20120405-210407.jpg2011 was a good year as far as storms go. I got to get out and about a bit and there were some really crazy parts to it, like calling in reports of damage and casualties up near Guthrie on May 24th.

This year might be a bit different for me.

Going out chasing is fun, exciting and full of adrenaline, but without a chase vehicle there is just no point in it. I probably shouldn’t have sold my truck, but it was getting on as far as miles go, and to be honest, the transmission felt a little strange and it didn’t fill me with a great sense of reassurance!

So, not only have I sold the truck, I have begun to get more interested in the science and anatomy of storms, supercells and tornadoes. I think a year spent getting more in-depth with the severe weather of the south-central plains of the US of A won’t be a bad thing.

I have my ham radio set up as a home base, thanks in part to my quick observation at a company auction at work in which I scored a nice big power supply which was in perfect working order, despite being labeled as defective. I do need to figure out a better antenna setup though. My Anttron dual-bander stuck to a cookie sheet isn’t exactly the best setup, but it works for now.

Coupled with the vast array of weather data available online, Radarscope on iPhone, GRLevel3 on PC and other tools, it should be a good year to educate myself more.

Unless I happen upon a cheap truck to chase with, that is…