Storm Chaser Alan

10/19/2026

10/14/2026

10/14/2026

This picture right here is one of my top 10 favorite photos of a tornado! This cell ultimately produced 2 tornadoes near the Unionville Missouri area on 6-10-26 and this sidewinder tornado was the product of the second tornado genesis! Tornadoes come in all kinds of shapes and sizes and to see a sidewinder ripping into some trees and no homes was AWESOME!


-Storm Chaser Alan

10/14/2026

Not every storm chase is going to produce tornadoes or even significant weather. Sometimes as a chaser you travel long distances and the day is just a bust. A bust day is appreciated by the MWX team because that means no one's belongings were affected and no lives were affected. However its scenes like this that absolutely make a bust weather day very worth the time! This was an incredibly beautiful view that I got during a bust weather setup!
If you like what you see make sure to follow, like and share! Thank you all for believing in Midwest Wx!

With love,
- Chaser Alan

10/06/2026

THE STORM HAS PASSED, BUT THE DANGER HASN’T.

After a destructive storm moves through, hazards can remain throughout your community. Downed power lines, damaged buildings, flooding, gas leaks, unstable trees, and scattered debris can all pose serious risks.

• Stay away from downed power lines and always assume they are energized.
• Avoid damaged or unstable buildings.
• Never drive or walk through floodwater.
• Watch for falling trees, limbs, poles, and debris.
• If you smell gas (Rotten Eggs), leave the area and report it to 911 or the utility company from a safe location.
• Keep roads clear for emergency responders and utility crews.
• Continue monitoring local officials and reliable weather sources like local news or .on your phone.

As a First Responder and Storm Chaser I have responded and been witness to communities impacted by severe weather, Safety should never take a day off and should be the highest priority after a destructive weather event. Check on your neighbors when it is safe to do so, and avoid sightseeing in damaged areas and remember, The storm may be over, but staying alert afterward can prevent additional injuries.
-Mason

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10/06/2026

Heat Bursts

Most of us associate thunderstorms with cooler air, but under the right conditions, a dying thunderstorm can produce something called a heat burst.

As precipitation falls into very dry air and evaporates, the resulting air can descend rapidly. Once the moisture is gone, that sinking air warms through compression as it continues toward the surface.

When it arrives, temperatures can suddenly spike, dew points can fall dramatically, and strong winds can develop, sometimes within only a matter of minutes.
In one documented case on June 9th, 2011 in Wichita, Kansas, the temperature jumped from 85°F to 102°F in roughly 20 minutes shortly after midnight with the Downburst causing wind gusts up to 60mph recorded in some areas. The burst of hot air was determined to be the result of storms dissipating about 30 minutes prior to the heat burst. The NWS Wichita Field office determined that the rainfall had evaporated as high level air descended from the dying storm compressing and heating as it descended resulting in the spike in temps at ground level. This is a rare event and conditions have to be just right to cause a heat burst showing us that weather doesn't always behave the way you'd expect.

-Mason

To read more about this event visit https://www.weather.gov/ict/event_heatburst2011
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10/02/2026

MESOCYCLONE... What is it? A mesocyclone is a large, rotating vortex of air and is the portion of a supercell that can produce a tornado. On radar, a matured supercell with a mesocyclone will often appear as a "hook" on reflectivity and on velocity it will show winds that are moving in opposite and colliding directions. If you ever see one of these in a storm and its rotating, that is a clear sign a tornado is imminent. In this photo if you look close, there is actually a non condensed tornado already on the ground! This photo was taken by Storm Chaser Alan on 3-10-26 near Pontiac Illinois shortly before Kankakee was struck by and EF-3 from the same cell.