Beyond Twister: A Geography of Recreational Storm Chasing on the Southern Plains^*

* I wish to acknowledge with thanks the participants in this study. I am grateful to Matthew Biddle for sharing his passion for storm chasing; Gavin Bridge, Richard Nostrand, and Robert Rundstrom for advice on earlier drafts; and the editors and anonymous readers at the Geographical Review for comments and suggestions.

Abstract

Storm chasing is widely perceived as a new form of extreme sport or adventure travel. Each spring increasing numbers of tourists descend on the Southern Plains, the center of storm chasing in the United States, but little is known about their activities. According to longtime chasers, popular portrayals of storm pursuits are highly misleading, and growing participation in the sport is affecting storm chasing in the region. This study introduces the storm‐chasing enterprise. Using route information and comments supplied by veteran chasers, I describe the spatial patterns of storm‐chasing on the Southern Plains. Comparing the behavior and motivations of longtime enthusiasts with popular portrayals of the activity permits me to dispel many myths and to discuss the nature and future of this growing but little‐understood recreational pursuit.

• recreation
• Southern Plains
• storm chasing

Additional information

Notes on contributors

David Robertson

Mr. Robertson is a doctoral candidate in geography at the University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma 73019–1007.