As we approach the last days of May and the associated conclusion of the southern plains storm season, I ponder back at this season’s successes and failures on my part. Unlike Connor, who will be out chasing for several more weeks to come in the northern plains, I don’t have that luxury and thus my 2011 spring season is just about wrapped up. My season started out early this year with several winter weather events, with one just after new year’s and then a major ice/snow storm during the first week of February, which ironically was when North Texas was hosting the super bowl at jerryland. While these events were not in any way related to chasing tornadoes, I enjoyed them in the sense that it allowed me to work on my freelance videography skills and get all my new equipment in perfect running order. Speaking of new equipment, after winging it during 2010, borrowing other folks data cards and running the laptop in the passenger seat of my Dodge Grand Caravan ’99 van, I spent last fall getting all new equipment. This year was the first test of my ‘new’ 2001 Ford Explorer Sport. The main benefit of this vehicle is obviously the four wheel drive that allowed me to run without any issues, including the major ice storm back in February. After running without a laptop for the month of April, I picked up a brand new Asus G73 which had (and still does in many cases) many of the latest offerings available, including a Intel Core i7 and an ATI Radeon HD5870. This allowed me to edit and render high definition video and run all the live streaming software I’m using with our product changeover that occurred back in March. My 2011 season started off even earlier then 2010 with the intercept of a tornado on the Kansas/Oklahoma border on February 27th. In addition to that, I filmed tornadoes on several more days in April and May. I may not have very close to the circulations or gotten the best video, I’m pleased with my results this year, especially considering that I chased alone this year. It was a rewarding feeling knowing that I was able to correctly forecast and make the right decisions to see tornadoes this year. Saying that, I’m still quite new at the hobby and this is only the beginning.
While I’m pleased with my results in chasing storms this year, my real skills lie in the social media realm. For those who don’t know, I’m the one who handles these accounts most of the time. It’s been amazing to see how fast we’ve grown on both our Facebook and Twitter pages, with our facebook page doubling its follower base in the past month, increasing by over 6,000 fans. Our Twitter account has also been growing rapidly. In fact, we just past the 5,000 follower mark earlier this week. With the creation of the accounts two years ago, it’s really amazing to see how far we’ve come and how our follower numbers keep increasing at a faster pace. While my chasing for the spring season may be done, my activity on our social media accounts is not. In fact, I should be able to post even more information now that I won’t be out in the field. It gives me great pleasure and humility knowing that so many individuals have followed our social media accounts because of the information we post. I intend to continue posting severe weather information as we continue into the summer and northern plains season! Speaking of the northern plains, Connor will be out chasing tomorrow in Colorado and Nebraska, so be sure to check back for his feed tomorrow and into next week. Monday in particular looks to be quite active with a major severe weather threat across the northern plains (Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Minnesota).
While I certainly didn’t want to stop storm chasing, circumstances have landed into place that I’m simply unable to chase in the northern plains this year. While that may be unfortunate in one sense, it proves to be beneficial in another. Just last night I began to use a professional media editor that we’ll be using to create our first DVD. We announced last summer that we planned to release a DVD then, but after going through our footage we decided to wait another year in order to provide the best content possible. We were fortunate this year in that we captured some amazing sights, many of which we have not released online. This includes going through damage in the moments after the Tushka, OK Tornado to sliding off a road and slamming into a barb-wire fence. I’ve just begun over-coming the learning curve and learning the ins and outs of the program. Since Connor is still chasing, footage will continue to be recorded, but it’s never too start planning!
The 2011 Atlantic Hurricane Season officially starts next Wednesday and there are already indications from a few models that a weak low pressure area may develop next week in the Caribbean. I’ve said this for the past two seasons, and will once again for this one. Should any hurricanes threaten the Gulf Coast, I fully intend on intercepting them as they make landfall. Fortunately for coastal residents, every year I say that the coast seems to be spared almost any tropical activity, but I’ll be ready should the occasion arise!
I’m not saying I’m completely done chasing for this spring and summer, but with most activity shifting up north, gas prices are simply too high for me to afford on my own. Should a major outbreak appear likely up north, I’m sure I can find a way to make it up there once this year, but in all honesty, I don’t need to see a tornado badly enough to shell out that kind of money on my own. Last year in June, I spent several days chasing severe weather in the Texas Panhandle. I hope that the weather cooperates and allows me to do that again this year. I’m watching Sunday for that opportunity.
So in conclusion, be sure to watch Connor this upcoming week as he will be out chasing. Meanwhile, I’ll be back home in Dallas providing frequent updates to the social media feeds and working on our summer projects, such as our upcoming DVD!
- David Reimer
