The Experience

Our respected storm chasers and meteorologists have devoted their lives to documenting tornadoes, hurricanes, and other extreme weather events, traveling the world in search of the most powerful natural phenomena on the planet. Every spring and summer, our storm chasers travel from Mexico to Canada and everywhere in between to observe violent tornadoes from close range, powerful supercell thunderstorms, and monster hail, often intercepting over 30 tornadoes per season! Extreme Tornado Tours was founded to share our storm chasing experiences with other weather enthusiasts and thrill-seekers that may not have the equipment or expertise to safely chase tornadoes. Our track record speaks for itself. If you want to maximize your chances of seeing a tornado, and want to safely experience the beauty and power of the most incredible natural phenomenon on our planet first-hand, then a tour with Extreme Tornado tours is the ideal vacation for you.

Summary

The Tornado Season: Extreme Tornado Tours conducts storm chasing vacations from April through June, which corresponds to the peak storm season in Tornado Alley. The severe weather is focused in the Southern Plains (Texas to Oklahoma) during the early part of the season, and shifts northward to the Central (Kansas and Nebraska) and Northern Plains (Dakotas) as the season progresses. We may even venture into the Canadian Prairies during our June tours, where our storm chasers have documented some of their most memorable tornadoes.

Tornado Alley: During tornado season, our tours will travel throughout Tornado Alley from the Mexican border to Canada to wherever the chances are highest for tornadoes. Our storm chasing range stretches from Texas to the Canadian Prairies, and from the Foothills of the Rockies east to the Mississippi River, a region also known as Tornado Alley. Our base cities (see Current Tour Schedule) were strategically selected based on tornado climatology to limit the amount of driving required for each particular tour.

Tour Specifics: Each tour is led by our team of experienced storm chasing guides and meteorologists. We feel strongly that formal meteorological education is vital to our success as storm chasers, and also provides an educational aspect to our tours as our guides share their wisdom so our guests can learn how to storm chase on their own. Our tours are conducted with roomy 15-passenger vans (limit of 6 passengers per van for your comfort), with each vehicle fully equipped with state-of-the-art mobile radar, satellite, and internet technologies (see About Us section for details).

What does the cost include? In addition to 10 or 7 days of extreme tornado chasing excitement, the costs listed on the Current Tour Schedule page include gas and lodging for the entire tour including the night before and after the tour at the base city hotel, as well as a customized photo book documenting your adventure and Extreme Tornado Tours t-shirt. Guest expenses include food and snacks, any souvenirs other than those listed above, film/tapes for personal cameras, and any other incidental personal expenses.

What should tour guests bring? Guests are encouraged to bring their own camera equipment to document their storm chasing experience, and our tour guides will be capturing video and still photos of the supercells and the tour group in action, which will be shared with the group online and with the customized photo book mentioned above. A passport is required for Tours 4 - 8 in case we need to travel into Canada for a severe weather event. Passports are also required for Tours 9 and 10. We’ll eat breakfast and lunch during regular times, but dinner is often delayed because it falls during prime-time storm chasing hours. Thus, we recommend guests bring their own snacks onboard, although non-alcoholic beverages will be included in the tour vans for the guests. We also recommend that guests bring clothing for a wide range of weather, as we’ll likely experience temperatures ranging from above 90F to 50F and below with wind driven rain (possibly experiencing both within an hour) – but the tour vans all have heat and air conditioning.

The Chase

Chasing the storm: On our way to our target area, the tour guides continually analyze and discuss the ever-changing weather conditions using our state-of-the-art mobile technologies, with the anticipation of supercell development building to extreme levels. Once the cap breaks and storms develop, the chase begins, and our guides select the cell with the highest tornado potential based on its visual appearance and presentation on our mobile radar/satellite system. Our GPS tracking software will be used to keep up with the storm and to put our guests in the best possible position to observe the tornadoes and awesome supercell structure.

With Extreme Tornado Tours, not only will you have the best possible chance of seeing several tornadoes during your tour, but we’ll also safely get you closer to the action! In addition, our guests will likely experience hail larger than softballs (from the comfort of our storm chasing van, of course!), UFO-like storm structure, and unsurpassed lightning displays. Witnessing a strong tornado is a life-changing experience as the true power and beauty of the most intense natural force on the planet is realized. A storm chasing vacation with Extreme Tornado Tours will show you why our guides have devoted their lives to traveling 50,000+ miles every year across Tornado Alley in search of tornadoes.

Non-Chase Days

Even during peak storm season in Tornado Alley (April-June), there will be days when there are no storms to chase. These “down-days” usually occur immediately after major severe weather outbreaks, and are usually used to re-position for the next storm chasing opportunity, but the tour group will likely have time to visit some of the many tourist attractions across the Great Plains. The following are some popular destinations that will complete your Tornado Alley experience.

National Weather Center: The recently constructed National Weather Center is the mecca of meteorology for the United States, and is conveniently located in the heart of Tornado Alley – Norman, Oklahoma. The NWC houses the Storm Prediction Center, National Severe Storms Laboratory, and the University of Oklahoma School of Meteorology.

Big Texan, Amarillo, TX: The Big Texan is a world-famous steak house located in the middle of tornado country, and is the home of the free 72 oz steak if you can eat the whole thing! Maxim Magazine named the Big Texan to its Top Ten List of America’s Steak Houses.

Wichita Mountains, OK: The Wichitas are one of the oldest mountain chains in North America, and are also home to one of the largest natural herds of buffalo in the United States! Breath-taking views from the top of Mount Scott, prairie dog towns, and great hiking trails are some of the attractions of this beautiful wildlife refuge.

Chimney Rock National Monument, NE: Chimney Rock is the most recognizable geologic feature of Nebraska, and was also a famous landmark for the historic Oregon, California, and Mormon Trails.

Black Hills, SD: Mt. Rushmore, the historic town of Keystone, and the Crazy Horse Memorial are all famous destinations located within the breathtaking Black Hills of western South Dakota. These attractions are often visited during our later tours.