Mr Twister
Chaser For Life
Colt Forney
Give us a brief background on yourself and your chase career?
I grew up in Northeast Kansas in a small farming community and was fascinated by anything nature related for as long as I can remember. Weather happened to grab most of my attention as severe thunderstorms were a routine spring time event and I witnessed my first tornado from our neighbor's porch around age 6, which really cemented my fascination for tornadoes. After graduating high school I went to a local community college for 2 years, then transferred to OU to attain my Bachelors in Meteorology. I have been chasing since 2005, if you don't count having my parents drive me a hill outside of town to watch storms approach my whole childhood!
Where does this love for weather come from?
Growing up in Kansas, as anyone from this area knows, severe weather is a part of life. My first experience seeing a tornado at a young age and the fact anything nature/science related has always fascinated me really helped drive my passion for weather.
How did you get into storm chasing?
When I was young I would always beg my parents to drive me to the top of a hill just outside town to watch the storms approach. So when I got my drivers license and my first car, it was on! This all came together in 2005 where I chased locally (within several counties of home) and witnessed my first tornado while chasing on my first official chase! From 2005-2007 I just chased locally, then from 2008-present I chase anywhere the storms take me averaging somewhere between 15,000 to 35,000 miles a year between 2008-2012.
When/where was your first chase?
My first chase was on June 4, 2005 by Hiawatha, KS, which was also my first tornado while chasing! I unfortunately had no video/camera equipment or any other equipment at the time beside my car and a weather radio. I had all the old VHS tapes and movies of tornadoes that I think were ever made...there was nothing like being at that spot witnessing a beautiful tornado just like in the VHS tapes like what I had dreamed of for so long!
When/where was your favorite chase?
This is a pretty hard question! After some hard thinking I would have to say May 22, 2010 by Bowdle, SD. This was the second chase my dad came with me and we witnessed several tornadoes ranging from rope to wedge, amazing storm structure, and got within 100 yds of a beautiful rope tornado. Nothing like some good old fashioned father and son time spent chasing tornadoes!
What is your most important piece of equipment while chasing?
I would say my video camera. Being able to capture the sights, sounds, emotion, and beauty of storms of the chase to share with others as well as go back to reminisce on the great times from past chases. Especially during winter!
What is the most dangerous situation you have been in?
On the day of my favorite chase (May 22, 2010), toward the end of the chase several other chasers and myself were staying in the inflow notch of the supercell by playing the back roads, which were all dirt. My maps had this particular dirt road we were on continuing through to another north/south option in a mile, when in reality the road dead ended in a wheat field. There was one tornado moving east almost right down the road toward us and another tornado just to our north in the field, so myself and the other chasers had no other option but to try and go south down the fence line in the field to get out of the path of these tornadoes. With all the rain we ended up getting stuck with the tornado skipping up and down in contact with the ground missing us by a mere 50 yds! Had to get our vehicles towed out the next day and how the rest of that night went after the sun went down, well, could probably write a novel on it. This chase was definitely the most memorable and craziest chase I will probably ever have...even beats Joplin, MO day.
What do your wife/friends/family think about you doing this?
My family and friends support my passion, although some would rather not ride along with me. There are also some family/friends who think I am crazy, but also think it's cool. My fiance is just as hardcore into chasing/weather as I am! We have been on dozens of chases together and witnessed many tornadoes together.
What is the most frustrating aspect of chasing?
I would say having a bust or getting on the wrong storm, which does nothing while many of your friends are on another storm witnessing tornadoes.
Do you have a day job? If so, does it hinder your chasing?
For the last several years, just a student. Being a student, the primary hindrance is classes. I am fortunate enough to not have had to work during my time at OU, which has allowed many chasing opportunities.
What lessons have you learned from chasing that bring you back to other aspects of your life?
Life is short and can end quickly, so don't waste your time worrying or fretting.
What advise would you give to a new chaser?
The only way to really learn is to get out there and do it! If you can ride along with an experienced chaser, take that opportunity.
Take skywarn classes and do your research on forecasting, storm structure, etc then use what you have learned to go out there and see some of the most incredible displays nature can provide!
How do you think the 2013 season will turn out?
Hopefully good! The possibility of this drought continuing could hurt things. How good ones season is can just be based on a couple good chases, maybe even one epic chase could make your whole season. So even if this storm season doesn't quite shape up like normal, all it takes is one good day to turn your season around in my opinion!
Will you ever stop chasing?
I will be chasing till the day I die! Whether it be by car, horse or on foot!
Where can we find your pictures/video?
We don't have a website yet, but all of our pictures/videos and happenings get posted to our Youtube account: http://www.youtube.com/user/BasehuntersChasing
or our facebook account:
https://www.facebook.com/basehunters
