Another year chasing storms begins! We started out from Syracuse by way of Grove City, PA, on Tuesday evening. The severe storms recently devastating the plains were now moving into the Northeast, even as we headed west.

I got a Nissan Altima for the chase this year. It is a good enough car for the job, getting just over 35mpg. Gas is expensive this year, with even less expensive places like MO above $3.60 per gallon.

The models show that there is a good chance for storms in OK and TX panhandles tomorrow (see map below), so we are heading that way and need to get there by mid afternoon, Thursday (tomorrow). The predictions show that conditions are ripe for explosive development of isolated storms in the afternoon, after the day's heating causes rapidly rising air to lift into winds that twist with height. Tonight we plan to bed down in Wichita after having burgers at Spangles, one of our favorite places to eat while on the road.