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Mileage logs
I have kept a good mileage log for every storm season since 2003. A while ago, I went back and reconstructed a close estimate of the 1993-2002 mileage using old chase reports and Google Maps. Here are the numbers as of today:
| Year |
Miles |
| 2012 | 1,716 |
| 2011 | 5,889 |
| 2010 | 11,899 |
| 2009 | 9,897 |
| 2008 | 10,147 |
| 2007 | 16,059 |
| 2006 | 18,927 |
| 2005 | 23,580 |
| 2004 | 22,810 |
| 2003 | 15,322 |
|
| Year |
Miles |
| 2002 | 5,277 |
| 2001 | 5,373 |
| 2000 | 900 |
| 1999 | 320 |
| 1998 | 280 |
| 1997 | 220 |
| 1996 | 72 |
| 1995 | 65 |
| 1994 | 45 |
| 1993 | 25 |
|
| Total: 148,823 |
A few items of note from this data:
- The near tripling in miles in 2000 was due to having my first vehicle that I could freely chase with, and 2001 marked the first trip to the Great Plains.
- The jump in 2003 was due to starting my business and investing in travel to acquire footage.
- The jump in 2004 was due to my efforts in the weather video business 'paying off' and supporting even more travel and chasing (hurricane coverage, tornado outbreaks, winter storms, etc).
- You can see the state of the video market reflected in my numbers after 2007.
- In 2011, I had the lowest mileage since 2002. This was due to an all-time low in video sales, high gas prices, a new full-time job, no Plains trip and most of my chases being 'local' around and close to St. Louis.
- This year I should easily cross the 150,000 mile mark given normal chasing operations.
- My total mileage is roughly equal to the average lifespan of a car, meaning my all-time total storm chasing has cost me a whole extra vehicle in terms of wear and tear. That's in addition to fuel and hotel costs. In other words, had I not been a storm chaser, I would have bought one less vehicle (2) in the period between 2000 and today, instead of 3.
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