Checking in from the Florida east coast! After getting the weakened eye of Hurricane Milton – still at Category 1 when it passed over my location on Florida’s Space Coast – I’m counting us very lucky indeed. My heart goes out to everyone with damage, from the west coast, where big Category 3 winds and storm surge hit many Florida communities we love, to the …
My road through publishing has been twisted since Funnel Vision, Tornado Pinball and Zap Bang. How can writers choose their happiest path? The release of Twisters this summer has me thinking a lot about fictional accounts of storm chasing—and my own writing. I’m a storm chaser, and I took the movie for what it was: big-budget entertainment. The film’s science stretches credulity, and the actions of …
We started May 23 with casual optimism about our chase prospects. The fun part was that Alethea Kontis and I were storm chasing with Jason Persoff and Dave Lewison (Bill Hark had ended up elsewhere the previous day, but he would get great close-up views of what was to come). And we were chasing dryline storms, which I enjoy. I can’t say our expectations were high; …
Chris Kridler’s storm chasing reports are organized here by year. You can also browse all the storm and sky posts in the blog.
🎥 = includes video
30 April 2024: As another storm-chasing season begins, the sky still beckons
6 May 2024: An ominous forecast and a parade of classic Oklahoma supercells 🎥
7 May 2024: Storm chasing detour to the Wichita Mountains
May 8-9, 2024: Storm chasing in circles in Texas 🎥
10 May 2024: Aurora chase part 1 — spectacular Northern Lights show in Kansas 🎥
11 May 2024: Aurora chase part 2 — beauty and stars over the Badlands 🎥
16 May 2024: Dreamy south Texas storms offer beautiful moments 🎥
19 May 2024: Dramatic Oklahoma tornadic supercell – a real mothership! 🎥
23 May 2024: Stunning shape-shifting Oklahoma tornado 🎥
On writing and storm chasing: As storm chasing blockbuster TWISTERS spins on the big screen, the Storm Seekers novels still electrify me 🎥
October 2024: Hurricane Milton, big Florida tornadoes, and a deluge of bad facts
14 April 2023: Lightning zaps the Space Coast
April 26-27, 2023: Two days of chasing severe and tornado-warned Florida storms 🎥
29 April 2023: LOUD hailstorm chase on Florida’s Space Coast 🎥
24 May 2023: Dusty tornadic supercell in New Mexico 🎥
25 May 2023: Electrifying lightning-filled supercell in New Mexico 🎥
26-27 May 2023: Scenic, striking, spinning storms in New Mexico 🎥
28 May 2023: Texas Panhandle supercells and tornado 🎥
29 May 2023: Pretty storms in Nebraska 🎥
2 June 2023: Swirling storms and rainbow, from New Mexico to Texas 🎥
3 June 2023: Sweeping shelf cloud and sizzling bolts, New Mexico to Texas 🎥
19 June 2023: Spectacular lightning on Florida’s Space Coast
12 March 2022: Wild windstorm blows through Miami Beach 🎥
2021 recap: Looking back at 2021’s spectacular storm chase with Alethea Kontis 🎥
30 April 2022: Nightfall at Port Canaveral – a magical timelapse video 🎥
4 May 2022: Waterspout in Cocoa, Florida 🎥
6 May 2022: Two storm chasers on the road west with a plastic cow 🎥
7 May 2022: Twine, trains and storms from Kansas to Nebraska 🎥
8 May 2022: Mystic moments of peace at Carhenge in Nebraska 🎥
9 May 2022: Midwest madness storm chase in Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin 🎥
May 12-13, 2022: Storms, Oz, Badlands, and the clouds of South Dakota 🎥
