This was my first year of chasing on my own, so to speak; instead of tagging along with experienced chasers, I decided to learn enough to make my own forecast decisions and drive my own car with my own equipment, for the most part. I primarily chased with exchange students from the University of Reading, England. These guys were amazing, and very supportive. My primary chase partner was Esther White, now a good friend of mine and a grad student at the University of Oklahoma.
This spring was a great time to test my new and limited skills, as there were a number of great chase opportunities. Three of the six days I chased were tornado days, including March 28 (we saw three tornadoes, including a very photogenic, long-lived tornado), May 4 (three tornadoes again, including the Greensburg EF5), and May 5 (two brief, slightly questionable tornadoes that did not fully condense). I also saw the largest hail of my life this year, including ~3 inch hail on March 28 and ~4 inch hail on May 4. I did not see the hail fall, but I missed it smashing my car by about 5 to 10 minutes!
After witnessing the destruction of Greensburg, I didn't think I would ever want to chase again. However, I was back at it the next year, after seeing how well the rebuilding was coming along. But that's another story...
23 February......East Texas Panhandle - supercell (photos)
28 March..........Texas Panhandle - tornadoes (photos)
23 April.............East Texas Panhandle - supercell (photos)
24 April.............North Central Oklahoma - squall line
04 May.............Northwest Oklahoma / Southwest Kansas - tornadoes (photos)