2005 Storm Chasing & Photography Logs, Photos & Videos

Editor/Photographer

From Dan: How the crime of copyright infringement took $1 million from me and shut down my operation.

My work is, at this very moment you are reading this, generating the most income it ever has in my career. Yet, I was forced to shut down the professional side of 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.

2005 was one of my busiest years for weather footage work, and I put many thousands of miles into covering all types of weather across the country. Hurricane Rita was the most significant event I was priveleged to cover for a national TV network. The Great Plains season was considered a difficult one overall, with few opportunities in May. However, my June trip in the Plains was one of my best, with several high-contrast tornadoes captured.

2005 also brought my first foray into HD video in November. I captured my first good HD lightning video that month with a fall chase in the Midwest.

View 1,462 storm chases:
by year:
by type:

2005 Notable Storms

December 15, 2005
HICKORY, NC - Major ice storm in Hickory.

Lightning chase November 15, 2005
GRIFFIN, IN - Intense lightning during a fall severe weather outbreak in Indiana and Illinois.

Lightning chase November 8, 2005
CHILLICOTHE, OH - More November lightning in rural Ohio.

Lightning chase November 9, 2005
CHARLESTON, WV - Unusual vivid, close lightning in November.

Winter weather chase October 25, 2005
SHADY SPRING, WV - Truck spins out on an icy overpass.

Tropical cyclone chase September 24, 2005
BEAUMONT, TX - Hurricane Rita landfall coverage expedition.

Lightning chase August 20, 2005
CHARLESTON, WV - 'Bolt from the blue' from the side of an isolated thunderstorm.

Flood event observation August 6, 2005
GREEN SULPHUR SPRINGS, WV - Dramatic flash flood on a small creek in Summers County, WV.

Lightning chase June 14, 2005
ST. ALBANS, WV - Close-up shots of tower lightning.

Tornado intercept Storm Chasing Expedition 2005
HILL CITY, KS - Our 2005 chase trip to the Great Plains during peak severe weather season, with 14 tornadoes documented.

Lightning chase April 22, 2005
ST. ALBANS, WV - Tower lightning strike.

Winter weather chase April 3, 2005
CASS, WV - Snow devils at Cass.

Winter weather chase February 3, 2005
BECKLEY, WV - Ice storm at night in Beckley.

All 2005 Chases (45)

January 2005:
Cloud type observation

1/1: Valley fog WV
Winter weather chase

1/31: Freezing rain WV

February 2005:
Winter weather chase 2/3: Ice storm WV

March 2005:
Thunderstorm observation 3/23: Thunderstorms WV
Bust chase 3/27: Tornado bust AL,TN

April 2005:
Winter weather chase 4/3: Snow devils WV
Lightning chase 4/22: Tower lightning WV
4/25: Mountain snow WV
Flood event observation 4/30: Flooding WV

May 2005:
5/13: Lightning WV/KY
Astrophotography event 5/15: Bright auroras IL
5/19: Lightning chase WV
Thunderstorm observation 5/23: Thunderstorms WV
Bust chase 5/28: Storm bust KS
5/29: Lightning NM/TX
5/30: Tornado intercept CO
Supercell chase 5/31: Supercell TX

June 2005:
Bust chase 6/2: Storm bust KS
Lightning chase 6/3: Lightning OK/KS
Supercell chase 6/4: Supercells KS
6/7: Tornado intercept SD
6/9: Tornado intercepts KS
Cloud type observation 6/10: Shelf cloud OK
6/11: Lightning barrage OK
6/12: Tornado intercepts TX
6/13: Supercell MO
6/13: Tower lightning WV
Flood event observation 6/27: Flash flood WV
6/29: Lightning chase WV

July 2005:
7/15: Lightning chase WV
Flood event observation 7/19: Flooding WV
Severe thunderstorm chase 7/25: Severe storms WV
7/27: Storms/flooding WV
Thunderstorm observation 7/31: Thunderstorms WV

August 2005:
8/5: Lightning chase WV
Flood event observation 8/6: Flash flood WV
Thunderstorm observation 8/20: Thunderstorm WV
8/29: Flash flood WV

September 2005:
Tropical cyclone chase 9/24: Hurricane Rita TX

October 2005:
Winter weather chase 10/24: First snow WV
10/25: Icy roads WV

November 2005:
11/8: Lightning chase IN,OH
11/9: Lightning barrage WV
11/15: Lightning barrage IN

December 2005:
Winter weather chase 12/15: Ice storm NC

Catch of the Year:

June 9 - Zurich, KS: A perfect 'elephant trunk' tornado kicks up a large debris cloud during a tornado outbreak in north-central Kansas, one of five our group witnessed that day. [ Read more about this event ]