In September of 2025, my work is generating the most income it ever has in my career. Yet, I'm being forced to shut down my successul operation, against my will, due to one cause alone: 95% of that revenue is being stolen by piracy and copyright infringement. I've lost more than $1 million to copyright infringement in the last 15 years, and it's finally brought an end to my professional storm chasing operation. Do not be misled by the lies of infringers, anti-copyright activists and organized piracy cartels. This page is a detailed, evidenced account of my battle I had to undertake to just barely stay in business, and eventually could not overcome. It's a problem faced by all of my colleagues and most other creators in the field.
Update 7:32AM Saturday: Scrubbing the Nebraska trip after poring over data this morning. Disappointing upper winds and weak low-level flow will likely keep storms rather uninteresting, and overnight weak MCS activity will present the threat for instability-limiting cloud cover. A highly conditional supercell/tornado threat is present far to the north along the NE/SD border, but that is too far away for me to make before sunset. Trying to get there would take away the 'leisurely drive' aspect of the trip, and this setup's just not worth that kind of a marathon. Furthermore, non-severe storms are shown close to the St. Louis area on Sunday night, providing some potential photo opportunities close to home. I'm eager to get a Plains trip in, but despite my standards for setups being low this time of year, this one is just too weak and problematic to pull the trigger. I'm sure there will be a better setup sometime later this summer (if not, the fall season is still upcoming), so I'll hold out for another opportunity.
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Posted 8:00PM Friday: With the weekend off and at least a marginal pair of setups in Nebraska/Iowa, I've decided to head out on a "mini" chase vacation and thereby not break my since-2001 streak of annual Plains trips. Lord willing, in the morning after work, I should be on the road westbound for Kansas, with an eventual arrival planned in southeastern or south-central Nebraska by the evening - hopefully in time for some daytime storms. The setup for severe storms, again, is marginal (with some slight potential for a diamond in the rough), but this is more a leisurely 'road trip escape' to the Plains than a trip with high storm expectations. It's the first I've been to the Plains in July. As usual, I'll post updates when time and internet access allows.
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