The Future of Aerostorms and this Blog

Since the launch of my personal website back in March of 2010 the site's content has grown quite a bit, but not its exposure. For starters, stupid me named it a made up word so when it comes to awesome google search-a-bility my site is pretty much a no show. Who knew trying to be creative and avoiding overly used, cheesy, plain and boring names like "__ ___ storm chaser/s" or things like "dark cloud search.com" would have a negative effect in the end. Oops.

Secondly, the internet world as we know it has been shying away from traditional looking websites in favor of a more blog oriented site. I personally have never preferred this look, but then again my entire life I always seemed to be on the other side of the fence when it comes to whats popular.

So, what does this mean? Basically, its time to convert, and for the past 2 months I have been tinkering around a new platform, since I am not very PC savvy its been a slow process. I have now enlisted the help of someone with more experience to help get things running. It is time to give aerostorms.com a facelift.

The main reason being I am tired of selling myself short, and its time I give my work the exposure it deserves. There are some pretty powerful websites out there, with far less meaty chasing content that are very successful just because they are updated in a timely manner and have good public exposure.

It is too much of a pain in the ass to update my website on the fly, and for whatever reason the site builder software isn't browser friendly and only works on an old version of firefox. Any other browser or even newer versions of firefox and things just don't work how they're supposed to.

I also like to write weather posts and graphics, there is no easy way to do this on a website without a blogroll.  With my new site I plan to update it almost daily, since doing so will be far much less effort. I don't have all the time in the world to sit and dilly dally with my site all day, so I need to start thinking about how to do things in the most efficient way possible.

That being said, once this major project is completed this blog will become less active. I will probably only reserve it for more personal thoughts relating to chasing as opposed to the types of general weather posts I sometimes make, those types of general weather posts are what I want to start featuring on my website! Its those types of posts that drive hits and keep people coming back and in turn, can help make a website more profitable. Other people have done it, and so can I.

Its time to start stepping it up, and being more competitive. I've come too far and worked too hard to sell myself short. In 2012 I really plan to, and hope to get the Aerostorms brand name out there!

First Thunderstorms of 2012

Well, here is my annual "first thunderstorms of the year" post for 2012. A little early it seems but its true.

Typically we see out first thunderstorms at the end of February, but every now and then we'll get a little bonus in January. This was one of those years. I read on WGNs blog that in 141 years of weather records there have only been 54 January days with thunderstorms. Seeing as how thats 54 out of 4371 it goes to show how unusual such an occurrence it is. It also read that January [to no surprise really] is the month with the fewest thunderstorms.

In true Chicago weather mood swing fashion, these storms came just 2 days after our biggest snowfall so far this winter. Funny to think that 2 days earlier I was streaming snowfall out my window, and then I film the storms. Of course when I turned on my camera to do so I only had 8 minutes of battery, gotta love off season laziness and un-preparedness.

The event did do a good thing though, it has reminded me that spring is closer than it seems, and its time to kick it into high gear to finish pre-season prep work. I still have much to do. Anyways radar grab and video below!

Unfortunately, these general storms were part of a much larger story which was the years first significant severe weather outbreak in parts of AR, AL, MS and TN. An EF-3 tornado struck already hard hit Birmingham, AL area killing at least 2 people. Not a good start to 2012 in that regards.

Radar:

A short youtube video as well, mostly put together because I want to test a new, more professional platform for uploading clips online.

What a Potential Blizzard Looks Like 10 days away.

This is what a future potential blizzard looks like on a forecast model 10 days away. If this plot were to verify the Chicago area would escape the worst, we would start off with mostly rain [potentially heavy] then get whats called dry slotted and then perhaps an inch or 2 of snow on the back side of this system as it moves away.

The center of the system is located over C IL, from here and points SW is where the dry slot would form [this is what gives storms those big comma shapes on radar/satellite] so we would expect a break in precip, before the snow moves in on the back side as the system moves in.

Parts of IA/MN/WI are on the "cold side" of the system the entire time and would see the heaviest snow accumulations.

