ZZZzzz

Thats what the weather has done here lately. Winter has been pretty timid around here overall. We have had only one instance where temperatures went below freezing [-1] as well as only a couple days above 40 which is also abnormal. Weather is driven by temperature fluctuations due to uneven heating on earths surface, so it comes as no surprise to me that with a generally steady temperature profile through much of winter we haven't had any major storm events either. I can't say that for other parts of the country though, no doubt this winter will be a record setter for many areas.

As I've mentioned before, other than seeing more freezing rain events than we typically see around here, this winter has been largely uneventful. The snow tally is around 28 inches which is about normal. There are no big snows looming on the horizon and if the current pattern maintains we may finish winter with below normal snowfall. Im not sure what the new normal is. Since it is 2010 and averages are based on 30 year cycles [ending each decade rather than year] I'm sure the numbers have changed. I believe its around 35 inches give or take.

I am glad the pattern is this way now though, I would much rather have a boring pattern in winter than spring. SDS is on overdrive for allot of chasers/storm junkies. I seem to be doing ok. I prepare myself this time of the year to not have storms and I find ways to keep busy. Its when we don't get storms in the warm season [like much of 2009] that I go crazy.

Chasercon is coming up soon, I'm extremely excited for the trip, not only to see everyone but I will accomplish a couple of "firsts" in my life as well. Ive never ridden an Amtrack train and Ive never seen mountains [shocking I know!] This trip will knock both of those off my lifes to do list. Its all about experience for me. I don't want to just fly in and fly out. I want it to be an experience, an adventure, something unique and different in which I will undoubtedly return home with some stories and photos to share.

I haven't made many big site updates in recent days. I began cataloging all the typos and other minor imperfections in a notebook I recently purchased. Once that is done I will spend an hour or however long it takes cleaning them all up.

The latest chaser drama? Oh its there and Ive got quite an opinion on it, but I'm not one to step on the soap box to try and convince people my opinion is more right than theirs. Others should learn to do that as well. I'm here to chase and have a good time. Immersing myself in all the childish bullshit is not my idea of fun or a good use of my time.  

Back to Winter.

Well, the week of spring-like weather comes to an end. I was hoping for some rogue thunder to be mixed in with the recent monsoon rains but alas, it looks like some of 2009 is spilling over into 2010 with the bulk of the lightning activity being downstate.

Ive been working allot on my site as well as the site I will be launching [hopefully] before chasercon along with several other IL chasers. That site is called www.convectiveaddiction.com - our goal is to launch before chasercon but we've been slow to actually build it up. I think we're starting to crunch it though, I guess people just work better under pressure.

This is the hardest part of winter, I've gotten a taste of spring and now I want it badly. First I must endure another blast of winter which is arriving as I type this. GFS doesn't show anything interesting into the first week of February, so I guess on the plus side I can continue truckin' away at the many projects I'm working on.

For those who have recently stumbled onto this blog feel free to check out my website www.aerostorms.com

Not much else to say - boring weather means a boring blog!

Giggity

I tried not to look and went nearly 2 weeks without doing so. However there has been some buzz from fellow chasers about things being seen on longer range models. I began peaking for myself and sure enough am beginning to see some real teases.

Yea, it wont be too much longer now. The above would probably bring some warm rain to the area and if I'm lucky a rumble of thunder. Typically this area sees its first thunderstorms around the end of February so to see them in January is a bit rare. It did happen in 08 though!

So while Im not holding my breath just yet, I am starting to get a little giddy at the thought of spring time air being less than 2 months away. Ive looked at some el nino springs around here including the years 1996 and 2003 and found them to be pretty awesome years around here. Lets hope history repeats itself.

Once I get my HD camcorder I think I am all done with upgrades for the 2010 season. Everything I mentioned before has already been purchased and taken care of minus the hail guards which I still need to follow up with the shop on. I really hope they can pull through for me and get them done.

Site updates are still happening and Im getting close to a point where there wont be too much to update except for new content and past events I choose to do write ups on. Im also working with 5 other IL chasers to build a new multi purpose chase site names convectiveaddiction.com - don't even bother visiting right now. We haven't launched it yet.

The models are showing some potential severe setups in the deep south as well. Ill be watching!

More later.

2010 > 2009

Happy New Year! Or as the text message I sent out at 12:01am said "Hapey new beer from Chicago."

I'm not a believer in resolutions. Anyone who uses a calendar to justify trying to better themselves is an idiot in my opinion. I try to constantly better myself as a person everyday by always trying to be the best person I can be to those around me as well as working towards my next goal.

So when I say good riddance to 2009 I really mean good riddance to 2009s weather pattern. What a load of crap that was. I had a really good chase year though, I can't complain too much really. In fact, the main reason I hated 2009s weather pattern was the lack of local storms which are required to maintain my sanity. When your city sets a record for the all time coldest July it also means local storms are lacking.

