Five Minutes With the 'Tornado Kid'

By day he runs into the burning buildings for his job as a local firefighter, but during his free time drives into tornados. We caught up with Evergreen Park storm chaser Danny Neal, 25, who shared some of his storm chasing adventures. Neal has cultivated friendships all across the plains states and is known to give talks to elementary school students. He also maintains a website of his storm photos and videos, Northern Illinois Storm Chaser, and looks forward to one day completing his meteorology degree.

Tell us how you got started storm chasing?

I grew up in Evergreen Park. I was like every other typical kid; I was terrified of storms. My dad (retired Oak Lawn Fire Capt. Greg Neal) would take me around locally in central Illinois to look at storms. My dad survived the 1967 Oak Lawn Tornado. It was a way to break me out of it. I saw my first tornado and I was hooked. I watched storm chasers on TLC and Discovery and thought it was cool. After I got my driver’s license, I started going out on my own.

How many tornados have you seen?

I’m more interested in counting thet days that I’ve seen tornados. I’ll count the days that I chase and factor it in. I’ve seen 82 tornados. Last year I only saw one, down by Plainview, TX, on Oct. 12, 2012. The year before I saw tornados in Iowa and Illinois. The best year was 2010. I traveled to 20 different states and saw 35 tornados.

When is the best time of year to go tornado hunting? 

It varies during the year. March through May, it’s Kansas and Oklahoma. From May to July it’s Minnesota and South Dakota. Alabama gets theirs between October and February. You just follow the jet stream. Tornado season doesn’t end it just shifts around.

How can you tell when conditions are right for a tornado? 

I’m pretty decent at noticing when stormy weather is going to occur by the temperature changes, etc. Before a storm develops it’s warm and humid, and usually foggy in the mornings with a really strong southeast wind. Usually when a storm approaches there are dark skies and a lot of rain. I look for a wall cloud, which is a lowering of a cloud base, with cloud rotation. 

Have you had any close calls?

On May 22, 2010, it was our fourth or fifth day being in the South Dakota plains. The day before we were in Oklahoma and Wyoming. We targeted a storm developing in northern South Dakota. I like to get within a mile of it. The first tornado passed in front of us. We saw a couple of more. We programmed our GPS but it led us to a dead ended road. We were sandwiched between two tornados at the side of the road with 16 other storm chasers. It passed a football field’s length away from us. We floored it south through a farmer’s field and rode it out. It took four hours for us to be rescued by one very angry fireman who charged us each $400. It was an insane unplanned adventure.

What kind of equipment do you use? 

I go with my buddy who lives by Midway Airport. I drive a Chevy Impala, but we rigged up his SUV with a hail guard. It looks like a prison vehicle with caging around the windows and has a laptop stand. We once tried a tornado probe and stuck a camera in the road hoping to get some tornado footage but it didn’t quite work. I have a still camera and a Sony HD camera that I’ll take video with.

We’re all about safety. We’re not like the Discovery Channel where they’ll drive right into the storm. I just like documenting the storm. I’ll be happy a few miles away getting the storm on video and listening to it.

Have you seen any tornados this year?

So far this year it has been a slow pattern. Winter just doesn’t want to give up. Generally I would have been out a couple of times. Hopefully, by the end of May or early June we’ll see something.

How can people protect themselves during severe weather?

People rely on tornado sirens but they’re obsolete. You can’t hear them inside. Everyone needs to get a NOAA weather radio. You can buy them at Wal-Mart. Every county has a code. You can program the new ones specifically for your Cook County and those will be the only warnings you hear. I’ll also tell people don’t come to me for information, listen to the National Weather Service.

What’s it like seeing a tornado?

Once you get out in the middle of nowhere, and you hear the hail and thunder, when you see you see your first tornado it’s like your floating. It’s so powerful and it’s right in front of you. It’s beautiful but you never want to see it hit anything.

Where can we see your videos and pictures? How do we get in touch with you?

Northern Illinois Storm Chasers.