Tornadoes can be many things: captivating, terrifying, dangerous, breathtaking, beautiful, spine-tingling, and otherworldly. They’re also an incredible reminder of the sheer power of Mother Nature, as they tear across landscapes, roaring like freight trains.
I’ve been thinking a lot about tornadoes recently; especially since the cinema release of Twisters this summer. The 1996 original, Twister, added fuel to my intense, lifelong fascination with storms. I’ve lost countless hours watching footage on YouTube and reading news stories about tornado sightings.
While most of us won’t have seen a tornado in real life, in the UK, we have around 30 small, short-lived twisters each year. But it’s the US where most of the action happens, with more than 1200 tornado sightings annually. So, if, like me, you’ve always dreamt of seeing a real-life tornado and don’t want to hedge your bets on seeing one close to home, you might have thought about embarking on a storm-chasing adventure.
Peak tornado season is May to June, and most storm chasers head to America’s Tornado Alley, which includes portions of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska. Professional storm chasers have meteorological training, which allows them to better understand the storms they’re chasing, and gather key research – some of which is used in creating advanced warning systems. Some storm chasers also make a living selling photographs and footage of storms, or running storm chasing tours.
Note: Tornadoes are unpredictable and attempting to get close to them carries risk. Doing thorough research before embarking on any such experience is important so you understand what you’re signing up for. If you decide to get involved in storm chasing, you should never attempt to do so alone and always travel with a reputable company to minimise risk.
What is a tornado?
Most storm chasers are drawn toward storms severe enough to produce one thing: a tornado.
A tornado is one of nature’s most powerful and awe-inspiring phenomena – a violently rotating column of air that stretches from storm clouds down to Earth’s surface.
When warm, humid air collides with cold, dry air during severe thunderstorms, it creates the perfect conditions for tornadoes to form. The air begins to rotate, spinning faster and faster until a funnel-shaped cloud extends toward the ground. Once it touches down, we call it a tornado.
These whirling storms can spin at speeds over 300 miles per hour; powerful enough to lift cars, tear apart buildings, and throw debris for miles. They range from narrow rope-like funnels to massive wedges more than a mile wide. While they typically last just a few minutes, some can persist for over an hour, carving long paths of destruction.
Tornadoes are ranked from EF0 to EF5 based on the damage they cause, with EF5s being the most destructive – though, these are rare and account for just 5% of all tornadoes.
What is storm chasing?
Storm chasing is an activity where people deliberately track and follow severe weather events to witness, study, or photograph them up close. Chasers use technology and forecasting skills to predict where storms will form, and then drive to these locations to observe them.
Storm chasers use specialised equipment like weather radar, GPS, and communication devices to track developing storms. While some do it professionally – like scientists collecting data or photographers capturing dramatic shots – others join organised tours led by experienced guides who know how to pursue storms as safely as possible.
The main targets are usually powerful thunderstorms and tornadoes, though chasers also pursue spectacular lightning displays, large hail, and dramatic cloud formations. Most chasing happens in ‘Tornado Alley’ in the United States during spring and early summer.
While exciting, storm chasing requires careful attention to safety and is always best attempted with experienced professionals, rather than independently. You can also travel a huge distance to capture some of the best action – up to 500 miles in a day.
How risky is storm chasing?
As you would expect, storm chasing can be dangerous because of things like flying debris, large hail, lightning, and flooding. Cars and vans can be swept off roads; become caught in traffic jams, making it difficult to make a quick exit; or experience hydroplaning, or difficulties with driving visibility.
That said, storm chasing deaths as a direct result of storms are rare – though they do happen. For example, on May 31st, 2013, a tragic event changed storm chasing forever when the largest tornado ever recorded struck near El Reno, Oklahoma. In a devastating turn of events, three experienced storm chasers lost their lives: Tim Samaras, a respected engineer, his son Paul who was a photographer, and their colleague Carl Young, a meteorologist. They were conducting scientific research when the tornado caught them.
