"Chance favors the prepared mind." Louis Pasteur

Louis Pasteur is the father of microbiology. A Frenchman, he pioneered vaccines, germ theory, and invented pasteurization. His work has saved untold lives.

His quotation emphasizes his belief that opportunities are best recognized and seized by those who are ready, knowledgeable, and diligent. That was certainly the case during my recent storm chasing adventure.

On April 26, 2026, our Silver Linings Tour leader, Roger Hill, targeted Osage County, Oklahoma, to chase. His decades of meteorological knowledge paid off as we intercepted a supercell that formed near Blackwell.

The storm intensified as it moved east towards Foraker. To avoid muddy roads, we had to take a detour heading south. Getting stuck or sliding off the road is never a good thing with a tornado bearing down on you!

We missed a brief tornado during the 20-minute detour. But we were now in a perfect position near Herd to see the approaching supercell with its broad, rotating wall cloud. Roger’s predictive skills paid off as we saw several funnels drop from the wall cloud over the next half hour.

Supercell Anatomy from researchgate.net

The sun had set, and we relied on lightning to illuminate the tornado. A chance bolt to our right and just the right amount of passing car headlights to illuminate the foreground made this image possible.

We stayed with the storm moving east in the dark until it dissipated near Bartlesville. I had Roger’s knowledge and a bit of well-timed illumination to thank for this memorable moment.

Thanks for looking,

Chuck Derus Zenfolio | Chuck Derus