Build your chasing foundation
with these trainings

SPRING TRAINING 2023 (1 Day)

Spring Training offers foundational, operational and accessible information and training material for storm chasers at all levels - from those who want to begin their chase education or brush up on the basics, to more advanced chasers wanting to learn more in-depth about specialized topics. Just like in baseball, we gather every spring to shake off the rust, refresh our skills, and get ready to hit a home run.

Spring Training speakers are experts within their fields, and the training is an opportunity to learn from them in-depth.

2023 Speakers & Topics

Forecasting For Storm Chasing 101 - Raychel Sanner

Resources For Storm Chasing (Radar & Satellite) - Raychel Sanner
Safety & the Role of A Chaser in an Emergency - Randy Denzer

Video Brokering: Tips for Editing & Selling Your Storm Videos - Melanie Metz

Intro to the Storm Prediction Center (SPC)/National Weather Service (NWS) & the Relationship to Chasers - Liz Leitman & Christiaan Patterson

Intro to Chasing the Monsoon & Capturing Lightning - Becca Furnish with Lori Bailey

2023 Speaker Bios

*To read the full bio, click on a speaker's image.

Raychel Sanner

Forecasting for Storm Chasing 101
Resources for Storm Chasing (Radar & Satellite)

Raychel Sanner is the co-founder of Tornado Titans and has been storm chasing for 20 years. Raychel is an Emmy Award winning storm chaser, award winning photographer, and manages many of the day-to-day operations for Tornado Titans. This includes creating content for Titan U, which is a resource for weather enthusiasts and storm spotters to learn how to forecast storms, as well as a comprehensive resource on storm structure and behavior.
Raychel was born and raised in rural Oklahoma before attending the University of Oklahoma, graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcasting and Social Issues. Raychel started her first online media company as a teenager and has now worked in digital media for over 25 years. She is married to Sara and enjoys spending time with her fur babies and exploring the southwest outside of storm season.

Liz Leitman

Intro to the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) - and its relationship to storm chasers

Liz Leitman has been a National Weather Service meteorologist for 16.5 years and is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma. Currently a Mesoscale/Outlook forecaster at the NWS Storm Prediction Center, Liz forecasts severe thunderstorm hazards (tornadoes, damaging gusts, and hail) for the nation. Previously, she worked as a meteorologist at local NWS offices in Billings, MT and Louisville, KY. Liz’s research interests include science communication, topics in tornado forecasting and applied meteorology, as well as fire weather. In her spare time, you’ll likely find Liz reading, hiking the Wichita Mountains, and photographing landscapes and skies.

Melanie Metz

Video Brokering - Tips for editing & selling your storm videos

Melanie has been documenting severe weather for over 20 years. She started her chasing career as one of the "Twister Sisters," appearing in documentaries, a TV series and many public speaking events. Her work has been featured on National Geographic Television, The Weather Channel, ABC, CBS, FOX, Outside Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Weatherwise, and Restless Skies. She also had the honor of being the official photographer for the tornado used on the Movie Cover & Poster for the recent 2021 movie, "13 Minutes." Many of Melanie's video sales to major networks are accomplished through use of a video broker. Over the years, she has learned many tricks of the trade and looks forward to sharing what she has learned about video editing, brokering and network sales.

Christiaan Patterson

Intro to the SPC/NWS & its relationship to chasers

Christiaan Patterson is a Meteorologist with the Greenville-Spartanburg Weather Forecast Office in South Carolina, and has a true passion for both meteorology and storm chasing. She has been captivated by weather since she was a toddler, despite growing up in the Mojave Desert of Southern California. Christiaan has been storm chasing for 11 years and, while working as a news reporter in Oklahoma, witnessed the 2013 EF5 tornado in Moore that helped define her current career path.

Christiaan is a U.S. Navy Veteran, and holds degrees in Journalism (BA) and Meteorology (BS), and is pursuing an MS in Emergency Management. She has participated in several research and field projects including the National Science Foundation’s Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) in Fort Collins, CO, where she researched mesoscale convective systems (MCS) and the interactions of topography in Argentina; collecting in-situ windsond data by launching probes into the vorticity rivers of tornadic supercells with the Targeted Observation by Radars and UAS of Supercells (TORUS) field campaign; and a University of Oklahoma project analyzing the connection between above-anvil cirrus plumes and hail size in Argentina. She also served as a Science Translator for the South Central Climate Adaptation Science Center.

