Please enjoy reading a few chaser testimonials that I have received over the years. Most of my chase partners are repeat customers and do not give testimonials every year. In that respect, the fact that some of them have been returning for more than 7 years is their testimonial!
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Stuart (Australia)
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Stu is the newest chaser to join me. He was with me, Matic, and Amadej (Slovenian chasers that have joined me many times in the past) during a 2 week chase in June of 2024. Here is what he had to say:
I recently returned from a two week storm chasing trip with David and Tornado Alley Chasing. What an awesome experience it was. It's hard to explain the adrenaline of watching the sky change as a Tornado warned super cell approaches you. David is a very knowledgeable and experienced storm chaser. He was extremely patient with all my dumb questions and always took the time to make sure I understood what was going on. His background in education is evident, and he is passionate about passing on his wealth of knowledge. Aside from the very reasonable daily fee, all costs are shared, which makes this trip far more budget friendly than the bigger companies. When researching trips I didn't want to be part of a large tour. I wanted a more personal and active experience which was the best part of this trip. It was more like roadtripping across the country with 3 good friends opposed to being part of a tour. I travelled with David, Matic and Amadej. We all got on great with plenty of laughs and good times and I'm sure we'll keep in touch and hopefully chase together again some day. I highly recommend Tornado Alley Chasing, as long as there is a seat left for me in the future lol. Thanks for everything! |
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Julia and Bob (Colorado)
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Julia and Bob are a father/daughter duo that joined me in the summer of 2023. We had a few fun chases with beautiful structure and crazy lightning, but the highlight was the 25 minute tornado we intercepted in Texas. Here's what they had to say about their experience:
"Thank you again, David, for a very memorable experience. It was a terrifically fun week. Julia and I learned a lot. You're a great teacher. Also, Matic was a great 4th. Take care!" |
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Jay and Corrinne (California)
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Jay and his wife Corrinne joined me in the summer of 2022 and they had a pretty spectacular 1st chase of their lives. Not only did we witness 3 tornadoes, but we saw some of the most spectacular storm structure of all time. Here's what Jay has to say:
"Thank you for one of the most valuable and educational experiences when it comes to storm chasing. As a weather enthusiast and storm chaser who tries to do forecasting of severe storms there is so much to learn, you never stop learning. Your morning and evening weather forecasting sessions were incredible and taught me so much more. The accuracy of the forecasts and really understanding not just tornadoes but all the weather dynamics across the United States (which have to also be analyzed) to generate tornadic storms allowed us to nail it. 3 tornadoes in a few days was an amazing chase! Thanks for being such a great guide and I look forward to chasing with you again." |
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Iva (Czech Republic)
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Iva joined me from June 6th to June 20th of 2019. This is what she said about her experience:
"I went chasing with David, Alex and Chris in June 2019 for 2 weeks and I have to say it has been one of the best 2 weeks of my life. I loved every moment of it. Coming from central Europe I doubted I will ever get a chance to really go chasing (without being just a tourist in a van) however that changed when I found David from Tornado Alley Chasing. David does things differently, and I really liked his chasing partnership concept. So I sent him an email stressing I have zero experience and trying to find out if there’s any way to make this dream of mine come true. After a few emails and skype calls, I was invited to chase with them the following season. It took a lot of studying from my end (as a total weather newbie it was rather challenging) but it was so worth it. I experienced situations I would have never believed are possible, from a point of a chaser, not just a tourist. Simply, those two weeks in tornado alley have been unforgettable, amazing and totally out of this world. Now, 3 months after my storm chasing experience, I am still on a high from this trip (just so you can get an idea how intense this was for me). All I can say is that if you want a real storm chasing experience you don’t have to look any further. With David you will learn a hell of a lot about all aspects of storm chasing and you will feel like a part of the group. He is a great chaser, teacher, and he knows what’s he doing. From me David gets 10 out of 10. And I can safely say that I will be back!" |
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Derin (Finland)
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Derin joined me during the end of May and beginning of June in 2018. This is what he said about his experience (Derin returned to chase with me in May of 2019):