Areas around the MS river and points east could potentially see severe weather in the form of a squall line that brings a wind damage/tornado threat.

BUT, 10 days might as well be an eternity when it comes to forecast model reliability. What is important to take away from this though, is that the forecast model is showing an overall colder and stormier pattern, which suggests our easy winter is about to end. So while this event shown here might not become a reality, overall, the second half of January doesn't look as pleasant as the first half. This is basically how a long range forecast is derived, by looking at trends.

2012: Here we go

Well here we are, 2012. Now I can say these are the official numbers from 2011:

Chases: 25
Tornadoes: 26
Tornado days: 11 [3-22, 4-9, 4-19, 4-27, 5-12, 5-21, 5-24, 6-19, 6-20, 7-26, 11-7]

I hit quite a few milestones this year as well:

First tornado on first chase [3-22]
First Iowa tornado
First March tornado
First July tornado
First November tornado
First back to back tornado days [6-19 and 6-20]
First chase in Alabama
First Alabama tornado
First Nebraska tornado
First EF-5 [Piedmont, El Reno 5-24]
Longest consecutive days chased: 7 [5-18 through 5-25]
Longest tornado/chase streak: 4 [6-19, 6-20, 7-26, 11-7]*

*technically this streak is still going, if I manage a tornado on the first chase in 2012 it will be 5 and counting*

2011 was a very successful chase year. While the tornado count doesn't compare to 2010, I had more tornado days in 2011. This lends me to believe I am getting better at storm positioning and field tactics. 2010s high tornado count is due to mostly 5-22 and 6-17 [with over 20 tornadoes just from those 2 days alone.] So it is a good thing to be able to say I was able to see tornadoes on more chases for sure.

2011 was not without its major fails though. I blew some pretty big days, namely 4-14 and 5-22. These days it was simple chase mistakes that happen from picking the wrong storm. It will be impossible to never have this happen in 2012, and I expect similar flops, though hopefully minimized.

With 2011 being the exceptionally violent year that it was I saw more death and destruction up close than I did any other year, while this is not something I care to repeat in 2012, nor proud that its something that happened in 2011, its still a fact whether I like it or not.

So what does 2012 bring? I touched up on this before a bit in my last blog but now that it is here its easier to gauge where I am at. 2012 is going to be a very tough year for me, especially financially. I am stretched about as far as I can go and unfortunately I think this will be a limiting factor for me in 2012, unless I team up with people more, which I don't like doing as much. No offense to anyone out there, I just prefer to chase in my own vehicle and have all the say...but I will do what I have to do.

I have a feeling I will be on less solo missions this year as a result. As for my setup, not much will change. I hope to acquire a new laptop from a friend in Denver that will allow me to better stream and upload video to media more efficiently, but if that falls though, I know my current setup will at least work. I probably won't have too many upgrades to the vehicle itself. I still hope to get a HAM cert, as well as a cert in first responding, but thats becoming more unlikely with each passing day.

The big change I will do for myself in 2012 is be more conscious of my video-taping skills. After releasing a DVD this year I realize I need to improve my videography skills some. Less multi tasking during tornado time and more focusing on getting high quality video is the main improvement I plan to focus on this year. Also at the same time, I plan to be allot more aggressive in how close I get. I've seen the limits, and with each passing year I gain more knowledge about intercepting. I wan't better, more dramatic shots that show more detail of the tornado.

I plan to raise the bar for myself in that regard, which contradicts the improved videography goals as there won't be much time for relaxed tripoded intercepts, but I will find a balance when out there in the field somehow. I have a feeling though my name will end up in the negative chaser spotlight more times than once. Often times such feats come with controversy...and thats fine. I am not afraid to take the heat.

Afterall, its my chasing career, and I will do with it as I please. I have no time to worry about what people think of me, I just need to go out there and git r done. I don't want to, nor have I ever tried to intentionally piss people off, but they are going to judge me regardless, so I might as well do what I want. Remember this name, it will be relevant in 2012!

