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Why choose Thunderbolt Tours for your next vacation?

Storm Chasing is a both an art and a science. Being in position to regularly observe supercells thunderstorms and tornadoes at close range requires an uncommonly high level of understanding, skill and experience.

As a prospective customer, the most important consideration in choosing a tour operator is a proven track record. Irrespective of savvy marketing skills and superfluous technological 'distractions', is the tour operator transparent in providing evidence of regular supercell and tornado intercepts (ie photographs, video, publications)? Look for chase summaries published on the web by tour guides. At thunderbolt Tours, our website contains numerous logs, photographs and video of chases to enable you to get a taste of what to expect - in essence, what our guides can deliver.

Do we use sophisticated storm chaser technology or 'gadgetry'? To the extent that it facilitates successful storm intercepts, yes. Being able to access certain information on the road is extremely important. We obtain satellite and real-time weather observations throughout the day, to fine-tune forecasts, to identify features that will likely interact to initiate severe thunderstorm during the day, and to identify early convection. We use NWS (National Weather Service) Doppler radar; this provides us with a constant stream of information on storm development and organisation that may not be visually apparent when a storm is obscured by closer convection, or when a cluster of potentially severe storms are all in close proximity. We use GPS to ensure that we are 'on top of' available road options and to get you up close and personal with severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. We take our own temperature, dewpoint and surface wind readings throughout the day. We often tune into NOAA weather radio to monitor severe thunderstorm / tornado watches and warnings as they are issued by the weather service.

These are tools, though it is the expertise of our guides that will craft the outcome of each day's chase. View our photographic and video galleries and see what you might expect on a Thunderbolt Tours Storm Chasing Adventure.