What made this event so extraordinary and deadly was a perfect storm of factors. The tornado, which was already massive, suddenly grew to an incredible width of 2.6 miles. At the same time, it unexpectedly changed direction and sped up. The tornado was also difficult to see, being partly hidden by rain – making it even more deceptive to track.
While storm chasing can never be deemed 100% safe – regardless of experience – experts generally agree that the risk is minimised if you’re a seasoned storm chasing professional, or travelling with one.
Tornado Alley – 4 storm chasing tours for the adventure of a lifetime
If you’ve come this far and you’re still swept away by the idea of seeing a tornado in real-time, check out our list of four of the most reputable storm-chasing companies for the adventure of a lifetime.
These tours operate in Tornado Alley and typically include lodging, daily weather briefings, storm chasing led by the industry’s most experienced staff, free on-board WiFi, photo-taking tips, an exclusive T-shirt, and much more. However, it’s important to check the specific inclusions with each tour operator before booking.
Storm chasing tours also have limited capacity – for safety and comfort – and sell out fast, so it’s recommended that you book 18 months in advance. Some tour groups have wait lists you can join if tours are sold out.
Note: Tornadoes are unpredictable and attempting to get close to them carries risk. Doing thorough research before embarking on any such experience is important so you understand what you’re signing up for. If you decide to get involved in storm chasing, you should never attempt to do so alone and always travel with a reputable company to minimise risk.
1. Tempest Tours
Founded in 2000, Tempest Tours is run by a team of veteran storm chasers with nearly 200 years of combined experience chasing storms – lending way to the tagline, “It’s in our blood”.
Among the staff is William T. Reid who’s been chasing tornadoes for over 30 years. He has exceptional forecasting and logical skills, a dedication to safety, and an uncanny ability to find good storms, even on marginal days. Other team members, including Martin Lisius, Bill Reid, and Chuck Doswell have appeared in the award-winning documentary, The Chasers of Tornado Alley: Touching the Sky.
Texas-based Tempest Tours claims to use cutting-edge technology and expert knowledge to identify and intercept the most significant weather of the day. But they’re also big on education and provide lectures and demonstrations to increase guests’ understanding of how our dynamic atmosphere works.
Chases take place in heavy-duty vans that carry a maximum of six to seven passengers so that everyone has a window seat and is as safe and comfortable as possible. Tour groups also have a two-van limit to increase mobility and, therefore, the safety and quality of the experience. Plus, Tempest Tours says that all drivers are approved by their insurance company before each season, and that no safety incidents have occurred in their 24 years of operation.
Tours vary in length, with the longest being 10 days – while prices range from £2,700-3,800, excluding flights. To find out more about Tempest Tours, you can visit their website or YouTube channel.
2. Extreme Tornado Tours
Extreme Tornado Tours – based in Oklahoma – began operating in 2008, after it was set up by Reed Timmer, from Discovery Channel’s television show, Storm Chasers. He wanted to create a way for storm enthusiasts worldwide to join in on storm chasing experiences firsthand.
Each team member is a seasoned storm chaser, who is said to eat, breathe, and live storm chasing. Two professional guides – one to drive and one to navigate – are assigned to each van, while the front van houses Kevin Rolfs – a meteorologist with over 17 years of experience. Tours cost between £2,600 and £3000 (excluding flights) and range from seven to 10 days.
Extreme Tornado Tours says they have a perfect safety record and a 50% client return rate, with many guests returning year after year. According to their website, one guest has been on 13 tours over five years and seen nearly 100 tornadoes.
Safety is noted as the company’s first concern, and is emphasised by their motto of ‘safety first, storms second’. Vans are fitted with an OSHA-approved first aid kit and fire extinguisher, tool kit, side external lighting for low light condition guest ingress/egress, and directional rear amber hazards for off-road stops to make it easier for them to be seen by other chasers/motorists.