Basically, I just want to keep improving my chasing in every way I can. There is always room to improve, grow and evolve as a chaser. 2012 will be no exception. I will address the challenges, and make sure I do everything in my power I can to make it the best chasing year yet. I know no set bounds, only my own personal limits.

More updates as they come! Its been an easy winter here. Mild and dry. Even though its January we have less than 2 inches of snow to date this winter, and our coldest temp has been a balmy 18 degrees or something like that. Ill take it!

Spring gets closer with each passing day, I am anxious, and ready!

Decentber: About My Hate for Snow

A pretty mild, calm and boring December it has been so far, hence I am calling it Decentber. Because the weather hasn't been bad at all. Most days have been above normal, with sun, and what little precip has fallen has been rain. I could definitely live with it staying like this the entire winter.

Many are shocked that a weather nut such as myself loathes snow. Somewhere between the time when I was a kid and snow meant a potential day off school to the time I became an adult and it meant a pain in the ass commute to work it is true, I lost my love for the stuff. It is annoying and an inconvenience.

Now don't get me wrong, if we get another blizzard like we had back in February that would certainly be awesome. That was a full on severe weather assault with 60mph winds, hail and thundersnow totalling over 20 inches that put the city to a hault. THAT I WILL TAKE. But you can save all your piddly 2-12 inch accumulations for somewhere else in the country.

The media chaser would say "but snow video sells good," Yea, maybe in Texas where an inch of snow equals the apocalypse, but here in Chicago we have plenty of media to go out and shoot their own B-roll shots of idiot drivers sliding into ditches. Believe me, I have tried. So that argument is moot.

Sure, snowstorms are a challenge to forecast and are a good way to rack ones meteorological brain and put their forecast skills to the test, but again, I can do that with a snow event somewhere else. Doesn't need to be in my backyard.

Snow makes for pretty pictures: Yea, not in the city, it turns brown and black after about 2hrs. I am not a photog and driving 2hrs to take pictures of snow is not appealing to me.

So I just don't get excited over the stuff, and wouldn't complain if Decentber continued all the way into March. Winter is basically a go big or go home type deal for me. Snowpocalypse that brings the human race crawling to its knees, or nothing at all. Because unless it is just that, it is nothing more than an inconvenience. Snow loses its magic at the age of 16, when suddenly one must drive in it, and places of employment [unlike schools] remain open.

Plus, the weather statistic nerd in me has realized that if we continue on this pace, we will set a new record for the latest date of measurable snow in the city, and who knows what else. Always neat to experience either end of the record spectrum.

Things I am Going to be Working on.

Before I get to the point I should mention I had an incredible chase about 2 weeks ago in Oklahoma. At east 8 tornadoes, some very beautiful and high contrast, were documented by myself along with Ben Holcomb and Jonathan Williamson. Detailed log can be seen here: http://www.aerostorms.com/110711-Oklahoma-Tornadoes-in-November.php

The sad part is that only covers about half of what went on. A little known fact about that day is we actually got hit by a brief spinup while blasting north under a new developing area of rotation. My ears popped, debris flew by from the west, and then whipped back around from the east. No doubt in my mind it was a brief tornadic spinup. At that point the battery in my camera was dead from filming over 90 minutes of the chase so I have no video. Jon had his camera on the seat since he was focusing on still pictures, I was filming with Bens camera and had it pointed out the windshield, but he said the video turned out like crap. So who knows...

That being said, one of the things I will be upgrading is a new extended battery. Never again do I want to have a battery die during the middle of a hot chase. That was the first, and will be the last time that ever happens.

I also plan to get a wind filter, one thing I can't stand in video is excessive amounts of wind noise. Sort of hard to avoid in this line of work, but a filter is a relatively cheap purchase so its worth a shot.

New laptop is coming thanks to a very generous individual. It won't be top of the line [nothing I own ever is] but it will be better than what I have, and I've been able to make do with what I have, so an upgrade is an upgrade. I am tired of being skunked in video sales [especially by people with worse shots] because it takes my old ass laptop 2hrs to render out a 20 second video clip to upload.

