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.
I took a short trip to Washington, PA (a Pittsburgh suburb) for a couple of days for a quick family get-together at my parents' house. I decided to fly from Raleigh, since the fare for early morning flights was going to be about the same cost to drive. The early morning flights allowed for some nice scenes as we flew over downtown Pittsburgh as well as downtown Washington. Haze and dirty airplane windows kept these from being real keepers, but it was still good to be able to get a few of the shots.
Kind of blurry due to the haze and very dirty airplane window, but the house is visible here, across the street from the school (the big white building):
Wind turbine farm on a mountain ridge in northeastern West Virginia:
Mountains west of Washington, DC:
Flying around a dying thunderstorm complex in central WV:
We flew through a small line of showers just before landing in Pittsburgh. Here is a video clip.
Well-defined wingtip vortex while landing at Pittsburgh:
Some family photos (my 8 month old nephew, my sister, brother, mom, dad, grandmother and the dogs):
Hurricane Dean
Keeping this blog on its weather theme, I have to give mention to the current hurricane in the Carribean. Dean didn't take its potential northerly turn toward us here in the Carolinas, but rather is heading due west. Dean is an unusually strong hurricane, expected to reach Category 5 as it crosses Jamaica. The storm's track is then forecast to maintain a general westerly direction across the Yucatan and into Mexico, barely missing a US landfall. As a result, we will be sitting this one out. Another tropical wave is right behind Dean in the Atlantic, also forecast to develop further.
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From Dan: Please Read
To my regular readers, I offer my apologies for this heavy-handed notice. Unfortunately it has become necessary, so please bear with me!
Please don't copy/upload this site's content to social media or other web sites. Those copies have been a critical problem for me, seriously harming this site and my photography/storm chasing operation by diverting traffic, viewers, engagement and income. "Credit" and "exposure" does not benefit this site or my operation, rather they threaten my ability to cover my operating expenses. Please read my full explanation for this notice here.
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