Testimonials

"I have always been fascinated by storms and finally decided to do something about it. After reaching out to several companies - the one who replied immediately was Tempest Tours. After discussing my unique needs with Kim George, it was obvious Tempest Tours was the company for me. I am paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair following an accident. Kim and Tour Director Bill Reid answered my questions honestly and ensured me they would do everything possible to make my trip as good as it could be.

My sisters and I booked a 4 day Mini-Tour. It is impossible to adequately describe just how incredible those 4 days were. I called our Tour Director Bill Reid “The Jedi Master”. While he had several tools at his disposal, he has a unique ability to find storms. After being on the road, we’d park in the middle of a field and Bill would say “It will start right over there”. Without fail, after a short wait things would spin up exactly where Bill said they would. It was absolutely incredible!

We were blessed with activity 3 of the 4 days and while the fourth didn’t result in any storms, we throughly enjoyed ourselves with the midwestern scenery. But let’s talk about the storms! Bill placed us in the best possible position to enjoy the very best mother nature had to offer over and over again. Our driver Bill Schuessler could not have been more knowledgable and pleasant making sure we were well taken care of and were able to make the most of our time chasing. 

I can’t say enough about Tempest Tours, from their weather know-how to how careful they are to give us a great experience while ensuring we were always safe. If you’ve ever enjoyed a storm rolling in, lightning flashing, or just loving the clouds in the sky - Storm Chasing is for you! And Tempest Tours is the company!"

— Tara Robertson, Mini-Tour 6A

"I wanted to take the time to say thank you for an excellent Tour 3 this year (2017). This was I think my 5th tour with Tempest now and it just gets better and better. This year we saw 3 tornadoes and had 8 great days chasing out of the 11. Of course what makes the trip, more than the weather, are the people. Bill, Chris, Bob and Kim were absolutely brilliant and made this a very memorable trip indeed. You should be very proud to have such a great and professional team and I look forward to returning as a guest again in the future."

— Phil Hammond, Attleborough, Norfolk

"Okay, don’t just think you want to Storm Chase..... STORM CHASE! You will LOVE it. Sever weather is in your future. I was blessed to have experienced a tour in 2016. Loved it so much I am back for a tour in 2017. Everything from Adrenaline to AWE! Universe is so beautiful. The Tempest Tour Team is very experienced and enjoyable … From the Meteorologist to the Drivers, all of whom are fantastic!"

— Chante', from the Wine Country, Northern California

"Just wanted to drop a line and tell you what a great experience the last tour was, and how impressed I am with the crew you have. Jen's enthusiasm and love for meteorology and storm chasing is truly infectious, and her willingness and ability in fielding general questions from all of us beginners really helped explain the amazing things we saw; and Brian seems to have an uncanny sixth sense with knowing when and where storms will be, and his keen photographer's eye always led us to where we could get memorable images. They really delivered the goods - storms on every full chase day, and put us in the right place at the right time to see a beautiful tornado."

— Josh K., Carpinteria, CA

"The summer following my sophomore year studying meteorology at North Carolina State University, I got the dream opportunity to join Tempest Tours' Lecture Series Tour with Dr. Charles Doswell. While I became the immediate envy of many of my classmates, at the time I honestly wasn't entirely sure what I had signed up for! Having lived my entire life on the East Coast, I was ready to see some storms on the Great Plains, but I knew little about the "art" and culture of storm-chasing. Getting to storm-chase with a legend like "Chuck" certainly changed that! My experience was everything I had hoped it might be, with additional bonuses I would have never known to expect. The time we spent chasing was amazing - everything that we did (from watching supercells at sunset to long days riding in the van) was a learning experience for me, thanks largely to the interesting, entertaining, and informative presentations and anecdotes shared by Chuck the whole way. I learned a lot during those 10 days: I still have the notes that I would jot down on scraps of paper, on topics ranging from how to use helicity indices and forecast soundings, to how to be a safe and courteous storm-chaser. On a personal level, I also derived a great deal of inspiration from my time on that tour.  In addition to the immense amount of sheer meteorological information I learned from the "lectures," chatting with Chuck also gave me a better sense of career opportunities in the area of severe weather, and of the importance of graduate school. Now, 7 years later, I have nearly completed my PhD in Atmospheric Science, and I'm even getting to study severe weather for my dissertation! It has been great to have kept in touch with Chuck over the years as well. I still correspond with him from time to time as I approach graduation. In so many ways, my Tempest Tours experience with Dr. Doswell has had a big influence in my educational and career path, and been an invaluable source of inspiration to me personally - I can't recommend it highly enough!"

— Kelly Mahoney, North Carolina

"My experience with Tempest Tours during the week of June 23-30, 2003 was absolutely splendid. I had chosen Tour #6 because I wanted to meet Chuck Doswell and learn about the history of storm chasing as well as the meteorology of severe storms. Chuck provided a semester's worth of information in a week's time. He and Bill Reid worked well together and I was very impressed by their ability to team-teach in the morning weather briefings.  Bill's ability to get us to the sites of potential storms was impressive. His skill in picking safe routes, getting good viewing positions, and taking care of logistics seemed effortless, but I know from my own experience leading students on tours that this requires intelligence and experience. For my purposes, the tour would have been successful even without the spectacular tornado outbreak near Centerville, SD, on June 24, but, of course, being able to see a dozen or more tornadoes in the space of three hours made my trip even more memorable. Standing a mile or two from these sensuous and sensual atmospheric phenomena is a powerful experience. I now have a better understanding of what 19th century artists called the "sublime." I really appreciate Tempest Tours professionalism; may all your tours be as successful as mine."

— B. Mergen

"All I can say is you are definitely dealing with a reputable business. The guides were both knowledgeable and personable, the accommodations good (just expect a Hilton in Seward, Nebraska), and they made every effort to get us safely into good viewing position. I left out of Denver also. We ended up seeing two or three tornados, the highlight of which was an F4 in Seward, Nebraska."

— John, Arlington, Texas

"I thoroughly enjoyed my experience so much with Tempest Tours meeting in Denver, Colorado, in June 2002 that I am planning to go again meeting in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in May 2003. Tempest Tours is certainly a group of professional and knowledgeable storm chasers who made my trip safe and exciting at the same time. Thanks so much!" 

— Leslie, Independence, Missouri (The "Show Me" State)

"Great experience to share with my daughter. The "beast" of a supercell we saw was really bone chilling, its power was awesome. The group was fun to be around."

— Harvey, Robbinsville, NC