It's done, it's done, it's done!!!

I finally finished the 10 year compilation (2002-2011) of Virginia storm chase accounts. It's now available at my Blurb bookstore and the first 15 pages can be previewed there. Or you can navigate there by clicking on the badge in the right column. Either way it's a summation of a decade of chasing here in the Old Dominion. Yes, there is a lot of severe weather here!

Severe weather season is here!

After Friday's severe weather outbreak not far west of Virginia that produced a record number of March tornadoes I felt it was once again time to point out that the Old Dominion receives its share of big storms every year. The statewide tornado drill is coming up on March 20th and is something that businesses, schools, and residences should observe. Preparedness is always better than being caught by surprise without knowing what to do or expect.

This blogpost provides links to a number of videos taken during Friday's outbreak and provides a sobering reminder of what we need to be aware of. And if these events seem too far away here's a few local examples from my chasing archives of why we need to pay attention to severe weather:

May 11th 2006 tornado at Todds Tavern

May 28th 2009 funnel southeast of Fredericksburg

As the month progresses I will post more such photos plus a few videos of other local weather events that provide evidence of why the Fredericksburg area should take note of severe weather potential. The March 20th statewide tornado drill is a good way to begin.

Chase season is nearing!!

A sight guaranteed to put a smile on every chaser's face: a slight risk already posted for Day 3. I don't think I'll be able to chase this setup, but this is evidence that the Virginia chase season is nearing!

Virginia storm chase book update

I've been slogging through the final checks for grammar, spelling, formatting, and several other "-ings" and am just about to declare the manuscript ready for uploading to the Blurb.com site. After I do so I will order one copy as a "proof" so I can find and fix any egregious errors before opening it up for public availability (not that I expect a rush of orders...). Once the final version is in the Blurb Bookstore I will probably pull the other 3 stormchase books off the site as the new one covers those time periods.

That said, the new book doesn't cover the five chasing trips to Tornado Alley (2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2009) that are included in the older volumes. I will reserve the right to republish those in another volume at some later date. Meanwhile, readying this latest book for publication has kept me busy during the short days and long nights of this "non-winter".

Another mid-winter convective shower

Another "non-chase" but this afternoon was noteworthy in that these convective showers were popping up all over the area. This is one of them approaching from the northwest. I saw some more impressive tops south of here but didn't get any photos of them. There is hope for the SDS-afflicted soul!