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New up-close tornado video from 5/23/08 in NW KS!!
Weather radios save lives, every household should have one! Never go outside to see the storm or tornado!!!!!!! Even the most experienced chasers have had many close calls and in the past year, two spotters have died. We have been chasing for 6 seasons (years) now and only do so at a distance we feel comfortable with. If you are interested in storm chasing/spotting, learn everything you can about storm structure/behavior and REGULARLY attend spotter training classes put on by your local National Weather Service each Winter/Spring!!!
6/12/08: Darin, Lexi, and Dick intercepted a tornado-warned supercell near Cottonwood Falls, KS and watched a rotating wall cloud within 1/4 mile and watched it produce a funnel halfway to the ground at close range, but no tornado.
6/11/08: We intercept 3 supercells, the first two failing to produce tornadoes, but HIGHLY photogenic, including the most amazing structure Jordan and Dick have ever witnessed. We waited for a developing tornadic supercell as it approached Salina, KS and witnessed several power flashes in Salina (and we reported them to the National Weather Service as always) and then fell behind it as it moved to the east/northeast at 50 mph. This supercell produces a strong tornado that ended up hitting Chapman, KS killing 1 and destroying 60 percent of the town (rated EF-3). We caught back up to it as it was approaching Junction City, but the town was luckily spared as this tornadic supercell began to cycle. It then produced another tornado near Ogden moving E/NE as we watched helplessly (but still reporting power flashes) as it impacted the city of Manhattan. Thankfully, no one was killed or seriously injured in the Little Apple. This tornado was given an EF-4 rating, but would continue to produce tornadoes till almost midnight and killing one more person in a mobile home in Soldier, KS. A very sobering night, as this year continues to produce deadly tornadoes across the country.
6/5/08: A high risk day that we didn't really want to chase, but did anyways, resulting in tornadic storms that were very HP, no tornadoes, but had very photogenic shelf clouds.
6/4/08: Once again, multiple target day and we choose the "less favorable" target along the warm front and it pays off with a cyclic supercell riding the instability axis along the front as it slowly moves eastward and produces at least 3 rain-wrapped tornadoes near dusk in SW IA.
6/3/08: We intercept a tornado-warned storm that displays amazing structure, and a memorable lightning show for hours on end. We visit with an Amish family and show them their first look at radar ever and try to explain cloud features to them the best we can.
5/29/08: We target NC KS trying to stay away from the chaser crowds, and it pays off big time with TornadoPalooza 08' and probably one of the best supercells ever witnessed structure-wise, and tornadoes in every shape/form for nearly 4 hours straight. Jordan and others sustain a direct hit mistaking the condensation funnel lifting as a ropeout, and debris hits them knocking out their side window. Meanwhile TornadoVideos.Net, successfully deploys the HD camera probe and 2 other mesonet vehicles record the pressure drop as it hit them.
5/25/08: We intercept a very weak landspout and witness amazing structure in NW Barton county, KS.
5/24/08: Cap bust, turkey towers in NC KS and SC NE.
5/23/08: We intercept 2-3 tornadoes and chase for nearly 12 hours solid, one tornado up close near Park (Quinter) Kansas, Ness City and then ended our chase near Greensburg/Great Bend. The inflow at night was so strong, visibility at times was 50 feet as dust was sucked out of fields and snapped tree branches in Pratt, KS! We encounter major tornado damage south of Great Bend, with familiar tornado "smells" of gas and fresh cut trees along with power lines down.
5/22/08: We intercept several spinups and two tornadoes near Dighton, Ness City, and Wakeeney, KS and were on the outer edge of an EF-1 tornado in Wakeeney as the mesocyclone wrapped around us rapidly to the east, and we narrowly escape.
5/10/08: We intercept a brief cone tornado until the infamous Picher, OK supercell forms literally in minutes and chokes our storm. After trying to punch the soft-ball hail-producing core and dealing with closed highways, we also intercept the ropeout stage and drive through the damage path that claims the lives of 4 people near Joplin, MO...23 people total.
5/1/08: A moderate risk day with the theme of 2008...: unidirectional and veered surface flow that produces very photogenic supercells and tornadoes, the most impressive in NE OK, but we blow those storms off...and it turns out to be a huge mistake, several tornadoes at dusk in NE OK.
4/24/08: We get a tan in SW KS as the cap wins, but refused to go home empty handed and intercept a supercell that produces a few "if-nadoes" and then produces EF-2 damage north of Beloit, KS. We chased it until 2 a.m., the longest chase for tornado-warned storms we've ever done.
4/19/08: TornadoLive.Com and TornadoVideos.Net have teamed up this Spring to stream LIVE VIDEO for every storm chase! Not only is there LIVE VIDEO, but we also have a live GPS tracker overlayed onto Google maps with radar...and many more features coming soon!
4/15/08: Darin and Dick were interviewed for a documentary about the Greensburg, KS tornado that leveled 95% of the town and unfortunately took the lives of 12 people. It will air on Sunday, May 4th at 7 p.m. on PBS in Kansas. Visit, GreensburgFilm.Com for more info.
Our Greensburg footage will also be on the new 13 part series on the Discovery Channel, called "Ecotown" for at least the first two episodes.
In 2007, we successfully broadcasted at least 3 tornadoes on 3 separate chase days!
TornadoLive is the Photography/Video Outlet for storm chasers Darin Brunin, Dick McGowan, Matt Jacobs and Jordan Wrecke. Located in Lawrence, KS and Kansas City.. We are some of the most hardcore chasers in the world, traveling tens of thousands of miles every year in search of the best and worst, that mother nature has to offer.
Successful chase days in 2007 with multiple tornadoes: 3/28, 4/21, 5/4, 5/5 and 5/22
Have a dangerous birthday. (lol) Yes, as your profile says, keep a weather radio in your home. If you don't have access to one, use the computer, and frequently visit noaa. com -Dan National Weather Service Trained and Certified Storm Chaser
