Storm-chasing mom shares her passion and challenges to get the shot

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How storm-chasing mom chases passion for tornadoes while raising 10-year-old son

Chelsea Burnett, a mom and storm chaser who grew up in the heart of Tornado Alley in central Oklahoma, explains how the May 3, 1999, tornado outbreak sparked her lifelong passion for severe weather that she continues to pursue while raising her 10-year-old son.

DALLAS.Tex. – Chelsea Burnett wears two capes at home – supermom to her 10-year-old, trying to keep him safe, and chasing storms, driving into ground zero for some of the country's wildest weather. 

"I grew up in the heart of Tornado Alley. I grew up in central Oklahoma. So severe weather was just a normal part of my upbringing," Barnett told FOX Weather.  "And so going through the May 3rd, 1999, tornadoes just sparked that passion even more."

It is easy to see how the May 3, 1999, tornado outbreak changed her life forever, even though she was only 7 years old. In three days, 58 tornadoes killed 40 people and produced over a billion dollars of damage.

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Remembering the May 3, 1999, Oklahoma tornado outbreak

The Storm Prediction Center's lead forecaster Richard Thompson recounts his experience forecasting during the May 3, 1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak that killed 40 people and cause over $1.2 billion in damages.

One rare tornado in the outbreak prompted the NWS to issue a Tornado Emergency for the first time. Radar clocked the F-5 monster's winds at over 300 mph, the highest recorded wind speed in a tornado in the U.S., according to NOAA. The Bridge Creek tornado in Moore, Oklahoma, was the first F-5 to hit the state. Chasers waited almost a decade for another.

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Burnett taking photos.

(Chelsea Burnett / FOX Weather)

All in the family

Her passion wasn't realized until she moved to Texas years later, in 2015. She met others who loved storm chasing as much as she did. She calls it a "big happy family that started chasing storms with one another." 

"Since then, I have witnessed 47 tornadoes in that process alongside with my spouse," said Burnett. "So being a female in this male-dominated field has been quite the adventure. But my spouse is a great support system for that. He has no problem letting me take the lead in some aspects and then him taking the lead and others."

Her 10-year-old son, Marshall, hasn't exactly been bitten by the weather bug yet, though.

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Marshall and Chelsea Burnett.

(Chelsea Burnett / FOX Weather)

"He is somewhat interested. When storms pop up, he'll ask to open up the radar, look at what which way they're moving," said Burnett. And he's interested when he goes to school if it's got a storm that day or rain for his walk home. But outside of that, he just leaves it up to mom."

Marshall's accompanied mom to take pictures of shelf clouds and shoot video of lightning. Burnett says she has never taken him on a full chase.

The boy hangs out at his father's house while Burnett is off on her chases. She is excited about next weeks' chase, which she calls her annual "chase-cation," her annual storm-chasing vacation.

Burnett wears another hat, too – a full-time job

Burnett works a full-time non-weather job to make ends meet.

"It's a lot of juggling," Burnett said. "I also have a full-time job outside of storm chasing, but I work remotely from home, so that gives me the flexibility to work from the road."

Barnett hopes storm chasing, a hobby now, will continue to become a part-time job. She sells her footage and conducts severe weather preparedness presentations in schools and libraries.

Burnett teaching a preparedness class at a school.

(Chelsea Burnett / FOX Weather)

Her most recent storm chases

Burnett chased storms through her hometown last month when 18 tornadoes touched down across Oklahoma. She saw the twister in Etowah, Oklahoma.

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"Still sorting out my thoughts and feelings, but my hometown of Shawnee, Oklahoma took a direct hit by a tornado tonight," she wrote in a Facebook post after seeing the storm and learning the path.

"Adam and I followed it helplessly into town from the south and went straight to my dad’s house," she continued. "Was a scary ordeal, but everyone is okay so far, and their neighborhood took some slight damage to trees, fences, and loose objects."

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Her parents live within a mile of the tornado's path, but thankfully no one was hurt, and power came back on several days later.