"David has put together a wonderful opportunity for those interested in storm chasing, whether one is an amateur or experienced chaser. I chased with David and other participants of Tornado Alley Chasing for about three weeks in May and June, 2018. During this time we travelled across the country, tracked numerous tornadoes associated with a Wyoming supercell, snacked while watching a stationary supercell; photographed night lightning from some remote hills in South Dakota; visited the Twister Museum; conversed with a group of medieval re-enactors in Joplin about who had the crazier passion; outran a severe squall line in Canadian, TX; caught falling hail from an LP supercell; drove beside wind farms in central Kansas while discussing how to organize one’s passions; sheltered in a town that had lost power; and met dozens of other storm chasers (among other things). What made this a great adventure? First, there's no question that David is an experienced, passionate, and safe storm chaser. Whether it is a “high risk” day or a marginal one, David always forecasts thoroughly. Even when our chase strategy might appear obvious, David will carefully go over the data to make sure we haven’t missed some subtle clue about what the atmosphere is doing. Our “dot” on Spotter Network is quite frequently in an enviable position. Second, David is an effective teacher. He was pleased when I told him I wanted to improve my forecasting. He explains concepts systematically and enjoys sharing his knowledge. I learned a tremendous amount during our morning forecasts. David does an especially good job articulating his thoughts while we analyze the data so others can follow his logic and participate in decision making. Third, it’s very easy to work and have fun with David. When we’re in the midst of a chase, David embodies an attitude of wisdom. He shares his reasoning, suggests courses of action, trusts the observations of others, and makes use of his experience while taking care not to become complacent. His good humor and genuine curiosity about other people also makes those long drives through the Great Plains much more pleasant. On a final note, I was impressed with how considerate David and Lisa where hosting us in their Tulsa home. They knew I liked coffee, and when they changed the coffee machine they asked what brand of coffee I preferred (!). It’s very minor detail of the trip, to be sure. But it’s one I remember since it captures so well how much thought David and Lisa put into ensuring people have a great experience." |
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Akos (Hungary)
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After I told Akos that I had a great time chasing with him during June of 2017, this was his reply:
"Hello! It was great for me, too. I got exactly what I expected :) It was a super teamwork from forecast through chase mode to core punch :) Your composedness, the way you arrange, organize, manage, and explain things your safe and undesisting driving skills, etc. made it a really magnificent experience." Akos returned to chase with me for 3 weeks in June 2018! |
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Dejan (Slovenia)
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This is Dejan's reflection about our chase together during May of 2017 (Dejan returned to chase with me in May of 2018 and May of 2019).
"I chased with David, Alex and Matic for the last two weeks of May 2017. I am a stormchaser since 2008. It was my great wish to chase storms on Tornado Alley since I was a kid. David and Lisa are very friendly and welcoming. When we stayed at Davids' house, I felt like I was at my home. When I came to USA, I got the opportunity to make new friends and increase my knowledge about forecasting. David is passionate, experienced storm chaser and he offers you the atmospheric adventure of a lifetime. I had a great experience seeing great storm structures and the beautiful scenery of the Plains. I look forward to traveling out to the plains to chase with David again next year!" |
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Matic (Slovenia)
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This is Matic's full reply about his experience chasing with me in May of 2017 (Matic returned to chase with me in May of 2018 and May of 2019).
"This was my first visit to USA and even though I kind of imagined what to expect when chasing here, I was still a bit anxious about how all of it will go, starting with the flight itself and the whole experience. As soon as we met with David in person, driving to his house in Tulsa, I immediatly knew, we will get along great and have a really great time. We started chasing on our first day of stay in USA on May 21, 2017 with a long haul south to Abilene, Texas. On the road David has kindly explained all the products we will be using on our chases, from radar images, forecast models, nowcasting applications for smart devices and so on. He is a really patient teacher, who has a really extensive theoretical and practical knowledge about storm chasing and forecasting. I am a stormchaser myself, and I feel I have really deepened my understanding of forecasting and started paying much more attention to the little details in forecasting and am going to use this new skills in forecasting when chasing back at home. As far as keywords go that describe the 2017 tornado season: cold fronts, supercells, shelf clouds. In that order. Due to an unusual global pattern, we had numerous cold fronts sweeping through the plains every fev days. As it turned out, cold fronts aren't the first thing that contribute to tornado development. This is why we haven't seen a good tornado in the two weeks I was there, from May 19 to June 1, 2017. There were no tornado outbreaks at all even after me and Dejan were back home. But, despite this, we had some really good chase days with nice structured supercells and shelf clouds. There were some days with big potential that turned out to be a bit of a bust days, but it's all to be expected. Despite the lack of tornadoes, I consider chasing part to be a success and if there was a good tornado outbreak, I would consider it a complete success. And as far as David and Lisa's hospitality is conserned, it really deserves a mark eleven on a scale of 1-10. Chasing with David, Alex and Dejan was really a pleasure, we got along from the first minute we met in Tulsa. It honestly was a great life experience and I would gladly repeat it any time, without a doubt. Thanks again!" |
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Devin (California)
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Here's what Devin from California had to say about our chase in May of 2016 (Devin returned to chase with me again in June of 2017):
"I chased with David for the last week of May 2016. This was my first chase season after beginning the learning process last year and I learned more from David in the first few hours of forecasting with him than I had in several months! David and Lisa were very friendly and welcoming and chasing with David was an amazing experience, especially at the Dodge City Kansas event. I look forward to traveling out to the plains to chase with David again next year!" |