14 May 2022: Eerie sun halo glows over Mount Rushmore amid wonders of South Dakota 🎥
15 May 2022: Flower moon total lunar eclipse from western South Dakota 🎥
17 May 2022: Kansas zap fest – an electrifying lightning chase 🎥
18 May 2022: Sublime supercell chase in the Texas Panhandle 🎥
20 May 2022: Texas blues, or some storm chases are mostly about the sunset 🎥
21 May 2022: Prairie dog playtime! Adorable critters frolic in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge 🎥
23 May 2022: Recounting the tornado chase of a massive beast of a supercell in Texas, one year later 🎥
19 June 2022: SpaceX launches rocket as lightning flashes over the ocean 🎥
14 July 2022: SpaceX launch, lightning and the marvelous moon 🎥
20 July 2022: Gorgeous layered shelf cloud on Florida’s Space Coast
1 August 2022: Florida lightning storm fills the night sky 🎥
August-September 2022: Summer of skies, storms, stars and space launches 🎥
10 September 2022: A launch and a lighthouse at Cape Canaveral 🎥
1 November 2022: Autumn rocket launches on the Space Coast 🎥
9 November 2022: Nicole, moving from tropical storm to hurricane, whips up big waves in Cocoa Beach 🎥
November 2022: Hurricane Nicole damage and a rocket launch on the Space Coast
2022 roundup: Finding the most memorable photos of 2022
10 February 2021: Sun halos in central Florida
2 April 2021: Video of wonderful wind and waves on the lagoon 🎥
14 May 2021: Texas travels and lightning on Route 66 🎥
15 May 2021: Sparky lightning storms in the Oklahoma Panhandle 🎥
16 May 2021: Magical spinning storm at Earth, Texas 🎥
17 May 2021: Dusty, tornadic UFO supercell near Brownfield, Texas 🎥
18 May 2021: Tornadic supercell in southwest Texas 🎥
20 May 2021: Hailstorms and rainbows in northern Colorado 🎥
21 May 2021: Messy storms in scenic western Nebraska
23 May 2021: Colorado storms, funnel and lightning 🎥
24 May 2021: Spectacular spinning supercells in Kansas 🎥
25 May 2021: Gorgeous Texas Panhandle supercell, sunset and lightning 🎥
26 May 2021: Kansas mothership supercell and atmospheric beauty 🎥
28 May 2021: Eerie supercell, hail and lightning at Roswell, New Mexico 🎥
29 May 2021: Colorado tornado and Jurassic lightning in Oklahoma 🎥
30 May 2021: A bear and a tornado in New Mexico 🎥
1 June 2021: A farewell to Tornado Alley amid the prairie dogs of Oklahoma
21 October 2021: Timelapse of a mackerel sky – altocumulus clouds in Florida
The very late but thrilling debut of the TORNADO PINBALL book trailer 🎥
Favorite photos of 2021
2021 recap: Chris Kridler and Alethea Kontis look back at 2021’s spectacular storm chase 🎥
20 April 2020: Florida chase of rotating storms
26 May 2020: Lightning in Viera, Florida – or desperate times call for desperate chases
22 June 2020: East-central Florida lightning storms
27 March 2019: Florida hailstorm caught Space Coast by surprise 🎥
17 May 2019: Nebraska tornado and lightning 🎥
18 May 2019: Beautiful Oklahoma storms 🎥
19 June 2019: Severe storm rocks the boats at Port Canaveral 🎥
20 March 2018: Tornado-warned storms in central Florida
17 May 2018: Pretty storms and funnels in Kansas and Oklahoma
16 May 2017: Texas-Oklahoma tornadoes
18 May 2017: Oklahoma tornado and beautiful storms 🎥
22 May 2017: Spectacular sunset storms in New Mexico
21 August 2017: Playing with solar eclipse shadows 🎥
10 September 2017: Hurricane Irma whips the coast in east-central Florida
7 May 2016: Beautiful tornadoes at Wray, Colorado 🎥
