WHAT TO EXPECT WHILE ON TOUR
For starters, let’s not beat around the bush. Not every storm chase will end with witnessing that giant twister that other storm tour companies promise you. My tour is about the whole aspect of storm chasing and focuses more on the safety side of the chase and learning how to forecast severe weather. Storm chasing is like fishing, no matter how good you are at it, the fish may not want to bite, just as a storm may not develop. Even the pros have what we call “blue sky bust” days.
SCHEDULING A TOUR
To begin with, my tours will be scheduled on an on-call basis, where the first caller on my list will be the first person that I contact to join me on a storm chasing adventure across tornado alley. I will make a call one week prior to the chase to schedule the individual(s) that want to join me on a storm chasing adventure.
TOUR FEES
Our per-day fee is $150.00 per individual, which helps me to cover fuel cost for the excursion. These chases may span multiple days, which I will inform prospective clients about and post here on our schedule page. I do require half of the payment down once you have accepted the tour spot with A.M.W. Tornado Hunters and if for some reason an individual must back out of the scheduled trip, there will be no refunds. We are after all running a business and if an individual books a seat only to back out, it is costing another prospective client their opportunity to join in the storm chasing trip. We accept cash and all major credit cards.
WHAT TO BRING ON TOUR
Please pack light. A light jacket, a couple of cameras, and extra clothing if scheduled for a multiple day chase. I will have Wi-Fi readily available in the chase vehicle for internet use.
THE DAY OF THE CHASE
Once you have booked the storm chase with AMW Tornado Hunters, I will meet you at a designated location of your choice for pick up. We will go over safety rules first, because safety during storm chasing is of the greatest importance to my business. After discussing safety, we will talk about what to expect during the chase and I will teach you what goes into forecasting for severe weather events. Once storms begin to develop, I will talk about how to chase safely and how to read the storm both visually and assisted by radar. If on a multiple day event, we will be staying at hotels close to our target areas. Each morning, we will analyze the upper air and surface data, forecast models, satellite imagery, and other types of weather data. We, as a group, will then determine the best target area together. We will then leave the hotel between 8:00 am and 10:00 am to get to our target area in time for storm development. With prime storm chasing time usually in the late afternoon and early evening hours, we will try to find a local restaurant for lunch. We as a storm chasing team would want to be in our target area for severe weather on chase days, so late afternoon gas station stops for gas and food may be our only opportunity for a snack and a bathroom break.
IN CONCLUSION
My chasing tours will be hands-on for everyone and I may have a client drive during a storm chase. I may ask everyone to take turns driving during a storm chase, which will help teach that individual how to deal with road conditions. Also, I teach everyone how to report severe weather to local law enforcement agencies and to the local National Weather Service offices across tornado alley. Your reports could potentially save lives during severe weather events. The most important thing to me is making sure that all of my clients learn how to chase severe weather and learn how to do it safely, making sure that all traffic laws are being followed. Storm chasing is a potentially dangerous hobby, but if done correctly, it can be an exhilarating and rewarding hobby. Mother Nature certainly can put on a beautiful show for us to witness and I would love for you to join me to witness it live!
TO REGISTER FOR AN UPCOMING TOUR, PLEASE CONTACT ME