Tempest Tours Storm Chasing Expeditions

Tempest Tours is operated by a team of highly experienced and respected storm chasers, meteorologists, and climatologists who thoroughly understand every facet of storm chasing. Our goal is to share our knowledge and appreciation for storms with others. Each tour is comprised of 5 to 10 "chase days." Guests will travel to our base cities, Oklahoma City, OK, or Denver, CO where they will join Tempest Tours for their tour. Guests will ride in smoke-free 15-passenger vans, with a limit of six guests per van for added comfort. Each tour will be led by one of our Tour Directors, William Reid, Chris Gullikson or Bob Consemius. Upon arriving in the designated base city, guests will proceed to the base city hotel where our team will provide an orientation to guests. The orientation will provide information on tour safety guidelines and procedures.

On the morning of each chase day, the Tour Director will present a forecast briefing to the group. The briefing will outline the day's target and departure time. If forecast parameters suggest an early departure, the Tour Director will inform the group the night before. However, the group must be ready to depart for a chase target with very little notice. Lack of notice on the part of Mother Nature is one of the many things that make storm chasing both challenging and exciting. Guests should be prepared to travel several hundred miles each day, on average, to reach chase targets. The goal of each chase day is to forecast and intercept the most significant weather that we expect to develop on the Plains later in the day. We will travel far and wide to meet our goal. Tempest Tours expeditions take place primarily in the Tornado Alley states of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, the Dakotas, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico. Along the way, our team will educate guests about the many facets of storm chasing including the meteorology, logistics and even romance of the discipline. Guests will gain an education and new found appreciation for the atmosphere and the Great Plains. Our Tour Director will concentrate on forecasting supercell thunderstorms, the initial objective for storm chasers. Supercells are thunderstorms with long-lived rotating updrafts. They are the most prolific producers of significant tornadoes and large hail. Supercells also produce spectacular lightning and potent straight line winds. If supercells develop as forecasted, then the group will intercept and view the storms from a safe distance. Guests will be afforded many opportunities for storm photography. The chase will continue usually until dark or when storms dissipate, which ever comes first.

Tempest Tours is for anyone and all ages interested in learning more about storm chasing, seeing Great Plains storms, supercells, and tornados. We do private tours for special groups upon request.

Clean, comfortable motels near the location of the storms. Meals are local cuisine as the group travels toward their destination. We try to experience local cuisine wherever we may be that day.

For the comfort and safety of our guests, no smoking, alcoholic beverages will be allowed in tour vehicles.

Complete information is available at our web site