Storm Chasing.

My next storm chasing trip is 30 days from today. The weather in the central part of the United States has been rather feisty for the past week and I’m wondering if Mother Nature is doing all her showing off in the earlier parts of spring this year. I’m sure there will be some opportunity to chase storms when I’m out there in the mid part of May, but I do have a plan B if things don’t come together. There’s always hiking and exploring places I’ve never visited on the agenda.

I’m starting to watch the 30 day weather models. While they just show trends with a whole bunch of uncertainty. The little green blob in Colorado, Kansas, and the Texas panhandle gives me just a touch of hope. There are plenty of other factors to consider when it comes to storm formation, but this is a promising start.

With Mom in the hospital we’ve been spending most of the time with her since arriving on Thursday. My sister and her boyfriend spent yesterday morning with mom, so I took a couple of hours and drove up to the state park closest to my hometown. Said park is called Selkirk Shores State Park.

Lake effect snow was moving in over Lake Ontario and the wind was whipping impressively at 30 knots or so. Waves were crashing up onto the frozen beach. Lake Ontario is definitely not frozen over.

Selkirk Shores State Park is undergoing a complete renovation in 2025, and only the beaches will be open for day use. When I was growing up my family would rent one of the rustic cabins for two weeks. I have fond memories of this type of camping.

The impressive wind, the snow, and the whole winter experience really ignited my storm chaser tendencies. After I snapped a selfie I took some video and I’ll probably put a short video together when I get home later this week.

Earl hopped back in the car.

Pecos Hank on YouTube has an excellent year end video showing many highlights of storm chasing season in 2024. His videography is an inspiration for me.

If you take a look at 14:16, you’ll see me parked and capturing the Eldorado and Duke, Oklahoma tornado back on the 23rd of May. Seeing me in someone else’s storm chasing video just made my day.

It’s getting to that time of year when I start thinking about storm chasing in the spring. I haven’t decided if I’m going to go on a chase trip next May or not, but in the meanwhile I’m watching some fantastic videos about thunderstorms, supercells, and tornadoes.

I discovered this channel earlier this morning… Pecos Hank – Nature with a Twist!

Every morning I read the forecast discussion from the local office of the National Weather Service. The first paragraph of today’s forecast is worded in a way I have never seen before, but it warmed my heart.

.DISCUSSION…For most, it can be a challenge to define where

inspiration comes from. For the great artists, it usually would

come from a glance at something so wonderful that it initiates a

sense of awe. Something so wonderful that it makes them want to

mimic that emotional response. Today, the weather across all of

Southeast Arizona will be perfect…truly awe-inspiring. A

shortwave ridge of high pressure nudging into the Desert Southwest

from the west today will usher in mildly warm afternoon

temperatures 5-10 degrees above climatological normal (the upper

70s to mid 80s across the valleys). A gentle breeze. Sunny skies.

It`s that type of day where you must find your way outside to

enjoy.

The best storms during the Monsoon Season are usually the ones that never appeared on the forecast. We had some impressive lightning strikes in the show this evening.

I love it when Mother Nature is in a feisty mood. Here’s some lightning shots of the latest storm to pass through during this monsoon season.