I say this every year, but I would really like to finally get my HAM license. Not sure Ill have money for a radio though, so we'll see. 

I also want to get certified in first responding. Arriving on the devastation moments after it happened during the April 27th and May 24th outbreaks really was a kick in the gut. The things I saw those days were just...ugh. I need to be able to help more.

So that is a bit of a preview of the things I plan to change for 2012. 

If I have time I may attempt to build the rest of the hail guards for the windshield and rear window. Time is short, and so are funds. So we'll see!

Any moment we will be in winters grip, and as always there is plenty to keep me busy during the off season. 2012 potentially has some major opportunities for me. Lots of leads for good things, just gotta keep my head in the game and make sure I am always striving to improve!

Closing Out October

Hard to believe October is almost over and November will begin. It won't be long now until the Chicago area is the grips of winters nastiness, which from "expert" opinions is supposed to be another terrible one, similar to the last 3 years. I remain skeptical, seeing as how winter 2010-2011 broke the record for consecutive years with 50+ inches of snow here, it seems inconceivable that it would happen 2 years in a row but hey, records were made to be broken.

In other news I had to miss the NWSF this year which kinda bummed me out. I was all set to go but went to the dentist a few days prior to get one of my many teeth problems fixed and got slapped with a bill that was allot higher than expected, and there went all my trip funds. I suppose I still could have went, but it wouldn't have been the smart thing to do financially, plus many of the faces I wanted to see down there weren't going, so I decided to just save my resources for chasercon.

I have been aggressive in knocking out bills and debt, so I can move forward with life on a clean slate. Its been a challenge but it is my priority now. I don't make much money, but what I do make is being used to knock out my debt so that once the future rolls around I can be better off. Its tough, but I manage...

DVDs are moving off the shelf, not as fast as I was hoping though. Not sure why, but probably because I set my price at 19.99 while most other chasers are offering theirs between 10 and 15. Mine is jam packed with 4 years worth of my best stuff though and is pretty much wall to wall tornado and extreme weather. Not knocking other DVDs but if I had allot of filler content and stuff I find boring [like blizzards and forest fires and 7 minute long dashcam shots of me driving towards a shelf cloud] I would have charged less.

Another reason is probably the title, it wasn't meant to be taken serious which is probably why allot of seasoned weather enthusiasts are ignoring it. Most of my sales are coming from the general public and fans/supporters of mine as opposed to the typical members of the chase community minus the couple trades I have done. Thats fine though, I wanted to branch out in that harder to reach market so in that aspect its been a success. I have had a few people tell me mine is the first DVD they have ever purchased, so for that I feel special and extremely grateful!

There is still the CA 2011 DVD which is about to be released as well, and those typically sell well and are bought by all the usual suspects so if I can have a leg in each side of the market that is certainly a good thing.

One things for certain though, when compiling footage for a DVD it is definitely the best way to critique your own shooting style, and I will be making sure I do allot of things to improve my videography skills in 2012. Tripoding more is a must. Many times I didn't want to grab my tripod because I didn't want to miss filming the tornado for those few seconds. I have now realized its worth missing a few seconds to have the rest be professional and stabilized.

Although in 2012 I plan to be more aggressive in my distance to tornadoes by getting closer, which means lots of in vehicle shots. Perhaps a dashcam mount - but for some reason I tend not to like daschcam footage when I see it from others. A stabilized shot is good, but those just seem TOO stable [if that makes sense] to where it diminishes the true chaotic-ness of the situation. We'll see, the winter will be long and Ill have lots of time to consider the pros and cons of the things I want to do differently in 2012.

Speaking of conventions. I am supposed to speak at the Indiana Storm Chasers convention this Saturday. Working with the bums in my group has been an eye rolling experience as usual since they can't commit to anything. Perhaps devolving the group into just a DVD production is the way to go...but thats another issue for another time...and now the GFS is driving me crazy with fantasy runs showing a potential chase the day of the convention [of course] so we'll see what happens.

