Your 2011 Tour Staff
    >>> Our team is comprised of some of the most experienced storm chasers from around the world. We understand meteorology and concentrate on good forecasting techniques to intercept severe weather and ensure a successful storm chase on every tour.

Todd Thorn - Tour Leader/Severe Storm Expert - Bozeman, Montana - I will be on all tours.

I have been fascinated by severe storms and tornadoes since I was just six years old, and as a result, I began studying severe weather at a very early age. Over the years, I read every textbook on the subject and spent many days watching severe storms form over my hometown. My nights were spent watching vivid lightning from my bedroom window as the sound of thunder shook the house. To be a storm chaser, you must be able to read the sky and see visual clues for severe weather, such as the meaning of distant towering cumulus clouds. All the schooling and onboard information is good, but it takes years to learn how to read the sky and tell where the next storm will form. I have been chasing severe weather since 1991 and have a background in meteorology. In 2011, we will be operating our 14th year of Storm Chasing Adventure Tours. We have been featured in numerous television documentaries, news programs, and in more than 200 newspaper and magazine articles published around the world. Since I founded Storm Chasing Adventure Tours in 1997, our emphasis has been on good forecasting techniques to intercept severe weather for a successful storm chase on every tour. I look forward to seeing you in Tornado Alley during 2011.


Hi, I am from Perth Western Australia and 2011 will be my 6th year chasing storms with Storm Chasing Adventure Tours. I have had a keen interest in severe weather from a young age and I was fortunate enough to see my first tornado while chasing last year. Seeing a tornado for the first time was truly an amazing experience, it certainly got the heart pumping. Every day is like an adventure, who knows where you will end up and what you might see! Regardless of if you see a tornado or not, it's an experience of a lifetime and one not to be missed. I look forward to traveling with you all in 2011.

Chris Brown - Guide/Driver for TBA

The 2011 chase will be my third season storm chasing with Todd. Despite living in England, my long annual trip over to meet up with Storm Chasing Adventure Tours is my most anticipated of the year. Storm chasing is a hobby rather than a career for me as I am the MD of a travel company where we try and send people where the good weather is! I have always had a fascination with severe weather and as a youngster I dreamed of seeing a tornado. Sadly in the UK, it only gets as bad as severe thunder and lightning, and when this happens I can normally be found outside (My family thinks I am mad). I am also a keen photographer and enjoy the photo opportunities that arise whilst chasing storms. I look forward to seeing you out on the Plains in 2011.

Steve Carey - Guide/Driver for TBA

This will be my seventh year storm chasing with Storm Chasing Adventure Tours and my fifth as a member of the Storm Chasing Adventure Tours team. On previous trips I’ve seen intense lightning displays, awesome supercell thunderstorms, large hail, funnel clouds, and six tornadoes. I am a professor at the University of Mobile (Alabama) where I teach courses in biology and geology. I also have an interest in the history of the Great Plains and am familiar with many of the people and places of the Old West. As we travel throughout Tornado Alley, I’ll point out sites of natural and historic interest. As a resident of the Gulf Coast, I’ve experienced several hurricanes including Hurricane Ivan whose eye passed over my house. I’ve always been fascinated with severe weather and can’t wait for the chase season to begin. I look forward to meeting you and sharing the experience of a lifetime.

Diana Fierro - Guide/Driver for TBA

Hello fellow chasers! This will be my 5th year storm chasing with Todd. I am originally from California and have recently relocated to Australia. By profession I am a registered nurse and I work in the intensive care unit. I’ve had such a fascination with severe weather from a very young age. I would watch tornado videos, study tornadoes and even dream about tornadoes on a regular basis. The first time I went chasing with Todd I told him that I wanted to see a tornado on my birthday. On May 9th, 2006 Todd made my dream come true, and I have been hooked ever since. I look forward to meeting you all in Tornado alley!

Kevin Harned - Guide/Driver/Severe Storm Expert for TBA

Like Todd, I've been fascinated with the weather since I was a kid. Following my dream since I was in the seventh grade, I have always wanted to learn more how it works. I decided then that I wanted to be a meteorologist. A graduate of Purdue University, I have my degree in Synoptic Meteorology and work for the NBC affiliate WAVE 3 in Louisville, Kentucky. I had the pleasure of documenting a ten-day tour with Todd, including everyone on board, during the 2002 season. Working in television has given me the opportunity to chase tornadoes and hurricanes and to cover floods and winter storms. It's one thing to look at a radar and warn people of what you think is coming their way... but totally different to actually see it with your own eyes. Trying to predict what nature will do and when is very humbling, but I look forward to the challenge during the 2011 season.

Ryan Hoke - Guide for TBA

This is my 4th year with Todd. I'll be the first to admit that I'm obsessed with weather. Everyday presents an opportunity to experience spectacular shows put on by our atmosphere, even if it's just a passing cloud. This interest inspired me to create a weather website for the Louisville, Kentucky area during my high school years. My site, ryanweather.org, featured weekly forecast videos, severe weather coverage, and a daily weather blog, but now features my resume and video archive. The site has been featured on Louisville's WAVE 3 TV and receives visits from all over the world. As a meteorology student at Mississippi State University, I'm using my previously-learned weather skills and a wealth of new ones to help me become a broadcast meteorologist. Using state-of-the-art weather radar software for radar analysis, I can point out dangerous tornado hook echoes, damaging hail indicators, and provide vital storm information to tour guests. With a live mobile weather data connection and GPS equipment, I'll be able to tell you our exact location and the locations of storms around us, along with their characteristics. We're going to have a blast this 2011 season!

Robert Koch - Guide/Driver for TBA

Hello, my name is Robert Koch and I make my living selling merchandise on the auction website eBay. This will be my 6th year chasing with Todd and I look forward to another exhilarating chase season. I have always been intrigued with severe weather since I was a wee lad and the last 5 seasons have been most stimulating as I met many great storm chasing enthusiasts and weather professionals. Chasing with Todd across the great American Plains is always rewarding whether we see tornadoes, severe storms, or spectacular lightning displays. Best Regards, Robert.

Jock Mcginty - Guide/Driver for Tours 1-6

I’ve been chasing severe weather with Todd since 2004. In that time I’ve learned that if there is any weather out there then Todd will get you right in the path of it. We’ve had some amazing experiences over the years and I’ve personally witnessed 26 tornadoes, including 3 on the ground at once and a one-in-a-thousand clockwise rotation. Simply amazing! I’ve always been interested in natural history and the physical forces that shape our universe, from severe weather to astronomy to volcanoes and earthquakes (my other real favourites)!! Living and working in Indonesia I get my fair share of those events, but nothing matches the feeling of being under a massive, rotating supercell in the great plains of America. Whether 2011 will be your first chase season or you’re a veteran returning for your annual fix, I look forward to seeing you in The Alley and sharing some awesome weather experiences.