The Other Side of Storm Chasing | April 3, 2026

Before you read this: this is a bust day. It started off looking amazing and ended in just pure chaos (including a flat tire and a possible fire in the vehicle — also, this chase's theme was RAYE's "This Music May Contain Hope" because it just came out, but it also fits weirdly well).

This chase started out looking strong. Our target area was in Missouri. The SPC issued an enhanced risk with a 5% CIG1 for tornadoes. While we weren't expecting anything too crazy, some structure was on the table.

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This storm chase was going to be the first big test of everything I worked on during the off-season — Starlink and 360 camera mounts on the roof, camera mounting inside the vehicle, etc.

We spent the night at a hotel in Lincoln, Nebraska. We don't arrive until super late at night (talking 3-4 AM), then we wake up and have breakfast before driving southeast into Missouri. When we left the hotel, it was cold, overcast, and drizzling—not the perfect setup for the morning of, but we were also behind the best area of development. The drive strongly reminds me of the beginning of March 14 from last year (read about that chase here).

While driving down the interstate, as storms begin to develop, we pull off and come across a little town called Craig, Missouri. When I tell you that this town is unique, I mean it.

Off the side of the road, they had a graveyard (or an art exhibit (???)) made out of toilets. Inside a house, there is what I assume is a haunted Easter bunny outfit stalking us. So, we obviously had to stop in Craig for 10 minutes. We love Craig.

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Eventually, storms develop, and everything gets mounted. We had a view of the lone tornado-warned supercell to our north, paired with warm, moist inflow just north of Craig. However, as storms do, it moved, so we had to adjust.

While moving to our new area, a spotter reported a bowl/multiple-vortex tornado on the ground! Right behind a hill from our perspective. By the time we got a view, it dissipated.

However, we eventually got into position, and if anything had happened, we would've had the perfect view.

As the storm intensified, it began to form a squall line. The tornado threat was gone. However, we were still planning for the possibility of some structure.

I don't remember the exact area, but we were driving down a road when suddenly road-closed signs appeared. So, as any reasonable person would, we stopped and turned around. Right as we began driving, the car made a weird noise. Somehow, while turning around, the sidewall just let go of the rim, and the tire lost all the air. While this road is more in the middle of nowhere, it's not exactly unused either.

Fairly obviously, the chase was over at this point. But there was still that mini line of storms heading towards us!

We waited for the storms to pass, then moved the car to a safer spot, and began to change the tire in the cold, sprinkling rain outside. Luckily, because of June 8 of last year (also read about that chase here), we've become experts at changing tires. This one didn't take nearly as long, and we were on the road again in the donut. The closest city with a hotel and a tire shop was Saint Joseph, about 50 miles away. Around the upper limit for a donut.

As we began driving, the sun went down. Then, some storms came up near Saint Joseph, and we were in the path. Driving in a downpour, in rolling hills, on a donut, is not that fun. At this time, I noticed something else weird. The battery/inverter was getting weirdly warm. I went to look, and the DC charging cable for the battery... melted into the port. Adding a possible fire hazard into the mix of this day was not fun.

Eventually, we arrived in St Joseph. We stayed at an older hotel, and it felt like someone had probably died there. We got into our room. I felt dirty, so I went to shower. To start, there's hair in the bathtub. When I went to turn it on, it was only cold water. After trying to figure it out for a bit, we discovered that the shower is piped in reverse! Cold is hot, and hot is cold. At least I could get cleaned up (although I didn't feel truly clean).

Also, I forgot to mention this: we had a family event the next day in the evening, around an 8-hour drive away. If everything worked perfectly, we would've gotten there in time.

However, it does get a bit better. I check my map, and I see that our hotel is right next to East Hills Mall. The mall from that vine a decade ago (this is making me feel old). Then, I do some research, and I find a psychiatric museum nearby - Glore Psychiatric Museum. It seemed interesting. Denise, the driver, loves going to random museums. So, if we were stuck in St Joseph for the next day, why not explore a bit?

The next day we did some exploring (that museum was interesting if you're ever in the area), got the tire replaced, then we went on our way home. We arrived around 2 in the morning, a bit later than we had planned.

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This storm chase was not going to be one for the books. However, it reminded me of one of my favorite things to do on storm chases: explore. Storm chasing is basically a long road trip, but the destination is just the storms, and you get to explore random areas along the way. From our favorite town of Craig, Missouri, down to St. Joseph and the creepy museums they have there, I wouldn't have ever been able to see or even know about them if it weren't for storm chasing. Even if something doesn't go your way, still try to see the fun parts of it.