Thats all for now!

The Fire Photo That Will Not Die.

Those of you who are my friend on facebook know about the eternal flame photo. This past weekend I went camping with friends, nothing unusual there. I snapped a pic of the campfire and uploaded it to facebook, nothing unusual there either. In fact, if you browse my mobile uploads album you'll see more than one instance of this [most recently on my Birthday while visiting Jon Williamson in WI.] Somehow the photo is stuck in a weird loop and auto posts every 4-5 hours.

I've done everything on my end I can think of to make it stop. I deleted the photo out of my phone, deleted my message boxes, upload folders, restarted the phone, took out the sim card, deleted the original facebook post but alas, just like Old Faithful, every 4-5 hours it appears again. I don't have a smart phone so there is no facebook app to try and jigger settings on.

So I decided to have some fun with it since people seem amused by it, and used it as a way to promote my DVD I am working on by offering people free copies if they were the first to comment stupid random sayings I made up. I'm generally a go with the flow type of person, never take things too seriously and will roll with the punches. I've even gotten about a dozen friend requests since the wacky incident started. The parody photos and videos have been hilarious, and offer a nice distraction from life's stresses. Ill probably collect and save them all somewhere at some point.

Some of you think I am doing it on purpose...rest assured that even if I were clever enough to come up with the scheme on my own, I am definitely too lazy to make sure I am on facebook every 4 hours to post it. Contrary to popular belief I do sleep and work...sometimes ;)

Alas though, there are those out there who value the content of their facebook feeds like a first born child, and apparently having to take an extra second to scroll past it is a huge burden on their life so I will be contacting facebook [if thats even possible] about it to see if they can stop it.

Though it will one day be extinguished, it will never truly die!

In other news, the progress I am making on my DVD has been great, much faster than I expected. I am ashamed of myself for waiting so long, as I am having trouble cramming 4 years worth of content into one DVD, but once I got rolling with the project my focus really ramped up and I've gotten really into it. When I first started it I gave an estimated release date of December 1st thinking my lazy ass would have all sorts of road blocks, but at the rate I am going I don't see a reason it won't be done in the next two weeks, so stay tuned for more announcements regarding that!

I plan to promote it to the point people will get sick of hearing the word noob, but if the word association sticks [for better or worse] and keeps me in people's heads, I will deem my unintended marketing campaign a success.

Storm Chasing DVD Trailer!

I've finally begun working on my first ever DVD. There is much to do, but I have finished the trailer. It only took me about 5 hours, mostly because I had to dig out my old computer that had some of my 2008 and 2009 stuff on it, but I like the way it turned out. Anyways here is the trailer.

Why did I title it The Noob? Well, a couple reasons. It is my first DVD which covers my first several years as a chaser. I also find the term amusing, especially when someone attempts to call me that as an insult. It's a snarky way to stick it to those who thought I could never do it. Rather than trying to get defensive and give a million reasons why I am some die hard non-noob chaser, I simply embrace what I am and where I am in my career. These WERE my noob years, and I have allot of accomplishments to be proud of!

I am not sure when the DVD will be released. I am going to put it together using software I've never used before, so I expect it to be a nightmare with lots of problems. Hopefully sooner than later, and definitely before the holidays!

Storm Chasers: I will accept trades. Some of you have hooked me up with your DVDs over the years and rest assured I will definitely reciprocate! Everyone else; thatll be 19.99 - I need some new gear for 2012!

I am excited, and hope everyone will enjoy it when it is done.

Storm Chasing and Making Money

I've been a bit of a crabass lately, so its time to rant on a popular debate in the chase community. The whole issue when it comes to storm chasing and making money.

First and foremost, if you are a new and aspiring chaser hoping for big fame and big bucks for the latest and greatest tornado video. Don't even bother. The market is extremely tough, and in this day and age even if you get a good shot one of 2 things will happen.

1 - Someone better than you who already has the connections will get a better shot or
2 - Some dipshit with an I-phone will give the news a crappier shot for free. The news could care less about quality.

