18/05/2026
🌪️ Yesterday’s chase across Nebraska was the kind of day that reminds you why Tornado Alley is unlike anywhere else on Earth.
The SPC had highlighted an Enhanced Risk across the central Plains, with conditions favorable for supercells capable of producing very large hail and strong tornadoes. Multiple boundaries were in place across Nebraska, with explosive instability, steep lapse rates, and strong wind shear creating the perfect setup for rotating storms by late afternoon.
We positioned ourselves in Columbus, Nebraska and waited.
For hours the atmosphere felt loaded. Hot, humid, unstable… one of those classic Plains days where you know the sky is just waiting to explode.
Then finally, a storm fired near Grand Island.
The moment it appeared on radar, we committed immediately.
And what happened next was incredible.
The storm intensified insanely fast. Within roughly an hour it had evolved into a powerful tornadic supercell and soon after went tornado warned as it tracked across central Nebraska.
We managed to position ourselves northeast of the circulation and got an incredible view of the Palmer tornado as it crossed the Plains beneath a sculpted rotating mesocyclone.
Would I have loved to be a bit closer? Of course 😅
But honestly, it was still an amazing intercept and one of those moments where everything comes together: the forecasting, the positioning, the adrenaline, and finally seeing the tornado emerge exactly where the atmosphere said it could.
After the tornado, we hoped the storm would recycle and produce again. But strong cold outflow eventually undercut the updraft and slowly killed the supercell.
Just like that… the chase was over.
We ended the night in Lincoln, Nebraska, where we had the pleasure of catching up with other French storm chasers over dinner. One of the best parts of chasing is not only the storms themselves, but also the people you meet along the way who share the same obsession with the sky.
Another unforgettable day on the Great Plains 🌪️