Episode 31: Storm Chasing
Storm chasing has become a spectator sport in the United States. When colossal supercell thunder storms spin up in the U.S. Midwest, dozens of amateur and professional meteorologists tear after then in hopes of capturing images and video of intense lightning, hail, rain, and of course, tornadoes. Many of these storm chasers live-stream their pursuits on YouTube and other social media platforms, garnering some celebrity status with millions of viewers wing their exploits. Mason’s 12 year-old son, Cooper, has been closely following storm chasers and the severe storms they capture on video. These videos and the stories of the thousands of tornadoes that have ravaged parts of North America have become an obsession for him and he hopes to one day become a meteorologist who works to predict these storms and help people stay out of their way.
Motivated by Cooper’s passion for severe weather, Mason promised him that if he got good grades this school year, they’d go storm chasing. This episode is the story of that adventure. We hope you enjoy it.
Mason and Cooper chased this massive supercell for several hours and well past dark. It spawned at least six tornado warnings, flash flood warnings, and two confirmed tornadoes as it marched from just east of Colorado Springs all the way to Oklahoma. This panorama of the supercell, taken by Mason at sunset shows it towering above 50,000 feet and sprawling 20 miles wide.
Cooper rigs his GoPro camera on the windshield of the pickup truck he and Mason used to chase several supercells across Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico. The two relied on several devices to keep tabs on RADAR and other storm chasers.
Cooper and Mason’s storm chasing vehicle was a Ram Rebel 4x4 pickup. When Mason rented the truck in Denver, it was the cheapest option available and proved to be perfect for 14-hour days on the road, sometimes in severe weather.
Right out of the gate. Within an hour of landing in Denver, Mason and Cooper watched as storms formed along the flanks of the Rockies and rolled southeast toward Kansas.
In their haste, Mason and Cooper charged into the center of their first storm and encountered heavy rain and hail. At one point, the hailstones were almost an inch in diameter. As soon as he could find a safe place to pull over, Mason made this video of some of the smaller hail. Soon after this video was taken, this storm produced a small tornado.
After they cleared the hail core of the supercell, Mason and Cooper raced ahead of the storm through a dynamic lightning display. What an end to their first day of storm chasing!
On the morning of their second day of storm chasing, Mason and Cooper crossed into Kansas.
Kansas proved to be less thrilling storm-wise, but Cooper found Dodge City’s resident bull a bit intimidating.
As afternoon storms brewed, Mason and Cooper drove south into Oklahoma in hopes of intercepting a large supercell.
The Oklahoma panhandle soon gave way to Texas, where the duo moved south to survey the town of Perryton.
Cooper was interested to see the impact of the F3 tornado that struck Perryton, Texas less than a month before. He and Mason found much of the downtown area destroyed by the tornado that killed three people and injured 100. It was Cooper’s first exposure to the real world of tornadoes and the catastrophic damage they leave behind.
Cooper’s deepest interest in severe weather is the ways in which meteorologists measure the power of tornadoes by surveying the damage in their wake. Seeing first-hand the destruction in Perryton put the sheer power of these events into perspective and made a lasting impression on Cooper.
The devastation left by the June 15 tornado in Perryton was stunning to witness. What was obviously a thriving small town is now without much of the downtown business district.
Cooper walks past one of the many buildings in downtown Perryton that suffered complete devastation.
So much of the destruction in Perryton, Texas illustrated the power of a large tornado.
As the sun set on their second day of storm chasing, Mason and Cooper watched from afar as the storms moved on to the south.
Day three brought Mason and Cooper to their 5th state of the trip when they passed through the Northeast corner of New Mexico on their way back to Colorado where storms were predicted to form later.
After racing to intercept a large cell east of Denver, Mason and Cooper turned south to chase a photogenic cell that quickly exploded into a fast-moving tornado machine.
After yet another stop for gas and snacks, Mason and Cooper trailed the storm as it barreled southeast.
Navigating a zig-zag network of rural highways made catching this supercell challenging. Leaving flooded fields and towns behind it, the supercell pushed on into rugged country spawning at least two small tornadoes that left no damage.
Chasing the final storm of their trip, Mason and Cooper were awestruck by it. Bristling with lightning and towering miles high, it sprawled before them lit by the setting sun. They couldn’t catch it, but they were content to watch it churn away into the night.
With 1,600 miles of driving over three days, Mason and Cooper returned to Portland with great memories of the time together and a very strong urge to do it all again as soon as possible.
Video of the aftermath of the Perryton, Texas tornado on June 15th
I mentioned a drone video made the day after the Parryton tornado. Click on the image below to see the vide on YouTube.
Want to learn more about severe weather and storm chasing?
There are numerous storm chasers on YouTube, but a few stand out for their knack for explaining meteorology, their superb photography skills, and their on-camera personality. Mason and Cooper’s hands-down favorite is Pecos Hank. You can find his channel by clicking on the image below.
Pecos Hank produces videos occasionally, but never live-streams his chases. For live coverage of storms, Mason and Cooper look to a couple of storm chasers. You can find their channels by clicking on the images below.
Some Things Are Better Left Unseen
… but if you would like to see a video version of this podcast episode, we upload a lightly-edited version to our YouTube channel. Watch the video by clicking the thumbnail below.