Becca Furnish

Intro to chasing the monsoon & capturing lightning
Storm Chasing Q&A Panelist

Becca is an Arizona-based photographer specializing in storm/landscape photography, weddings, portraits, product photography, and automotive. She’s been in the field for 14 years and owns her own business, Evolutionized Photography.

Becca is an avid storm chaser, with nine years under her belt. She primarily focuses on monsoon chasing but has more recently begun traveling to the Plains as well. Last June, she was featured on ABC talking about the monsoons and dangers of chasing storms and capturing lightning.

When she’s not behind a camera, you can find Becca hiking, exploring, playing volleyball, swimming, or spending time with family.

Randy Denzer

Safety & The Role of a Chaser in an Emergency

Randy Denzer is a retired Battalion Chief with over 30 years of experience in the fire service. He is recognized as an international expert in Wildland and Urban Interface firefighting disciplines and currently sits on a type 1 incident management team.

Randy is the Public Safety Director for the Spotter Network and is on the American Meteorological Society’s (AMS) fire, weather and technology committee. Randy’s passion for weather began in the early 1990s when he served as a Skywarn spotter for a fire department in the Dallas, TX area. He has storm chased in TX since the early 1990’s and nationally since the early 2000s.

Randy has responded to many weather-related disasters as a first responder and while storm chasing. In 2007, he was the initial Incident Commander for the Greensburg, Kansas EF 5 tornado. Specializing in Wildland Urban Interface firefighting, he has responded to many megafires in both Texas and California, leading structural protection strike teams and task forces. Most recently, he was deployed to Florida for Hurricane Ian as the Logistics Section Chief for Ft Myers Beach.

Lori Grace Bailey

Intro to chasing the monsoon & capturing lightning

Lori Grace Bailey is a professional wedding and portrait photographer who also enjoys chasing extreme weather and extraordinary skies. Whether chasing supercells in the Midwest, haboobs and prolific lightning in the southwest, or elusive sprites and blue jets when conditions are right, Lori’s passionate dedication of pursuing extreme weather allows her to consistently capture vivid and evocative imagery unique to her craft. She is the director of Monsoon Con, an annual convention in Tucson, Arizona, that brings together photographers and weather enthusiasts alike with an emphasis on storm-chasing the monsoons with success.

Lori’s work has appeared in major publications and media outlets, including the current 2023 “Tempest” issue of Flaunt Magazine, Issue 3 2022 of Cosmopolitan Magazine, and June 2021 issue of Backpacker Magazine. She’s a brand ambassador for F-Stop Gear.

Lori’s work can be seen on YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter at @lorigraceaz or by visiting lorigraceaz.com.

STORM CHASING & PHOTOGRAPHY 101
(1.5 HOURS)

Purchase event $20

This overview presentation, delivered on behalf of Women's Photography Circle, covers the basics of what you need to know to start chasing to capture great photographs of storms. Topics covered include:

What you need to know to chase

How to forecast 101

How to chase 101

Logistics & planning

What to consider when shooting storms

Geography & terrain considerations

Storm behavior and your position

Gear you might want or need

Diversifying the "face" of weather & science

Build your chasing foundation
with these trainings

SPRING TRAINING 2023 (1 Day)

2023 Speakers & Topics

2023 Speaker Bios

STORM CHASING & PHOTOGRAPHY 101
(1.5 HOURS)

Want to hear from us with updates & info?

Build your chasing foundation with these trainings

SPRING TRAINING 2023 (1 Day)

2023 Speakers & Topics

2023 Speaker Bios

STORM CHASING & PHOTOGRAPHY 101 (1.5 HOURS)

Want to hear from us with updates & info?

Build your chasing foundation
with these trainings

STORM CHASING & PHOTOGRAPHY 101
(1.5 HOURS)