20th season of storm chasing starts with tornadoes
9 May 2016: Stunning, violent tornadoes near Elmore City, Oklahoma | New video – short edit 🎥
11 May 2016: Texas Panhandle severe storms and lightning
14 May 2016: Oklahoma scenery and ‘Twister’ event in Wakita 🎥
16 May 2016: Oklahoma Panhandle tornadoes and severe storms in Texas
18 May 2016: New Mexico storms and Texas scenes
21 May 2016: Stunning spinning tornadic supercell and lightning at Leoti, Kansas 🎥
22 May 2016: Spearman, Texas, tornadoes and wild wind 🎥
24 May 2016: ‘Tornado machine’ supercell at Dodge City, Kansas 🎥
28 September 2016: Dazzling lightning at Cocoa, Florida, water tower | Info on prints
Best of 2016: Video and slide show depict best of spectacular tornadoes, lightning and skyscapes 🎥
April 2015: April showers – actually, photogenic thunderstorms in Florida
8 May 2015: Tornadic storm and lightning in Texas
9 May 2015: Storms, rainbows and lightning in southwest Kansas and the Oklahoma Panhandle
13 May 2015: Tornado at Guthrie, Texas 🎥
15 May 2015: Southwest Nebraska storms and lightning 🎥
16 May 2015: Beautiful layered shelf cloud in Nebraska
22 May 2015: Colorado storms, rainbows and mini-mothership
23 May 2015: Tornado-warned storm and more in Colorado
25 May 2015: Severe Kansas storms
27 May 2015: Canadian, Texas, tornadoes 🎥
29 May 2015: Severe storms and spectacular sunset from New Mexico to Texas
1 July 2015: Lightning over the ocean in Florida
2 July 2015: Sea turtles nesting under a full moon in Florida
6 July 2015: Dramatic Florida arcus cloud
13 August 2015: Beautiful shelf cloud over Satellite Beach, Florida
Summer 2015: Florida storms and random bolts
30 September 2015: Big waves at Cocoa Beach, Florida, from offshore Hurricane Joaquin
29 March 2014: Tornado-warned storms whip through central Florida 🎥
15 April 2014: Severe Florida storm and stunning shelf cloud
19 May 2014: Severe Nebraska mothership supercell 🎥
20 May 2014: Beautiful spinning, tornado-warned storm in Colorado 🎥
21 May 2014: Tornado-warned storm in central Colorado 🎥
26 May 2014: Tornado-warned rotating southwest Texas storms 🎥
1 June 2014: Severe storms in northwest Kansas
5-6 June 2014: Severe storms from Colorado to New Mexico and a wee-hours lightning show in Texas
9 July 2014: Striated shelf cloud over the Indian River Lagoon, Cocoa, Florida
REVIEW: ‘Into the Storm’ gets storm chasing all wrong, but the tornadoes are eye-popping
14 July 2014: Shelf cloud from Cocoa to Cocoa Beach, Florida
27 July 2014: A crazy week for Florida storms
9 August 2014: Beautiful shelf cloud in Brevard County, Florida
2014 storms and skies in photographs: a slide show 🎥
24 March 2013: A Florida squall line starts the chase season 🎥
Storm chasing gear: How to build a DIY car laptop computer mount
14 April 2013: Tornado-warned storms threaten Florida east coast 🎥
29 April 2013: Lucky lightning over Port Canaveral, Florida
11 May 2013: Severe storm hits Rockledge with wind, hot lightning 🎥
16 May 2013: Lightning storms in northwest Kansas
17 May 2013: Scenic Nebraska storms and shelf cloud
18 May 2013: Kansas tornadoes, just in time 🎥
20 May 2013: Small Oklahoma tornado on the day of a tragic large one 🎥
24 May 2013: Seductive swirls in Colorado-Nebraska storm 🎥
26 May 2013: Nebraska tornado-warned supercell and lightning 🎥
27 May 2013: Central Kansas storms and cloud acrobatics 🎥
28 May 2013: Long-lasting Bennington, Kansas, tornado 🎥
