Storm Chase Details


Chase Date: June 6, 2008
Miles Logged: 193
States Chased: MI
Severe Risks: SPC Outlooks

Chase Recap:

I was watching this day for awhile, and made the decision to leave work early. Storms were firing in West Michigan and they were showing signs of supercellular development. I drove west to Grand Rapids and intercepted cells near Grand Rapids first. I observed a wall cloud before heading south towards the Grand Rapids office. I actually drove right by the GRR office, and then headed over to 131 south. That was a mistake as 131 south was full of traffic, and I had a hard time getting anywhere.

I got off at the wrong exit, and ended up in Podunk (really!) Michigan. I made some wrong turns but finally ended up on M37. One of the storms was Tornado Warned, but I never caught up to it. I came across a lot of damage in Barry County and stopped for some quick damage video.

A new tornado warning was issued to my south, and I shot south down M37 but saw nothing but a mess of rain and wind. I ended up trying to shoot east on a side road and got caught by a tree down. I took some video of the tree down and then proceeded east. I made probably a dozen turnarounds in the next 2 hours trying to get out of there as there were trees down across the road everywhere. I finally gave up and headed back home to edit some video and get some sleep. All in all a good chase!