William Reid

South Dakota Tornado Outbreak and Intercept

I never really thought that I would see a storm like I saw on Tuesday evening. Ever.  

On Tuesday, June 24, I watched the same storm produce tornado after tornado after tornado for more than an hour, with two or more tornadoes on the ground at the same time, THREE different times!  It was simply unbelievable. 

Happy, Texas Tornado Intercept

Dean Cosgrove and I caught the Happy, TX, tornado for the Tempest Tours folks on early Sunday evening, May 5. 

Like many other chasers, I was not exactly confident in my "target area" for Sunday, even into early afternoon. I liked the southeast Texas Panhandle, somewhere in the Amarillo-Childress-Shamrock vicinity.

The Seward, Nebraska, Tornado

Dean Cosgrove and I caught the tornado near Seward, Nebraska, on Wednesday for the Tempest Tours gang. The tornado was large and slow moving, and we had great contrast and were able to set up camcorders on tripods and watch it from 3-4 miles away!

The Spencer Tornado Chase

Hey, why didn't someone tell me about Dakota magic before? I've been hanging out around the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles all these years, waiting for the Holy Grail of Tornados to unfold before me. Maybe I should trade in Amarillo for Aberdeen.

The Last Chance Chase

Late last May I had the opportunity to read many of the early issues of Storm Track. My friend and fellow chaser, Charles Bustamante, had packed nearly a dozen volumes of Storm Track for our latest excursion to the Plains. Near Glendale, Nevada, I recall reading a fantasy article/cartoon by David Hoadley. The star in this "Gentleman's Chase" wakes up somewhere in tornado alley, has a leisurely lunch, watches a storm develop nearby, and photographs a tornado while in perfect position after a brief drive. For him, it was just another typical chase day.