Tony Laubach is a veteran storm chaser and degreed Meteorologist who has pursued severe weather across the United States since his first tornado in 1997. Over three decades on the road, he has documented hundreds of tornadoes, contributed to field research with projects such as TWISTEX, and shared extreme weather stories through broadcast, digital media, and national reporting. Today, Tony continues his work with AccuWeather, tracking, explaining, and experiencing the storms firsthand.
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Southeast Illinois
1,689 Miles | SPC Outlook: Enhanced
My 30th season kicks off with a supercell-filled day across southeast Illinois that ended in a blizzard of hail and an almost tornado near the Wabash River.
TORNADOES: 0
MAX HAIL: 0.88"
FLOODING: Observed
LIGHTNING: Not Captured
Chase Log: September 9, 2025
Eastern CO/Western KS (792 Miles)
TORNADOES: 0
MAX HAIL: 2.00"
FLOODING: Observed
Chase Log: August 4, 2025
Northeast Colorado (493 Miles)
TORNADOES: 0
MAX HAIL: 4.25"
FLOODING: Observed
Chase Log: June 13, 2025
Nebraska Panhandle (450 Miles)
TORNADOES: 2
MAX HAIL: 0.88"
FLOODING: Not Observed
Career Stats
Stat Keeping Started in 2002
Career Miles: 539,267
Career Chases: 549
Career Tornadoes: 474
Career Tornado Days: 197
Career Tornado Average: 0.359
Career Work Logs: 403
Career Total Logs: 952
Career 1K Mile Chases: 139
Professional Eras
2001 - Present: AccuWeather
2018-2021: KAKE-TV Wichita, KS
2013 - 2018: WSIL Carterville, IL
2007-2013: KMGH 7News Denver, CO
2007-2011: TWISTEX
2003-2021: Freelancer
M.S. Southern Illinois University
B.S. Metropolitan State University Denver
2018-2021: KAKE-TV Wichita, KS
2013 - 2018: WSIL Carterville, IL
2007-2013: KMGH 7News Denver, CO
2007-2011: TWISTEX
2003-2021: Freelancer
M.S. Southern Illinois University
B.S. Metropolitan State University Denver
Career Milestones
May 1997: First Tornado/First Chase
Spring 2002: Stat Keeping Began
May 2004: Breakout Tornado Chases
April 2007: Joined TWISTEX
Spring 2008: Nat Geo/Discovery Shows
May 2009: Graduated as a Meteorologist
July 2013: Became the WSIL Weather Warrior
June 2021: Tornado on First Day in New Home
August 2021: Intercepted First Tropical Systems
Spring 2002: Stat Keeping Began
May 2004: Breakout Tornado Chases
April 2007: Joined TWISTEX
Spring 2008: Nat Geo/Discovery Shows
May 2009: Graduated as a Meteorologist
July 2013: Became the WSIL Weather Warrior
June 2021: Tornado on First Day in New Home
August 2021: Intercepted First Tropical Systems
Southern Kansas
Tornadoes: 15
Northeast Colorado
Tornadoes: 19
Southwest Kansas
Tornadoes: 12
The Move-In Day Tornado
Milliken, CO - June 7, 2021
Tactical Weather-Instrumented Sampling in/near Tornadoes Experiment
HAIL CHASES
FLOOD CHASES
LIGHTNING CHASES
MY CHASING HISTORY
Where It All Began
The first chase, the first tornado, the May 14, 1997 Ohio-chase that started it all.
The Story of #81
The number of Washington Redskins great, Art Monk, becomes a storm chasing icon.
The Road to Half-a-Million
In 22 years, 2 months, and 2 days, I drove half-a-million mile chasing storms across…
