Storm Chases
More Chase Opportunities in June!
Come along with us as we hunt for severe thunderstorms this summer. We’ll be photographing and video recording severe thunderstorms for basic research that will be correlated with data operational forecasters use.
The Area We Cover
North Dakota, South Dakota, eastern Montana, eastern Wyoming, Nebraska, northeast Colorado, portions of Iowa, portions of Minnesota and portions of northern Kansas. This area usually gives us great visibility both because of the clarity of the air and the wide open spaces.
Rules of Engagement
Our goal is to stay a safe distance from the storm. We are looking for storms which produce large hail, tornadoes and straight line winds. We give these storms a lot of respect because they are dangerous and because of the type of damage they inflict; we’re not interested in risking lives. Keep in mind that there is a lot of risk involved.
We’ll walk you through the evolution of storms while they develop – a classroom on the road.
We’ll be doing some research while we’re chasing, too.
Check out these storm photos from chases in Japan and the U.S.
If we have a day that offers no hope of thunderstorms, we’ll continue the “classroom on the road” and show you more about meteorology in real-time — while providing you with fantastic photo opportunities.
Join Us
We’ll provide the expertise to locate the storms. We provide the transportation 
or, if you prefer, you can provide your own.
We’ll provide the transportation
We’ll start the day with a weather briefing, possibly as early as 6am (depending on how far we’ll be traveling), chart the route and then head out. We’ll let you know ahead of time when we’ll meet for the weather briefing. Often, when we’re chasing within 250 miles of Rapid City, we won’t have to start out until 9am.
Chase Days
Choose the block of days when you want to chase with us. We may travel 600 miles or more each day, depending on the weather conditions. Where we stay on a given night depends on what the weather looks like for the next day, so plan on long days.
Our 2013 chase trips are:
June 3, 4 and 5
June 6, 7 and 8
June 9, 10 and 11
June 24, 25 and 26
July 10, 11, 12 and 13
July 17, 18, 19 and 20
July trips include an additional day.
If you are flexible, you can also chase with us on an “on-call” basis. We’ll give you a heads-up 1 to 2 days in advance of a chase so you can choose whether or not to join us. Space is limited and available on a first come, first served basis May 15 to August 15.
Use the form below to let us know about your interest in chasing “on call”. The cost is $375 per day (includes transportation, lunch and dinner). There is a non-refundable registration fee of $125 to put you on the call list (the registration fee is applied to the per day chase fee).
Accommodations
The cost of a motel/hotel room and lunch is included in our fee. You are responsible for the cost of breakfast and dinner. Lunch is often on the run and may consist of box lunches, gas station fare, truck stops or fast food.
We recommend that you bring a small suitcase each day just in case we have to overnight away from Rapid City. If we do have to spend the night away from Rapid City, we’ll pay for the room and dinner (we will likely have a continental breakfast at the hotel).
The 2013 Cost
We charge $1200 per person, non-refundable, storm or no storm, for a three day chase tour. Dates are confirmed when a deposit of $500 is received. The balance is due May 10, 2013.
Comments or questions are welcome.
Be sure to mail your down payment or use PayPal.
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