OACOMA/CHAMBERLAIN, S.D. — My camera guy Martin Weaver and I hit the road bright and early. I didn’t know what to expect from the day but I certainly didn’t anticipate the long drive we had ahead of us.
As we travelled across the border, through the familiar stops in North Dakota, I had lots of time to think about what may lie ahead for us.
Martin has chased storms before but this is my first time. We were on our way to meet the University of Manitoba’s storm-chasing class. It’s a group of 14 students with ambitions ranging from just a keen interest in weather to wanting a career in meteorology.
A professor, two trained meteorologists (one who’s retired) and someone with lots of storm-chasing experience are accompanying the students. I figure for my first time around I’m in safe hands.
We eventually met up with the group in Kadoka, S.D., about an hour outside Rapid City. Based on radar, the class decided there wouldn’t be a chase that night, but Tuesday looks hopeful.
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By the time we got to our hotel at 9 p.m., Martin and I had been travelling about 16 hours and were ready to hit the hay. This after some group time together outside, where the team filled us in on their time so far.
They left four days before we did and saw their first tornado on their first chase day. They sounded like seasoned pros sharing their stories with us. I look forward to seeing what other experiences are ahead of us!
You can follow the U of M storm chasers on their tracking site.
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