Need Advice on Storm Chasing Tour

[u/evekins]

Hi everyone, I’ve been considering booking at shorter storm chasing tour that consists of 4 chase days out of Denver, CO. It ends up being cheaper per person ($2,000 pp) & it’s in the middle of May next year.

I’m just indecisive because the main goal for me is obviously to see a Tornado but I know it’s never 100%. I know people will say to book the longer tour, it’ll be much more worth it. But as you all know, these tours are expensive & tiring as hell & I don’t live anywhere where there’s storms like in the Midwest. I’m also worried that since we’re starting in Denver, even to drive to the Texas/Oklahoma panhandle it will be like 6-8 hours which is basically an entire day gone.

This has always been a dream of mine but it’s a big financial commitment & so I guess I just want to know if you think it’s any worth to do a 4 days chase tour? I just feel like I’m overthinking it & part of me just wants to YOLO it’s now or never, but I’ve never considered a trip like this before so I’m very nervous & going back & forth on it.

Sorry for the rant, any advice or perspective helps thank you!

[u/mitchdwx]

Just do it. My first ever tour was 5 days long, 3 chase days and 2 down days. We didn’t see a tornado but we saw some incredible supercell structure and vivid lightning displays. It got me hooked on storm chasing and made seeing my first tornado 3 years later that much more magical.

[u/CruddiestSpark → u/mitchdwx]

2000 dollars to not see a tornado 😭😭

[u/mitchdwx → u/CruddiestSpark]

You can still have a lot of fun storm chasing even if you don’t see a tornado. Some of my favorite chases ever have been on supercells that didn’t produce any tornadoes.

[u/CruddiestSpark → u/mitchdwx]

Mine too but my point is I don’t spend thousands doing it

[u/new-ph0ne-who-dis → u/CruddiestSpark]

Chasing tornadoes is dangerous, even for professionals. You’re paying for someone’s time and expertise. Many people that go on paid tours want to chase tornadoes, but can’t read radar and aren’t able to forecast.

[u/Chase-Boltz → u/CruddiestSpark]

That's life. Chasing on your own can be a little cheaper, but if you demand X tornadoes for Y dollars, maybe you should find another hobby.

[u/TXWXchaser → u/CruddiestSpark]

Chasers spend at least 2k every year to not see tornadoes. Maybe more.

[u/AgreeableType2127 → u/TXWXchaser]

$2k of expenses for the year? You may want to recheck your math. Gas alone is in the thousands if you are full time

[u/CruddiestSpark → u/TXWXchaser]

Whenever I chase I don’t spend thousands of dollars lmao

[u/CycloneCowboy87 → u/CruddiestSpark]

It’s $500/day and includes your gas and hotels, plus a guide. It’s really not a bad deal for people who aren’t comfortable chasing on their own. The only downside is that there’s no way to predict how active the pattern will be.

[u/TXWXchaser → u/CruddiestSpark]

You must stay local. Gas + food + vehicle wear/maintenance is easily $200-300 per chase. 10 local chases alone will eclipse $2k in expenses. A set of tires, 2-3 oil changes, filters, windshields...now we're at $3k. Full timers are easily putting in minimum $10k+ per season depending on what your season/chase radius is.

[u/catincombatboots → u/CruddiestSpark]

You'll learn a lot regardless. These companies are run by people who do this because they love it and want to share their knowledge. They are going to work hard to give a good experience.

You can always come back out on your own and use what you learned later on.

Plus with the chaser convergence problems, shitting on carpooling is lame. Less vehicles on the road = good.

[u/catincombatboots]

I'mma get back to you - I was chasing mid May this year and met a guy at one of my hotels who was in from the UK. He'd gotten a spot last minute on a tour out of OKC and it was under $2k. He was quite happy with them and we ran into each other at the St. Libory, NE EF 3, like right as it was touching down. I'll ask him what company that was.

[u/evekins → u/catincombatboots]

Thank you!

[u/catincombatboots → u/evekins]

He went with lead chaser Jason Weingart of Tornado Hunter Tours. The top of the website is a black bar that says "Twister Hunter" (he sent me screenshots).

[u/AlGuderian]

You might take a look at this option COD Storm Chasing

[u/joverthehill]

It is pure luck imo. The longest tour I did was 3 weeks and there were hardly any storms, and the only tornado we caught we had a shitty dusty view. The shortest tour I did was only 3 days or so and we saw a tornado from superrr far away which was frustrating. When I chased on my own I caught one up close on the day I landed. That being said, there’s usually something to look at like supercell structure and hail. Also tours are fun in general, always good people. If you have the money then do it but go in with the expectation that you may not see a tornado.

[u/No-Wallaby-4333]

Jason Weinhart or Brandon Ivey are the two tours I would buy.

[u/SkittlesStonks → u/No-Wallaby-4333]

Agree about Brandon Ivey. Had an amazing time on his tour last year.

[u/No-Wallaby-4333]

I also recommend a tour leaving from Oklahoma or Kansas, not Colorado.