Penn State Storm Chase Team

Today we learned that patience is truly a virtue! After waiting all day until around 7pm for convective initiation to begin, storms began to finally form. Most storms that popped up quickly formed into very picturesque supercells! We followed one supercell in Maysville, MO and another one a little later in Utica, MO. We got some truly amazing pictures, as well as being able to get behind BOTH storms to do a hail swath. Obtaining the hail measurements is part of our project on this years chase, and it’s crucial to submit hail measurement to local NWS offices for warning verification. Overall a beautiful day with amazing storms and amazing teamwork all around! Great job everyone!

Rotating wall cloud associated with a storm near Edmonton, TX (4:45 CDT)

I hope you all have enjoyed learning about our chasers over the last 13 days! It’s now time to meet our last chaser before we chase tomorrow.
Our last chaser is Harrison Sincavage. Harrison is a Penn State Alumni from Reading, PA. Here’s a little about Harrison’s interest in severe weather and why he’s coming on the chase trip with us:
“Severe weather has always interested me because no storms are alike. I am hoping to give back to the students with adding a research spin to this year’s trip by providing the opportunity to measure hailstones and document the spatial extent of hail swaths.”

Thanks so much for joining us Harrison! We can’t wait to chase with you!

WE CHASE IN 1!! 🌪

Our second to last featured chaser is our president, Dave Munyan! Dave is a senior from West Deptford, NJ! Here’s a message from Dave about his interest in severe weather and what he hopes to get out of this years chase:
“I have been interested in severe weather for as long as I can remember. Last year's chase was an absolutely unforgettable experience. As president and leader of this year's chase, I will strive to provide everyone going on the trip this year with the same or even better experience than I had!”

Thanks for an awesome year Dave! We can’t to chase with you for your last chase!
WE CHASE IN 2!! 🌪

Our next featured chaser is our current treasurer, Kallan Parker! Kallan is a junior from Aliquippa, PA! Here’s a little about how Kallan’s interest in severe weather began and why she applied to the chase:
“I have wanted to be a meteorologist ever since 2nd grade when I saw my first and only funnel cloud ever. As somewhat an adrenaline ju**ie, I have since dreamed of my first opportunity to chase storms. On the chase this year, I am excited to not only experience the thrill of the chase, but to better understand the weather that I have grown to love so much”

We can’t wait to chase with you Kallan! WE CHASE IN 3!! 🌪

Our next featured chaser is our current secretary, Alex Hatfield! Alex is a junior from Wakefield, MA! Here’s a little about how Alex’s severe weather interest began and what she hopes to get out of this years chase trip:
“My interest in severe weather began when I started watching natural disaster movies and tv shows, especially the movie Twister. Every since then, I fell in love with severe weather and the idea of storm chasing! When I found out PSU has a Storm Chase Team, I knew I had to be involved. I'm so excited to embark on my second chase trip to further my severe weather/storm chasing knowledge with an amazing group of people!”

Can’t wait to chase with you again Alex! WE CHASE IN 4!! 🌪

As we come down to the last few days until our chase trip, we’re now taking the time to introduce current members of the executive board!
First up, we have our officer of Club and Trip Affairs, Grant LaChat! Grant is a junior from Silver Spring, MD. Here’s a message from Grant about how his interest in severe weather began and what he hopes to get out of this years chase:
“My name is Grant LaChat and I will be a junior in the fall. Living and growing up in the DC area, I was fortunate to see all types of severe weather growing up. The 2012 DC Derecho got me into severe thunderstorms. I hope to get more field experience with mesoscale meteorology, and to apply what I have learned in my classes this year.”

We can’t wait to chase with you again Grant! WE CHASE IN 5!! 🌪

Our next featured chaser is Karl Schneider! Karl is a senior from Hunstville, AL. Here's a message from Karl:
"Even though this is my 3rd chase, I am still just as excited as the first time. There is nothing more amazing than experiencing weather in the plains with your friends!"

We can't wait to chase with you for the last time Karl, lets make it a good one! WE CHASE IN 6!!!🌪

It's "Meet a Chaser" Monday!
Today's featured chaser is Tayler Fries! Tayler is a senior from Enola, PA. Here's a message from Tayler about why she applied for the chase and what she hopes to get out of it:
"I’m excited to apply the things I’ve learned in the classroom to the field and to experience a whole new level of severe weather compared to what I see in PA!"

Can't wait to chase with you Tayler! WE CHASE IN 7!🌪

Happy Sunday everyone!

Our next featured chaser is Rachel Draper! Rachel is a senior from Lewistown, PA. Here’s a little about how Rachel’s interest in weather began, and what she hopes to get out of the chase trip:
“I've been fascinated with thunderstorms since I was little, always getting excited as soon as the sky got dark with clouds and staying up late to watch them. I wanted to experience the thrill of the chase, and that was influenced by watching Storm Chasers when I was a kid. I hope that I gain a lot of knowledge about forecasting severe weather from the chase, since this will be a huge learning experience for me”

Glad to have you with us Rachel! WE CHASE IN 8!!! 🌪🌪

It's time for our next "Meet a Chaser" post!
Our next featured chaser is Ethan Rogers! Ethan is a junior from Simsbury, CT. Here's a message from Ethan about when his interest in severe weather began and why he applied for the chase:
"My passion for meteorology started when I was 3 years old, and ever since then have been in love with all things weather. I applied to chase because of this love of experiencing weather but also learning more about it, and what better way to do it than by chasing with all of my closest friends! I hope to see some amazing storms, have a great time, and also learn more about forecasting severe weather".

Can't wait to chase with you again Ethan!
WE CHASE IN 9!! 🌪