About

Everyone was a rookie once.

We pick up the story in 2022. Three strangers were joining Extreme Tornado Tours for the first time. These three rookies found themselves on an epic adventure lasting 10 days, along with 9 veteran guests & 4 guides. A few weeks after the tour, one of the rookies - Jen - decided to try some storm chasing on her own. 

On June 15, 2022, she found herself chasing storms near Tomah, Wisconsin. In a video clip, she can be heard saying something along the lines of "storm chaser rookie at it again" without much confidence. Later she found herself driving in front of a tornado-warned storm. At one point, she said to herself, "there could be a tornado hiding in the rain & I would have no idea." There was a tornado. The NWS confirmed an EF-1 tornado in the exact area she was driving. It was on that day a dream was born - the Rookie Storm Chaser project.

Jen started Rookie Storm Chaser to chronicle her experience as a rookie. She wanted to pull back the curtain for people not experienced in storm chasing. Yes, there are tons of resources available to learn about storm chasing, storm structure, forecasting, and more. This project will never replace those resources. Rookie Storm Chaser will share what they have learned and experienced in an approachable way. We will share the exciting moments, the disappointing moments and everything in-between. 

The heart behind Rookie Storm Chaser is to remind rookies that everyone has to start somewhere, and everyone was a rookie once. We are here to be an encouragement and hopefully a positive part of the weather community.