When not chasing storms, Extreme Tornado Tours promises the ‘American experience’ – visiting famous restaurants, and iconic national parks and attractions. Their website says…
“Our guests have stood in front of Mount Rushmore, marveled at the Rockies mountain range in Colorado, visited the Twister Museum in Wakita, Oklahoma, and dipped their toes in the sand in the Gulf of Mexico after a fresh seafood dinner in Kemah, Texas! One of the most common things our guests beam about after a tour is how they got so much more out of it than just the storm chasing!”
For more on Extreme Tornado tours, check out their website.
3. Storm Chasing Adventure Tours
Storm Chasing Adventure Tours claims to have a 100% safety record since it started offering tours in 1997. Like the other tour companies listed here, the company promises a heavy-duty van with plenty of space, a guaranteed window seat, and many opportunities to deepen your understanding of weather patterns and phenomena.
Days will typically be 12 hours long, with six to eight hours spent on the road. The company promises that their storm chasers are more than just ‘app storm chasers’ – they can read the sky without needing real-time data. This means they can continue chasing – or know when to retreat – even with no internet access.
This is particularly true of lead chaser, Todd Thorn, who’s been featured on National Geographic Television and media outlets worldwide, including BBC Television during Twister Week. He’s been fascinated by severe storms and tornadoes since he was six and began chasing in 1991.
Tours with Storm Chasing Adventure Tours start at around £2200 and can cost up to £3600. They cater to both first-time adventurers and seasoned storm chasers, and last between seven and 10 days. To find out more, check out the Storm Chasing Adventure Tours website or visit them on Facebook.
4. Silver Lining Tours
Silver Lining Tours has garnered quite a reputation since it began operating in 1990, and this is largely because it’s run by one of the world’s most respected storm chasers – Roger Hill. In 2015, in the Guinness Book of World Records, Hill was officially recognised as the person who’s seen the most tornadoes in the history of mankind (which, today, is over 700).
To help people realise their lifelong dream of seeing severe storms and tornadoes in real-time while understanding something about them and how they form, Silver Lining Tours offers several tour packages ranging from 6-10 days, and costing £2800-3,800 (excluding flights). Among these is a photography tour, run by Roger’s wife, Caryn – a storm chaser with decades of photographic experience.
Silver Lining Tours, headquartered in Texas, has been featured on networks such as National Geographic, Discovery, and History. They claim to have the highest intercept rate of any other storm chasing company due to their highly accurate forecasting, and skill at positioning themselves well in the target area to obtain the best possible lighting and visibility of a storm and its elements.
It’s worth noting, however, that there has been some controversy around Silver Lining Tours after an incident in Northeast Kansas in 2019, when two of their storm chasing vans were rolled and some guests injured. Silver Lining Tours issued a statement about the incident on their page, claiming they were hit by a rain-wrapped satellite tornado – a type of storm that “couldn’t have been predicted” – but still considered themselves “careful chasers”.
While there are mixed opinions on the incident, it’s a healthy reminder of the dangers of storm chasing, regardless of who you go with – something which should always be considered when deciding whether to book.
Silver Lining Tours has more information on its website, as well as plenty of action videos on its YouTube channel.
Final thoughts…
While storm chasing can be risky, it can also be exhilarating, exciting, humbling, and educational. There’s just something about getting close to one of Mother Nature’s largest and most powerful events.
However, storm chasing isn’t something to take lightly, especially if you aren’t a professional. It requires research and plenty of preparation; and should always be done as part of a tour with a reputable company. It’s also important to read as many reviews as possible, as these can help to shed light on how safe and comfortable previous chasers have been made to feel.
While storm chasing certainly won’t be for everyone, if you’re someone like me, for whom it’s been a lifelong dream, we hope this article will give you some insights into how to stay safe, while making it a reality.
And, if you’re blown away by tornadoes but don’t want to go on a chase, there are plenty of other ways to satisfy your intrigue. Some storm chasing companies, like Silver Lining Tours stream chases live online. There are plenty of videos on YouTube as well.
Are you interested in tornadoes? Have you ever thought about going storm chasing? Or perhaps you’ve been? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.