Every year, about 1,000 tornadoes touch down in the United States. They can reach wind speeds anywhere from 72 to 300 mph. Yet rather than driving in the opposite direction, thousands of storm chasers drive toward the fray for a severe weather experience like no other.
For 20 years, storm chaser Adam Lucio has documented over 350 tornadoes across a dozen states. He is also a guide for Tornadic Expeditions, one of the many companies that have made a business out of storm chasing.
According to stormchasingUSA.com, a website that reviews storm chasing tours, there are currently a dozen different companies that offer scheduled tours in the country. Led by experts like Lucio, guests typically travel in a small group of fewer than 20 people and chase for around a week. These tours have gained popularity by capitalizing on the spectacle of extreme weather, something people don’t often see up close.
“How many people have actually seen a beautiful, photogenic tornado?” Lucio said. “We all have a curiosity about these natural wonders of our planet.”
The excitement over extreme weather phenomena has extended overseas. Kim George, guest relations manager of storm chasing tour company Tempest Tours, explains that people come from all over the world to experience the unique American twisters that can be seen 30 miles away.
“Some of these storms that they see will be three to five miles wide. I mean, it’s just one of those things that is beyond conception unless you’re seeing it there personally,” George said. “There’s no storm that is ever the same. Every time they come, it’s a new surprise and it’s a new adventure.”
According to Ross Ellet, morning meteorologist at 13abc and storm photographer, the center of the United States, situated in a collision zone of different air masses, is a very unique area of the world. The warmth and humidity from the Gulf of Mexico, cold fronts from Canada, hot desert air from Southwest states and dry, cold systems from the Rockies all coalesce in the middle of the country.
The result? A region full of destructive phenomena and storm chasers’ dreams: America’s Tornado Alley.
According to Lucio, the Midwest is a prime storm chasing location. The storm season in the Central Plains region traditionally known as Tornado Alley is confined to spring months, whereas the Midwest experiences more of a year-round threat; the chances for a storm chase somewhere like Illinois are as good in November as they are in March.
The chaser community first took hold in 1956 with David Hoadley, a storm chaser from North Dakota and founder of Storm Track magazine, but the fascination with storms recently peaked with the 2024 release of “Twisters,” the sequel to the 1996 hit movie “Twister.”
The new movie provided advertising for the storm-chasing tourism industry. According to George, Tempest Tours has already sold out for the next season starting in June 2025 — the fastest they have ever sold out on a tour season — and even opened bookings for 2026.
The original movie and its standalone sequel follow a group of storm chasers who must test out their newest technology on a destructive tornado to save lives. Both are filled with action and danger, depicting numerous close calls with massive tornadoes.
Having watched “Twisters”, George says that storm chasing on screen is completely different from storm chasing in real life. Tornadoes usually develop gradually from a supercell, the strongest type of thunderstorm, as warmer spinning air rises and cooler spinning air sinks — a big difference from the movie’s faster-paced storms.
“We don't drive people into a tornado, but we do see a lot of the same things they were seeing [in the movie]. We don't also have a tornado that develops in front of us every two minutes like in the movie,” George said. “So, it's more of a long process than it is a 'Oh, there's a tornado and there's a tornado.’”
In reality, finding a storm and then tracking it for footage involves a mix of forecasting and luck. Although Ellet photographs phenomena like lightning and the aurora by leaving his shutter open and letting nature do the rest, not everything is left up to chance.
“I'll go into the weather data looking for those right conditions to try to find good photo opportunities,” he said. “The big thing that most people don't realize is there's a lot of time that goes into the forecasting of finding what we call a target area … and then there's a lot of driving.”
That balance between forecasting and luck is especially important for the unpredictable tornadoes in the middle of the country. This poses a challenge for storm chasing company tours.
“We don't get to choose when the weather happens. We have to be available to run out the door at the last minute,” Lucio said. “So, when you're doing a scheduled tour, you're just at the mercy of whatever weather pattern you get at the time.”
While storm chasing might be considered a pretty dangerous hobby, experts say having the right knowledge greatly increases safety. By identifying storm features, chasers can safely drive two to three miles ahead of the storm.
“Weather can always flip the cards on you at the last second, but through more experience, you're able to recognize when that moment happens and adjust yourself accordingly,” Lucio said.
According to Ellet, storm chasers try to maneuver themselves into the southern and eastern quadrants of a storm, where you can see a tornado without being in the thunderstorm itself. The northern quadrant is where the rain and hail develops, creating low visibility and dangerous driving conditions.
Storm chasing tours have become an educational opportunity, as well as a thrill-seeking one. Guests get a taste of the magic of severe weather with a healthy dose of science.
“There's no better way to learn than being out there in the field and seeing it happening,” Lucio said. “Once you better understand something, you can better be prepared for it.”
Beyond entertainment, storm chasers also provide real-time information to news stations and organizations like the National Weather Service.
“We're there to be the eyes on the ground where radar can only see so much,” George said.
Storm chasers also livestream data and videos on social media platforms to get information quickly to the public. In these fast, destructive storms, each second can make a difference.
“A lot of the public turns to live storm chasing to get the real-time weather information now,” Lucio said. “When people actually see it happening, they take those warnings more seriously.”
Often, storm chasers are not only the first to warn the public of the incoming storm, but also the first ones on the scene when disaster strikes. Many are medically certified and carry first aid kits with them.
“There's no task that's too small in a situation like that. I've done it all from just letting somebody use my phone … versus pulling bodies out of demolished buildings,” Lucio, who is CPR certified, said.
Media depictions of storm chasing, the advent of new technology, consistent mobile internet and weather tracking apps have brought more storm chasers to the scene.
“When I first started going out there, I would be by myself. I wouldn't see another soul. Now, sometimes there's 10 or 15 cars all jammed on the same road,” Lucio said.
Lucio doesn’t see that upward trend stopping either.
“Five years ago, you couldn't stream on YouTube and make the money that you make. So now, that's a big draw for a lot of people just looking for an alternative lifestyle, or maybe that finally gave them the motivation to pursue their dream,” he said.
The new social media career options for storm chasers were even reflected in “Twisters.” In the film, Tyler Owens, portrayed by Glen Powell, is a famous storm chaser on YouTube.
The rising popularity of storm chasing, however, also poses new dangers. In particular, George noted more crowding on narrow farm roads and the prevalence of citizen chasers — untrained thrill seekers who are more likely to take risks.
“Most people who storm chase, if they're going to get an injury, it'll be from just a traffic accident,” she said. “It just gets kind of crazy, because you're trying to get away from severe weather, and people are just not always being the safest they can.”
But by balancing thrill and safety, science and entertainment, beauty and danger, storm chasing remains for some the adventure of a lifetime.
“The way these storms sculpt themselves, the way they move, the fluid motions — they're also beautiful. It's kind of not fair that something so beautiful can be so destructive,” Lucio said. “You don't realize just how big they are until you're standing right in front of them and you see the whole thing coming at you. And in that moment, you think, 'Wow, if I let it, this thing could take my life.’ It's pretty humbling.”
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