Review of "Epic April - Tour 1 - 10 Days" by Tornadic Expeditions

• Review by: Ciaran G (Ireland)
• Tour Operator: Tornadic Expeditions
• Tour: Epic April - Tour 1 - 10 Days
• Year: 2022
• Validated: This review has been validated.

General review

My first chase tour; my expectations were we would see some mad weather but would be dependent on mother nature. In reality, it exceeded my expectations. While we didn't get to see a full on tornedo on my week/tour, got to see/experience everything else, coming from Ireland, the thunderstorms we got to chase most days were epic, the lightning intensity, the large hail we had to shelter in a steel shed was epic (the noise alone!). Felt safe at all times but was surprised AND DELIGHTED how close we could get to these systems, had situations where we were under a storm cloud where we could hear the hail in the cloud + getting behind a storm where the wind inflow was (must have been 100kph+ ... as it was like storms on west cost of Ireland) + seeing the circulations/spinning clouds where a tornedo would emerge (or tried to). Dusk/nightime lightning storms usually ended the chase days which was magic. The tour was much more than weather/chase; being from Ireland, it was a fantastic road trip to boot; travelled 2500 miles in 1 week across Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas through varied landscapes and towns/cities; highlight being San Antonio where we had a few hours to spare. Would never in a million years get to see/stay in these places in a week. And then there was the food/dining; what an experience... steak house (72lb steak special in Amarillo) to tex-mex to some mad (in a good way) diners; Erik knew where all the good places were to go in the towns/areas we landed in. Ours was the first Tour1 so was with a couple from Chicago, and got on great and were there for the reason and expectations (just added to the experience). There will be another trip for me; probably 2024, will be with Erik/team for certain, may just go for later tour which is in the northern plains; just to see another part of the states. If you are comin form Ireland, let me know!

Vehicle review:

Van was excellent; less van actually, more people carrier (6 seater; own separate seats) ; screen in back so could see radar/weather screens; USB power + wifi too.

Tour guide review:

Erik was very enthusiastic.. which was infections; and added to the tour experience. Clearly demonstrated he had years of experience and knowledge; which was tested on our tour week given it was early season and we had to choose carefully what 1/2 chances/opportunities there were (which invariably, we went to the right location). Erik also explained the conditions/weather setup's with the online radars we had in the van (screens). Special mention too for Brian Press who was our driver for that tour; he was also very knowledgeable ... and some great stories to boot!

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