Homemade aluminum plate prevents insects and debris from entering temperature sensor.

   Weather enthusiasts often ask, how do I become a storm chaser? Before you chase storms, a course in meteorology is strongly advised. Reading books and the internet are both great places to start. When you storm chase, it is very important to be aware of your surroundings. Safety and common sense first! Observing an anvil top of a severe thunderstorm 50 miles away and chasing that storm could put you in danger. Not knowing if the storm will change course, or, you are on an unfamiliar dead end road or the road is washed away from a flood. The storm's rain band could obstruct a tornado, high wind or hail. The greatest dangers to storm chasers are not just tornadoes, wind and hail, instead, it's traffic and lightning. Night chasing can be very dangerous. Only a few chasers pursue night storms. But those who do, rely on RADAR and frequent lightning to see the storm. I have researched the internet and found the best 188 Storm Chasing Websites which are located at the lower part of this page.

    Another important tip is public safety. Never sleep at unlit Interstate rest area's unless a caravan of tractor trailers are present. Sleep overnights on well lighted toll roads and turnpikes. Service Plaza parking areas near the food courts and Truck stops like TA Travel Centers or Love's Truck Stops are your best bet. They are open 24 hours and have hot showers.You'll be carrying expensive equipment, credit cards, money, etc.. Always cover your equipment with a blanket when leaving the vehicle unattended. KOA Campground sells a US Directory for $6.00 online. Most campgrounds are within a few miles of most interstate highways and  charge $15-20 per night which includes a hot shower and heated pool. Always have on hand a large Coleman cooler with plenty of drinks/water, food/protein bars and ice for emergencies.

    Your chase vehicle will be your best friend. It must be in good working order. A complete checkup should be done each spring, and each time before a trip. A chase can be hundreds of miles per day depending on where severe weather occurs. An oil change may be necessary during the trip.  It is wise not to chase alone. If you are traveling with a group in multiple vehicles, communication is important. Most storm chasers are amateur radio operators and they are in contact with each other on local 2 meter simplex frequencies. Non hams use citizens band or cell phones. Not all cell phones work in open areas without cell service, but some cellular companies use satellites. I use a Motorola V-170 TracFone, a pay-as-you-go service. There are some tracfones which have USB ports to download weather data to laptops. I prefer XM Satellite Weather from Baron Services.

My collection of study materials...  "Under The Whirlwind" and "Essentials of Meteorology" are my favorite study guides. "Essentials of Meteorology" is a common college study guide. The price is about $110 new and is also available at half the price on Ebay.

Essentials of Meteorology	Under The Whirlwind	The Ultimate Storm	Storm Chaser	USA Today
Fifth Edition	Second Edition	Survival Handbook	By Warren Faidley	The Weather Book
C. Donald Ahrens	Jerrine & Arjen Verkaik	By Warren Faidley	.	By Jack Williams

The week of May 10-17, 2009 I chased storms in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Kansas. I saw the Kirksville, Missouri EF 2 Tornado damage from May 13, 2009. See the photos of my trip here.

COMPUTER EQUIPMENT

    In June of 2010 I purchased a new ACER Aspire 5741 laptop computer. It has 4 GB memory, 500 GB HD, DVD/CD Burner, 15.6 inch HD LED Screen, a Logiteck M310 wireless mouse and many other features. Pentium 4  sure is fast! The old Dell 610 laptops were way too outdated and slowww. The older software like Microsoft 2000, WxWorx software, etc. load and run just fine on Windows 7. I'm glad I waited for Windows 7 operating system. I like it very much compared to Vista.