I decided to tally up my tornado intercepts. It looks like about 40 tornadoes (as of 5/30/19). I’m not sure what possessed me to do this, as it is quite tricky, and I’m not much of one for “counting” tornadoes. I did want to demonstrate how much ground I cover chasing storms and that I am able to find them on occasion. Also, it is important to note that days where I did not see a tornado were not necessarily unsuccessful storm chase days.
This map is of the entire United States. I needed this one because of the one freak intercept in Durham, NC. I decided to highlight states where I have actively chased severe storms in yellow.
Here is a zoomed-in version of the Great Plains to show a bit more detail:
Finally, here are my tornado intercept dates and photos. Not all tornado intercepts have photos, and some of the photos may be soon after the tornado lifted. Many of these events were short-lived, and I was unable to pull over and photograph them safely. There were always be more tornadoes, provided I don’t wreck the car trying to photograph them, and so I have always opted for safety over photography.
6/13/03: Near Olney, TX
5/22/04: Furnas County, NE (2 Tornadoes, 1 Photographed)
5/14/06: Near Raleigh, NC (1 Tornado, but my camera was charging!)
5/22/07: Near Hill City, KS
5/25/10: Near Welsh, CO (2 Tornadoes, 1 Photographed)
5/23/11: Near Watonga, OK
5/24/11: Near Canton, OK (2 Tornadoes)
5/29/12: South of El Reno, OK (No Photos, After Dark)
6/8/14: East of Las Vegas, NM (No Photos, Short-Lived)
6/5/15: Yuma County, CO
6/7/15: North of Holyoke, CO (2 Tornadoes, borderline gustnadoes)
May 22, 2016: Near Claredon, TX (No Photos, Short-Lived)
May 24, 2016: South of Dodge City, KS (12 Tornadoes, 9 Photographed)
5/16/17: South of McLean, TX
5/18/17: Near Alva, OK
5/22/17: South of Santa Rosa, NM (No Photos, Short-Lived and Far Away)
5/25/17: East of Idalia, CO
5/26/17: Yuma County, CO
5/21/18: South of Corona, NM (No Photos)
5/23/18: West of Sterling, CO (No Photos)
5/29/18: West of Waynoka, OK
5/17/19: Culbertson, NE
5/20/19: Paducah, TX x2 (Only photographed one, contrast heavily modified)
5/23/19: Canadian, TX (No photos)
5/24/21: Colby, KS to Selden, KS
High Plains Chasing 