Christoffer chases tornadoes in the USA

Christoffer Björkwall lives in Malmö with his girlfriend and works as a web developer. So far, his life doesn't sound like anything out of the ordinary, but wait until you hear about his hobbies. When Christoffer is free, he doesn't go to the Canary Islands - he goes to the USA to chase tornadoes!

Next year will be his eighth season chasing dramatic storms. Today we are very proud to present our first interview with a storm chaser. You can also read more on Christopher's own page. StormChasingUSA.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I'm from Stockholm but have been living in Malmö for two years with my partner Charlotte. I've been travelling the world as a digital nomad and working as a web developer for a long time but have now started to settle more and more in Sweden.

I love travelling and having adventures and trying out experiences. This autumn, for example, I've been skydiving, helicoptering and, perhaps most fun of all, trying aerobatics (flying loops etc. with planes).

When did you realise that you wanted to hunt storms? How did your interest begin?

I was an exchange student in Kansas in 2003/2004 and there I heard my American friends tell one story more spectacular than the other about what they had seen and experienced during storms and tornado outbreaks. I became very curious and a few years later I saw a Youtube clip of a tornado and then I got hooked and watched more and more. Shortly thereafter, I booked my first storm chasing trip!

Where do you hunt storms? What are the best places?

Only in the USA can you chase storms for real, with a good chance of seeing tornadoes and spectacular storms. In the US, you drive around what is known as 'tornado alley', an area stretching from Texas to South Dakota and from Colorado to Missouri. Most commonly, we are in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas.

How do you plan a 'storm chasing' trip? How do you know when it's time to go?

There are about fifteen different companies that organise storm chasing trips. Most are small companies that only take 4-6 passengers per week, so places tend to sell out quickly. For this reason, you often have to book quite far in advance, especially if you want to go during the best time of the year: May. So it's impossible to know what the weather will be like that far in advance, you have to rely on probabilities and May is usually the best (along with April and June).

What is the most violent storm you have experienced?

This is undoubtedly a storm I experienced outside the legendary cowboy town of Dodge City, Kansas, in 2016. A single storm produced up to 15 tornadoes, which is extremely rare. On several occasions there were two tornadoes on the ground at the same time! What's more, the conditions were perfect and the storm caused minimal damage. Watch my film from the day to get an idea of what it was like:

Is storm chasing dangerous and how do you protect yourself from danger?

It may not be harmless, but it's not dangerous either. You stay at a safe distance from any tornadoes at all times, and experienced guides make sure you don't get into dangerous situations by constantly moving around and to places where you can safely watch the storms. The main danger is the amount of driving and sometimes in bad conditions with strong winds and heavy rain.

Have you been in a dangerous situation?

Two years ago I came very close to being hit by a tornado. We stopped on the side of the road and watched a small tornado hit the field next to us, it was low contrast and hard to see and all of a sudden it turned and headed towards us. We had to quickly accelerate and just a few seconds later you can see the tornado sweep in exactly over the spot where we were standing earlier!

The view from the car behind us where you see me quickly getting out of the car:

What kind of people chase storms?

They are mostly men aged 25-60 who have a great interest in the spectacular things that nature can offer. The vast majority have some interest in weather and often also photography, but there are not as many adventurers and adrenaline junkies as you might think, although you must have some of that in your personality. Storm chasing very often means the opportunity to just stand and admire nature in all its power.

Is there any kind of storm you dream of experiencing that you haven't experienced yet?

I would love to see a smaller tornado from a closer distance (a few hundred metres). It would be interesting to see what it looks like on the ground from up close and be able to look at every detail.

Do you have a big trip planned?

Yes, I will most likely go at the beginning of June next year. It will be the 8th season for me!

What are your best tips for others who want to 'storm tourism'? How do you get started?

You should definitely go with a company that organises storm chasing trips. On my website StormChasingUSA.com I have collected all companies and compare them with price, reviews etc. If you are interested, just contact me and I will help you!

The photos in the text are copyright protected but used with the express permission of StormChasingUSA.com.