31 May 2013: Record-wide, deadly tornado at El Reno, Oklahoma 🎥
Analysis: Storm chasers, media, public all had role in drama of El Reno tornado 🎥
Tornado Alley 2013 odds and ends: Storms, busts, people and culture 🎥
18 June 2013: Lightning over Port Canaveral, Florida
11 July 2013: Pretty storms roll through Space Coast 🎥
“The Chase”: fun with stop-motion, starring toys and tornadoes 🎥
21 July 2013: shelf cloud and storm in Cocoa Beach, Florida
22 July 2013: Dreamy storm over Satellite Beach, Florida
20 August 2013: Blue moon bolts – photos of full moon and lightning 🎥
Storms of 2013: A review in photos 🎥
31 March 2012: Florida storm chaser party a warmup for Tornado Alley
7 May 2012: Florida lightning storms light up West Melbourne 🎥
12 May 2012: This May 12 is quiet, but it’s a big tornado anniversary 🎥
15 May 2012: Vigorous storms in central Florida 🎥
17 May 2012: Severe + structure = beautiful Space Coast storm 🎥
20-21 May 2012: Arkansas lightning and Nebraska sunset
22 May 2012: Dakota storms, a funnel, and an exploding pheasant 🎥
23 May 2012: Storm chasing update: We have cows 🎥
24 May 2012: Kansas storm doesn’t have to be severe to be spectacular
25 May 2012: The rapturous rope-out of a backlit tornado in Kansas 🎥
28 May 2012: Severe Texas storms and a spectacular gust-out
29 May 2012: Gorgeous Oklahoma supercell and lightning 🎥
3 June 2012: Western Oklahoma storm and wild windmill sunset
10 June 2012: Dazzling lightning crawlers in east-central Florida
13 June 2012: Florida’s skies know how get dramatic with shelf cloud 🎥
8 August 2012: Florida summer brings sweeping shelf clouds
15 August 2012: Florida lightning tough to wrangle
17 August 2012: Funnel frustration during Friday storms
Best storms of 2012: video highlights 🎥
8 May 2011: Much driving about nothing
9 May 2011: Nebraska lightning saves the day
12 May 2011: Spinning storms in Nebraska
May 20-21, 2011: Tornadoes and a photo-palooza!
19 May 2011: Kansas storms, or – you can’t always get what you want
May 23-24, 2011: Carnage, tornadoes and pictures
30 May 2011: Tornado Alley in the rearview mirror
14 June 2011: Lightning storms and palm trees
18 June 2011: Photography vs. the rain
23 June 2011: Riding the sea breeze
26 July 2011: Summertime storms
1 August 2011: Lightning and the bolts that got away
17 August 2011: Lightning over water at Cocoa Beach
26 August 2011: Surfers dig big waves from Hurricane Irene
Storm chasing 1997: Tale of a tour
Storm chasing 1998: a tour, a tornado, and flying solo
Storm chasing 1999: Corralling tornadoes
Storm chasing 2000: On the tornado road
Storm chase 2001: Highway to hail, Colorado tornado and other adventures
30 May 2001: Storm-chase flashback: Hail barrage at Mile Marker 6 🎥
Storm chasing 2002: Tornadoes, gustnadoes, hail and triggered lightning
Storm chasing 2003: The season that wasn’t
12 May 2004: Destructive tornadoes at Attica, Kansas 🎥
Storm chasing 2005: A whirlwind trip with a tornado and destructive hail 🎥
Storm chasing 2006: Lightning, shelf cloud and a crashing cold front
Storm chasing 2007, Part 1: Tornado Alley, with or without tornadoes
Storm chasing 2007, Part 2: Dramatic skies and lightning in Florida
Storm chasing 2008: A meandering yellow brick road to a tiny tornado
Storm chasing 2009: Lightning, waves and shelf clouds
Storm chasing 2010: Chased by a tornado and more 🎥
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