammatus show near Loco Hills, before sliding west toward Artesia to take a lightning display after sunset. Finally gave up and headed towards Hobbs, NM for the night. Overnighted in Hobbs, NM.

5/27/2021 Matador doormat

Day featured storms that could never really take off. Best storm we found was a dying LP near Matador, TX. Eventually peeled off and headed to hotel. Overnighted in Amarillo, TX.

5/25/2021 OK Panhandle severe convection

OK/TX border backlit supercells. Checked into a hotel in Liberal, KS with lackluster hopes for the day. Eventually we went south toward some towering convection, which eventually grew into a couple of supercell clusters along the OK/TX border near Hardesty, TX. Nice anvil mammatus display at sunset with some mediocre lightning after sunset. Overnighted in Liberal, KS.