Anyways, there will be some changes for this year and the upcoming chase season. Here are the main ones:

- I am upgrading to HD [more details on the camera coming soon.]
- I will have a cellular antenna for better data signals.
- I've got a laptop stand.
- I will [hopefully] have my custom designed hail guards completed.
- I've got new GPS tracking software that works flawlessly so there will be no more issues there.
- I switched streaming services to CTV, which also works flawlessly.
- The laptops ram has been upgraded from 512mb to 2gb in order to better handle everything.
- I will be making a Twitter account for my website [not for me personally because I hate twitter.]
- I am part of Convective Addiction.com [coming soon!]

You get the idea, the things listed above have already been completed or are in the process of being completed. I'm sure as the year progresses there will be more. I am always changing the way I do things.

My new free schedule will allow me to chase any setup I want. I am going to hit it hard this year, chasing more aggressively than ever before. This is the year I will see just how big of an impact I can make. My biggest setback was work. Finances will be tight, but I will make it work. Those who have known me know how much Ive always wanted this opportunity. As long as I still have some income coming in, Ive got to seize the opportunity and do it now.

Even if the weather pattern is a repeat of 2009, there will still be great storms and tornadoes to catch. I missed allot of the biggest events of 2009 because I gambled on crappier setups and couldn't get the time off work for the days that ended up being big.

All that being said, I hope everyone had a great new years at their festivities. Time to kick into high gear, March is now less than 3 months away!

I haven't updated the site since xmas eve. I posted some ice storm photos from Chicago, the event was one of the better ones I can recall around here. Ice storms aren't all that common and we managed to pick up about .3" accumulation. Regular site updates will resume in the coming days.

Cheers to a successful 2010!

Xmas Snowpocalypse?

Yea, not for this area.

All eyes are on the major winter storm that will be taking shape in the coming days. Again though, it should be pretty boring around here. Current indications are it will take a similar track as the last one. Whoop-de-frickin-do.

I debated if I want to even try and contact stations who may be interested in purchasing a stream. Said screw it. It would cost me 250+ dollars to chase the damn thing into IA or even further. There is not much profit margin to be had.

If 2009 would stop anal raping me I could actually get a chance to make an impact out there. Oh well. Lately I've just been working on the website, adding allot of content. I want to try and get most of my previous content up before chase season 2010, that way when it begins I can focus on real time updates and not have to worry about adding old stuff. Ive done so much with it, but still feel as if ill never be close to finished. Oh well. It keeps me busy.

I might get some bumper stickers made for my site as well. Some chasers probably wont approve of this. I could care less. Theyre mostly for friends and family who are proud of me and interested in what I do. I think too many chasers worry about what the others are doing rather than themselves. More of them need to spend less time on the PC monitoring the happenings on the internet and more time out getting laid. It might cheer them up a bit.

Probably wont update till the new year unless something interesting happens.

That being said, everyone have an awesome xmas and a great new year! Good riddance to 2009!

The Great Blizzard of 2009 - A Chicagoans Perspective.

December 8th and 9th 2009. A massive blizzard paralyzes parts of the nation. The storm deepens to near record lows [currently sitting at 976mb over Lake Huron.] In its wake...closed interstates and stranded automobiles. Men all over the Midwest getting a good workout from shoveling their wives cars out of the driveway.

The storm didn't just affect the Midwest though, damaging thunderstorms roared across the deep south, and even parts of Pennsylvania. The Rockie Mountain ski areas received over 50 inches of snow in spots. Parts of New Mexico and Texas were hammered with high winds, some as high as 135mph in the Guadalupe pass! Dust storms created worse driving conditions than the blizzard.

Wow what a storm...here in Chicago...we too were affected. As I write this it is 10pm on Wednesday, December 9th. I have survived...time to survey the outside world.

Open the door...wow...some massive snow drift peaks. If we get another snow soon Mt Everest might have to bow down.

However me being the prepared man I made sure to bundle up with my super winter survival gear. I manage to trudge through the mountainous terrain of doom so I can survey my truck...you know, with all these reports of people having their cars buried and having to dig out...I wanted to see what I was in for.

That will be most difficult indeed. Peoples Facebook statuses near where I live had comments all day about how brutal the snow and wind was and how their cars couldn't handle it. Im so glad I drive a 4x4 with all terrain tires for such brutal snow.

Then something catches my attention...the deepest wind blown snowdrift of them all.

To hell with rulers, massive snowfalls, and especially drifts like this call for tape measures!

WTF...ok...I guess I over estimated a bit, its easy to get carried away in extreme situations...lets go lower.

Yes...I survived...all thanks to my trusty super winter survival snow gear!

By this point though I am starting to feel fatigued and decide I must make a dash towards my shelter, which truly looks wonderful amidst the beautiful winter scenery.

I am now safe and warming up with a tall can of my favorite brew.

Chicagoans really know how to pull through extreme events let me tell you, we get it bad around here!!! What really worries me is we probably have about 10 more events of this magnitude before the year is over, and with such chaos during this one...I fear for mankind.

So there you have it. The great blizzard of 2009 as seen from the perspective of a resident on the southwest side of Chicago.

Next please...

CTV + Big Winter Storm?