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Alex (Sweden)
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Here's another awesome Swede's feedback about his trip from May 20th to June 8th 2016 (Alex returned to chase with me in May and June of 2017). He's a very thorough and thoughtful guy. So, I want to post his lengthy feedback in full:
“Chasing tornadoes with David is awesome. He is friendly, knowledgeable and a great driver. Furthermore, it is even more awesome if one is living in cold Sweden where CAPE values barely exist and wind shear is constantly veered. Traveling from Europe to the U.S to chase tornadoes is a big task. David, Lisa and Tornadoalleychasing.com made this possible which is greatly appreciated. We intercepted a number of tornado warned storms during my three weeks of storm chasing. In addition, we manage to have four tornado days! Each day was unique in its own way. I will give a brief presentation with regard to three of the tornado days in the following paragraphs. The first tornado spawned from a mothership supercell in Leoti, Kansas. The saw two brief spin ups from this cell. However, the structures where amazing which made the chase really exciting. Moreover, great forecasting and good positioning resulted in the opportunity for us to experience the development of the supercell, from just a small updraft to a dying cell. This experience was truly good with respect to understanding the dynamics of storm formation and parameters associated with it. The second tornado day happened in Spearman, Texas. This day looked better in terms of tornado parameters, however we soon realized that the cap was kind of weak and a number of severe storms developed in the area. The storms looked like they were going to linear which ultimately results in a drastic decrease in tornado potential. Nonetheless, with a little help from God (the low level jet) a stove pipe tornado formed a couple of miles away from us. We manage to intercept the tornado and got some good photos. Just after this tornado dissipated, a monster wedge tornado spawned just west of us. We followed this tornado for several miles and got some really nice photos and video recordings. The fourth tornado day goes down as one of the most extreme days during the 2016 chase season. Yes, you are right, we did intercept the Dodge City, KS tornado. This day will forever be known as the outflow boundary day. We were watching a severe storm struggling to become organized and had discussions regarding going south to chase “Tail End Charlie”. However, as soon as the storm got attached to the outflow boundary, we know that this storm was going to produce a tornado. Little did we know, this storm went on for 45 minutes and produced a number of tornadoes. It even had three tornadoes on the ground at the same time! We witnessed each and every tornado, from birth till death. This was essentially a fundamentally and monumentally great tornado chasing day. Overall, chasing with David goes down as some of the best three weeks of my life. I got the opportunity to make new friends, chase tornadoes, increase my knowledge about forecasting, and also understand the importance to never underestimate the warm front! Chasing tornadoes is also good when it comes to exploring. Feel free to check out our storm chasing timeline located in the link below. Kind regards, Alexander “TornadojägareN” Boquist “ (If you would like to talk to Alex about his experience, he is more than willing to talk with you. You can find him on Facebook at Par Alexander Boquist or Twitter at P. Alexander Boquist @moerkan) https://www.facebook.com/ajax/mercury/attachments/photo.php?fbid=10153968535441743&height=206&mode=cover&request_user_id=300201953644900&width=206 |
Alex's Video of Dodge City
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Chris (Sweden)
Owner and Operator of http://www.stormchasingusa.com/ |
Here's what Chris from Sweden had to say about our chase in June of 2015:
(Update: Chris chased again with me in June of 2016, June of 2017, and June of 2019 but there was no need for another review... he loved it.) ”I chased with David 2015 and stayed with him and Lisa for over a week. They were incredibly friendly and me and David had a lot of fun chasing as well. I can highly recommend storm chasing with David, for a personal and fun chase experience. I have been chasing with six different tour operators and I will stick with chasing with David." |
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Rafal (Australia)
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Rafal chased with me on weekends during April and May of 2016:
"I did some weekend storm chases with David in 2016. Although we didn't get to see any actual tornadoes, we did get close a few times. It was great to see all the storm formations, and learn about storm chasing from David with all his experience. It was also great to hear some of his past stories of storm chases he has been on. I would recommend storm chasing with David to anyone who is interested in storm chasing." |
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James Washburn
Author of "Touching Spirit: The Letters of Minominike" |
"I was thinking about our day storm chasing and just want to thank you again for an exciting and en"lightning" experience. The hours we spent skirting super cells and getting into position out of harms way was so fascinating. Watching the growth of the regional storms, getting under cover to escape the hail, which through experience and knowledge you knew was going to develop over us, and reading the radar images to predict where to search for the best possible views and storm development made for one amazing day. I was especially captivated by the monstrous "mothership" we were able to get along side and watch it's power. It was tragic that a number of people died in the Sand Springs tornado that day. I can honestly say that with all the variables and activity in the sky while we were out I felt completely safe. Thanks again." P.W.
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