Heading into 2021, I felt so much uncertainty about the prospect of making a full storm chase season happen again. I had largely taken 2019 off due to some extreme burnout after a (successful) stint doing storms on TV. I wanted to chase again in 2020 but my job situation was complicated by the uncertainties of the pandemic.

So as we moved into 2021, I was certain I was going to chase again. I love storms. I love weather. I love the thrills of chasing. But how much? What would this look like now traveling from just outside of the Plains to chase my old stomping grounds? I WASN’T SURE!

Before I could get too far down the road of extreme introspection about all of this, mother nature decided it was just time to chase.

A big storm system was set to emerge onto the Plains in mid-March with an associated unseasonably high risk of tornadoes. This weekend setup was one I knew I had to give a shot to, despite the fact that storms were certainly going to be pretty ugly and fast-moving.

So with a lot of uncertainties, I left my new home of Albuquerque, New Mexico, for the Texas Panhandle. These low CAPE, high shear rocketships were calling my name and it was time to get back in the game.

0:00 – Intro
0:33 – Choosing the right storm
1:55 – Stranded by hail
2:31 – Making the move south
2:51 – Distant storm views
4:35 – Potential distant tornado
5:09 – Bowl lowering
5:33 – Brief tornado
6:06 – Transition to HP
6:44 – HP monster
7:32 – Bye-bye rocketship storm
7:42 – Chase day wrap up