A short bio

My name is Skip and I’m based out of Bolingbrook, Illinois.  Although I have been fascinated by thunderstorms and tornadoes for as long as I can remember, it wasn’t until 2003 when I started actively pursuing severe weather.  Armed with only a weather radio and limited knowledge of the sky, I went on my first storm chase.  I came out empty handed, despite the fact that I was chasing during a tornado outbreak.  I also learned some safety lessons the hard way.

Much has changed since that first chase.  I took an atmospheric sciences course, “Severe and Unusual Weather” at the University of Illinois in order to better understand the weather I was chasing and make my own forecasts.  I have also done much studying on my own, including reading books such as the Storm Chasing Handbook, and the posts in the Stormtrack Forum.

Tornadoes and Severe Thunderstorms are both dangerous and destructive, and while witnessing such spectacles is exhilarating and awe inspiring, one is constantly reminded of those who fall victim.  When I started chasing I was also compelled to give back to the community.  I received my Skywarn spotter training so that I could report severe weather to the National Weather Service.  Such reports are used by the NWS to issue warnings that save lives and property.  I also studied for and received my amateur radio license.  Many spotter networks use amateur, or ham radio, to report severe weather for relay to the national weather service.

I still chase with my trusty weather radio but I have made many other additions to my chase arsenal over the past year.  I have a handheld ham radio, a Kenwood TH-F6 for reporting severe weather and communication with other chasers.  A laptop computer linked to a GPS receiver allows for quick routing and pin point location accuracy during my chase.  I also have a cell phone with internet capability so that I can download weather data, allowing me to get a better picture of what’s happening in the sky.  I record my chases on a five mega-pixel digital camera.