ATTENTION SHM ANNUAL MEETING GOERS: My presentation can be found by clicking on the following link:

http://home.comcast.net/~persoffj/RapidFire.ppt

Enjoy! Thank you!!!
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I have been chasing severe weather since 1990 when I lived in Denver, Colorado. My wife and I moved to Jacksonville, Florida in 1997 so that I could work for Mayo Clinic and have lived there since. I chase annually the last two weeks of May, flying out to catch severe weather on the Great Plains. I go wherever the storms will form--my travels frequently exceed 4000 miles during those two weeks. I marvel at the amazing landscapes and differences in geography that span Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, New Mexico, and Texas. My favorite areas to chase are the Texas Panhandle,Eastern Nebraska, and Kansas which both provide highly differing but spectacular views. I am an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Mayo Clinic in the subspecialty of Hospital Medicine (I only take care of inpatients). The top four questions I get are:

a) How close do you get to the storms? I get as close as I feel safely that I can. Having chased for over a decade, I have developed a good feel for the breadth and scope of severe weather. Education and trial-by-fire have taught me what's safe and what's not. Storm chasing is NOT for those without weather knowledge. A good starting place is: http://stormtrack.org/ for those interested.

b) Does your wife come with you? She used to, but stopped when she realized that 95% of chasing is driving; the other 5% are high-stress. She enjoys watching my tapes and loves my photos. She is the most amazingly supportive person I have ever met. And I love her tremendously. Her encouragement means more than she could ever know.

c) What's the most powerful tornado you've ever seen? I witnessed an F2 nearly mile-wide tornado west of Concordia, Kansas, on May 30, 2004. That photo is in this collection.

d) Do you go to the MidWest and chase storms by yourself or with others? The storm chasing community is fairly tight-knit and we all are familiar with one another. When I go chasing I am often "by myself" in my vehicle. However, it is exceptionally common for me to run into other chasers on the same storms I am chasing, and frequently I also run into others at motels or restaurants. Sometimes we will all team up; other times we won't. There is a good rapport between most chasers (with a few exceptions), so to me, I am never really alone.

Please email me with any questions at all. Please help support my photography by purchasing any photos you find call to you. I would also love to hear your thoughts about the scenes you see. Emotional reactions/thoughts are always welcome because I enjoy sharing these moments with others.

Thanks!

Jason

Jason@Stormdoctor.Com