My Chase Vehicle
Victoria in front of the Never Summer Mountains in Colorado.
Victoria on Goat Hill Overlook in Raton, NM.
Victoria is a 2016 Honda Accord with a mileage of 134,000. I got her in January 2024 with a mileage of 99,500, and has since completed one chase season with me. She is named for Victoria LeVane, a D&D character I created for Hyacinthe's campaign.
Basic Info:
| name: | Victoria |
| year/make/model/trim: | 2016 Honda Accord Sport |
| engine configuration: | Inline Four |
| time in service: | January 10, 2024 - Present |
| parts replaced by a shop: | front right splashguard, front ball joints, front sway bars, AC compressor |
| parts replaced by myself: | negative battery terminal bolt, later negative battery terminal/current sensor assembly, battery, low-beam headlights |
| tornadoes zero-metered*: | 0 |
| tornadoes seen: | 4 |
| auroras seen: | 2 |
| deer slain: | 0 |
| original mileage: | 99,745 |
| miles driven: | 39,000 |
| nights spent car camping: | 33 |
From May 9 to July 5, 2024, she was suffering from electrical issues where on occasion, the electrical systems would bog down and power steering would cut out, usually when turning the steering wheel at low speeds. This issue was temporarily resolved by the installment of a new battery terminal bolt to replace the one that fell apart in my hands in late May.
In late July, she was in the shop for an air conditioner replacement as well as a suspension repair involving replacement of both front ball joints and sway bars.
On September 10th, 2024, I found that Victoria was dead in the parking lot. I hooked up my jumpbox and concerningly, it took five tries to get the engine running. I found that the negative terminal had worked its way loose again, and I decided that this time I would order an OEM replacement part. On September 13, 2024, I received the car back from a transmission fluid change and replaced the terminal in only 3 minutes and 14 seconds. It's the fastest part change I've ever done.
In late September, Victoria was struggling with a slow-cranking engine once again. Without looking up instructions, I bought a replacement battery and installed it myself.
Chase Log
September 24, 2024
Locations Visited:
- Yukon, Oklahoma
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Moore, Oklahoma
- Goldsby, Oklahoma
- Wewoka, Oklahoma
Notes: Urban chasing is brutally difficult and one wrong move can leave you stuck in traffic, losing precious minutes.
September 22, 2024
Locations Visited:
- Little Axe, Oklahoma
- Noble, Oklahoma
- Norman, Oklahoma
Notes: Sucks that I left my SD card at home.
September 18, 2024
Locations Visited:
- Shamrock, Texas
- Glazier, Texas
- Arnett, Oklahoma
Notes: My first chase out with Cyrus!
September 14, 2024
Locations Visited:
- Norman, Oklahoma
- Slaughterville, Oklahoma
- Lexington, Oklahoma
Notes: I feel like it takes a very special sort of person to start a chase at 5:30 AM immediately after 12 straight hours of Doordashing.
August 16, 2024
Locations Visited:
- Mustang, Oklahoma
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Will Rogers World Airport
Notes: Short and sweet. First chase with the R100. Finding a place to park with good visibility in urban areas is hard.
July 7, 2024
Locations Visited:
- Cole, Oklahoma
- Maysville, Oklahoma
- Elmore City, Oklahoma
- Turner Falls, Oklahoma
Notes: Very pretty hail core and lots of lightning! Road network south of Maysville was difficult.
July 4, 2024
Locations Visited:
- Cole, Oklahoma
- Lindsay, Oklahoma
Notes: Lots of street flooding in Lindsay.
July 1, 2024
Locations Visited:
- Raton, New Mexico
- Clayton, New Mexico
- Dalhart, Texas
Notes: Reminded me a lot of what I think monsoon chasing is like.
June 27, 2024
Locations Visited:
- North Platte, Nebraska
- Thedford, Nebraska
- Valentine, Nebraska
Notes: The blue sky bust hurt, but the northern lights appeared after dusk! They danced all night, and I caught sprites flashing in front of them too!
June 26, 2024
Locations Visited:
- Denton, Texas
- Wichita Falls, Texas
- Amarillo, Texas
- Boise City, Oklahoma
- Lamar, Colorado
- Kanorado, Kansas
Notes: Primarily a transit day, and very exhausting. My AC couldn't keep up with the West Texas heat. A little lightning in the evening and a rainbow.
June 4, 2024
Locations Visited:
- El Reno, Oklahoma
- Sterling, Oklahoma
- Apache, Oklahoma
- Stecker, Oklahoma
Notes: Storms only formed after dark. Still fun, but underperformed.
June 3, 2024
Locations Visited:
- Council Bluffs, Iowa
- Topeka, Kansas
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Lawton, Oklahoma
- Eldorado, Oklahoma
- Wheeler, Texas
Notes: I drove 968 miles, 14 hours on the road, in a single day all for a blue sky bust. My worst disappointment out of any chase I've ever done.
June 2, 2024
Locations Visited:
- Kearney, Nebraska
- Omaha, Nebraska
- Council Bluffs, Iowa
- Sioux Falls, South Dakota
- De Smet, South Dakota
- Brookings, South Dakota
Notes: Brutal drive to SD in the morning, but well worth the effort. I safely got very close to the storm and I think I'm gonna keep doing that!
June 1, 2024
Locations Visited:
- Goodland, Kansas
- Yuma, Colorado
- Sterling, Colorado
- North Platte, Nebraska
Notes: Nice wall cloud and pretty sunset over the Colorado Plains!
May 31, 2024
Locations Visited:
- Amarillo, Texas
- Boise City, Oklahoma
- Lamar, Colorado
- Limon, Colorado
- Kanorado, Kansas
Notes: A relaxed transit day with the eventual goal of getting to the Northern Plains by June 2. Stunning lightning show near Limon!
May 30, 2024
Locations Visited:
- Big Spring, Texas
- Midland, Texas
- Rankin, Texas
- Lubbock, Texas
Notes: My forecast was perfect! Unfortunately, I still missed both tornadoes because of bad positioning.
May 25, 2024
Locations Visited:
- Jacksboro, Texas
- Bowie, Texas
Notes: I was just a little too slow to catch Windthorst, but I had a great time with my friends.
May 23, 2024
Locations Visited:
- Corn, Oklahoma
- Altus, Oklahoma
- Olustee, Oklahoma
- Frederick, Oklahoma
Notes: OK-6 construction zone southwest of Olustee >:( I still just barely got a picture of the tornado, but I missed a good show near Eldorado.
May 19, 2024
Locations Visited:
- Woodward, Oklahoma
- Hammon, Oklahoma
- Hinton, Oklahoma
- Union City, Oklahoma
Notes: My best ever tornado pictures! A clear view on timelapse and deviant motion!
May 10, 2024
Locations Visited:
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Topeka, Kansas
- Council Bluffs, Iowa
- Onawa, Iowa
Notes: The northern lights were directly overhead in Iowa! I drove north immediately after my last final ended at my university.