Severe Weather Central For June 28, 2005

[michaelwmoss]

Guest for this show will be storm chaser/photographer Dave Lewison. Dave has been an avid photographer and storm chaser
for nearly 8 years now. He began in 1997 & 1998 as a tourist with Cloud9
Tours, and gained valuable knowledge and experience from Jim Leonard and
Charles Edwards. In 1999, he and chase partner Chris Kridler (from FL)
decided to hit the Plains solo and managed to successfully intercept
several tornadoes, mainly from events on 5/16/99 and 6/5/99. He and Chris
returned in 2000, '01 and '02, each time improving forecasting and storm intercept skills. 2001 was marked by a once-in-a-lifetime view of the
massive Turkey TX "wedding cake" updraft on May 29 ...something he'll
never forget. He chased again with Cloud9 Tours in '03 where he served as
a driver/navigator alongside Jim Leonard, intercepting such memorable
tornadoes as the Girard KS F4 on 5/4/03 and a 1/2-mi wedge in the TX
panhandle on 5/15/03. Finally, in 2004 he set out solo again with chase
partners Chris Kridler and Scott McPartland, documenting detailed video of
a tornado lifting the roof off a house near Attica KS on 5/12/04.

Dave says he has learned so much from meeting other chasers throughout
the years, whether it's at a truck stop, a picnic, or under an updraft
base. However, he gives great credit to Jim Leonard & Charles Edwards for
patient advice throughout his chase career, and for permitting him to ride
along when his partner Chris was not able to chase. Dave got his BS & MS in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA, all from
Rensselaer Polytech Inst in upstate NY. He currently lives in Wappingers
Falls NY, working as a manufacturing engineer in IBM's new semiconductor
production plant. He uses all of his scant 2-week vacation each year to come out to the Plains to chase.
His website http://www.facethewind.com chronicles the highlights of each
year since 1997.

Be sure to check us out at 9:00 PM EDT at:

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