The big debate revolves around those who want to make money are said to be less passionate. Are you kidding me?! Often what you see is blanket statements like "I don't care if I make money, I am there for the love of the weather and to save lives." Get over yourself now. I am tired of reading this from people. As if somehow that statement is going to convince me that you are a die hard chaser and deserve to be there more than others. Please, you ain't fooling anyone except those who try and spout the same bullshit. Then you can all rally together and stroke each others egos.

There is nothing I would enjoy more than being able to make my lifes living off of storm chasing. A pipe dream sure, but a dream none-the-less. I could give a rats ass about a persons "real" job nor do I want to be remembered in life for the work I do. Hey wow, you work in IT! Congrats. PHHHT. Sure, in the grand scheme of things storm chasers may not really matter, but neither do half of the occupations out there.

When I die I want people to think "There goes Adam, he was a badass storm chaser." Not "there goes adam, he was awesome at fixing computers, flipping burgers, filling out tax forms, cutting lawns, driving forklifts, etc etc etc." I think allot of time people assume that those who want to make money off chasing want to become RICH from chasing. There is a difference. I would be happy living in a dumpy apartment or trailer, if it meant I had the freedom to chase. More money is always better, but to me life fulfillment outweighs just how much money I make. If I was handed a job offer for 40k a year that guaranteed a way I could chase when I wanted, I would take that anyday over a job that offered me 100K a year but said I could only have 2 weeks off.

So you better damn well believe I will do everything in my power to make as much money as possible with my chasing en devours. If that makes me a sellout in your eyes thats fine. I don't owe you or anyone anything and you sure as hell aren't going to help me in anyway so why do I care if you think I am a sellout? Have fun not chasing as much as you would like in the meantime, just don't expect me to feel sorry for you because you're stuck in a routine and the storms won't always come within 20 miles of your house.

Another argument is chasing for money turns chasing into work as opposed to enjoyment. While there may be some truth to that it still wouldn't bother me. Its work I would enjoy, and it would be my life. Every job has its stressful moments, its ups and downs. I might as well have my work be my lifes passion, and if I want a hobby I purely enjoy thats where fishing, BBQing and camping comes in.

This all goes back to chasing being different things to different people. If you are happy with your situation thats all that matters. If chasing only a handful of times a year is enough for you, I applaud you and surely don't look down on you. The people I look down on are the ones who whine about their situation and do little to change it. Succeeding in your dream is harder than succeeding in everyday normal life.

Life is hard, and bills need to get paid. I am not blind to this. I may chase allot, but its not nearly enough as I want to because even I still have to do what I have to do to survive. I have given up allot of "normal life" things in order to be able to chase as much as I can though. I was not born into an easy means to chase freely, so for me it has to come with hard work and sacrifice. I've sacrificed moving out of my house when I was in my mid 20s, getting married, having a family, that nice job downtown...you know, all the normal stuff people are supposed to do. That may be the ultimate goal for many, its just not mine.

I think the bottom line is, even if I never make another penny doing it, I am still going to do it. But as long as I am doing it, I am not going half ass it, and will do everything in my power to make the most from it. I think allot of people fail to grasp that concept. Do I think I am better? Certainly not and sometimes I have a struggle from within thinking I am making the wrong decisions and that I wish I wasn't a slave to this desire. Its a tough battle to fight trying to climb your way up from the very bottom.

Basically, if you don't want to make money from chasing then good for you, but you are not better than anyone, you are not more passionate, and it doesn't give you anymore right to be there than someone else. So STFU, and thats where I stand on that whole issue.

EDIT: While discussing this entry on facebook I summed it up quite nicely and wanted to add it in here.

Really the point I am trying to make is who cares what others are doing and that none of us are better than anyone else. Do it for your own reasons and enjoy it. I think WE ALL do it for the love of storms. That is the ONLY THING that fuels us to go out there. What spin you decide to take on it from there is up to you, and no matter what that is, you have a right to do it.