Yesterday I finally made the switch to CTV. I had been debating on it for awhile and finally bit the bullet and I'm glad I did. Their setup is so simple and easy and actually works flawlessly on my older laptop. TVNs setup involved multiple applications and caused my machine to constantly crash and freeze up. So I definitely look forward to streaming with CTV, Ive also seen what goes on behind the scenes and their customer service is great and they really look out for each other. I like that in a company.

It wasn't a personal decision, people have been pressuring me to switch over for months. I don't give in to pressure and I don't do stuff to please others or "be with everybody else." I do what works best for me regardless of whos involved.

I had many many requests for people to view my stream last year and unfortunately because it always crashed I had to tell them sorry. That will not be the case next season!!! So be ready!

Now onto the weather, like a hawk I have been watching this upcoming system. I always love when a system shows up many days out and verifies, because then I can throw it in all my critics faces. I get scoffed at often for watching models predict storms further out. Although it looks like the brunt of this storm is going to miss Chicago [go figure] and favor areas west of here. The low will track pretty much over the city it looks like. Im not expecting a whole lot of action around here.

With this system comes a debate on whether or not to actually go on a blizzard chase. I wasn't even considering it but some newer chasers reached out to me and said if I drove they'd pay for gas and whatnot. I might take them up on that offer since it would cut costs. Plus it'll give me a chance to test the stream in the field and make my debut, and hey ya never know...I could end up getting something interesting and getting it shown on TV and perhaps finally make a sale and get paid for what I love to do.

Also, we had our first measurable snow of the winter 09-10 season early this morning. About a month late. 2009 continues to defy what is considered the norm and prove that in the world of weather nothing is normal.

Chasercon Here I Come.

Finally booked all my stuff for the convention this coming February.

I'm looking forward to it. Ive decided to take the train there. Its cheaper than flying or driving. Plus Ive got all the free time in the world to travel so the lengthy trip wont bother me at all. I've never ridden an Amtrak train and Ive always wanted to take a cross country train trip so this will be a good chance to get that experience in!

Looking forward to seeing everyone again, and meeting some new faces as well. Ive never went simply because I didn't want to use time off work. Time that could be used for actual chasing. Since Im not currently working, that is no longer an issue.

Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!

The Meet N Greet

The meet and greet was fun and pretty much what I expected.

The public turnout wasn't all that high. I'd say probably 30-40 people over the course of the 5 hours. We did have a nice chaser turnout though, and at the very least its always nice to get together with fellow chasers to share stories and just BS.

The store did generate some good sales though as a result of people stopping by, I don't want to disclose the exact number, but it was in the thousands of dollars.

I had a few requests for business cards, one by a teacher who wants me to give a presentation to his class. A mother came by with her 5-6yr old son who absolutely loved what we had to show. He had a digital camera and recorded everything while he narrated. He took pics with all the vehicles and when his mom said it was time to go he protested. Most of the other guests were people who stopped by to check out some photos, share a story or 2 and then were gone after 5 minutes. I gave away photo prints to all of the kids.

Being able to reach out to the community in that way was nice, and it was rewarding to see how happy the kids were. Helping people save was a nice touch too, especially in this economy, if our event helped generate sales than that is definitely a good thing.

The weather was a limiting factor, quite breezy and pretty chilly. It is November though...we talked about setting up a similar event when its warmer out...but with warmer weather comes the possibility of a chase, and thus harder for us to commit. We were also setup in the corner of the parking lot, so allot of people simply just didn't notice us. I think a setup closer to the front of the store would have increased turn out some.

The important thing was reaching out and making some more contacts. I'm still a nobody in the chasing world so for me to think this would be a huge event is foolish. Its all about starting out small, reaching out to the local community and getting yourself known. I look forward to potentially doing more of these.

On the weather front - the goofus isnt showing any real snow here for awhile and that makes me happy. Bring on the el nino mild and dry winter!

Local Best Buy Meet-n-Greet!

This Sunday, November 15th! Come on out and meet Me, Danny, Skip and other local chasers! Time of the event is 10am - 3pm. The location is shown below.

424 Randall Rd
South Elgin, IL 60177

This is an experimental idea that Matt came up with. The idea behind it is to show off the technology used to track storms to hopefully promote sales at the store.

Oh, and did I mention there will be a special 1 day only chance to save up to 15% on electronic purchases?! Well there is!

So I'm looking forward to the event. It will either be a really fun time where people can come out, ask questions, share stories and save on a purchase...or we will be sitting under a tent for 5hrs looking like fools as people go about their business. It will also be a good chance for me to promote myself and my site as well. You can't get known unless you market yourself and this is a good place to start.

I'm sure some will have choice opinions on the matter and quite frankly I could care less. This is what I want to do and how I want do it. End of story. Chasing is my life - I want to be known for it.

Current weather forecasts don't favor the event much. Seasonal temps which all are used to wont be the issue but it looks like it might be pretty windy with a slight chance of rain. So hopefully 2009 wont continue to screw me and we will get the nicer end of the forecast.

If any new important info arises I will be sure to post it - until then I look forward to meeting whoever comes out!