Is the severe weather forecast dire when I take off work to chase?
I’m talking about the upcoming period of Monday, May 6th to Wednesday, May 8th, 2024.
Since storm chasing is not a full time endeavor, I have to pick and choose when and where I go.
Many times, I chase based more on convenience rather than best severe potential and that’s ok. It is still exciting to use science, geography and available road networks to try and get the best thunderstorm possible. There’s always a possibility I could get the only footage of a tornado because the focus of most other chasers was somewhere else. However, this style can also mean missing very photogenic storms or tornadoes.
Taking time off frees me to travel farther and leaves open the possibility of lodging overnight rather than driving back to Springfield in the wee hours of the morning.
So when the Storm Prediction Center issues forecasts like seen below, I take advantage! An extra bonus is that they are still relatively close to home, perhaps a six hour drive to get the best location. Also, the geography works. Monday will be Kansas/Nebraska (all good). Tuesday, eastern Missouri (so-so) and Illinois (mostly flat if it’s still light outside) and Wednesday could very well be eastern Arkansas (flat) or back to Illinois.
Here’s my video review of what I think will happen record on Saturday after many of the morning computer models have updated:
