Serengeti, Tanzania — Travis Farncombe

Published on September 12, 2016

This was not exactly a storm chase per se… but definitely an event worthy of an entry in the Storm Blog! Mike and I had arrived in the Serengeti the day prior and one of my first questions to our camp manager was are there some pretty good dust devils around here?; the answer had been occasionally, small ones. Well, we were sitting having our lunch (gin-and-tonics), enjoying the sunshine and overlooking a herd of zebras and wildebeests that were gathered around the watering hole when we noticed a commotion. Next thing we knew, a column of dust rose up over the herd, churned into a broad column, then developed a powerful tube at its central core as it rose over the animals.

This was by far the strongest and most visually impressive dust devil I have ever seen, and it was made more spectacular by its circumstance: plowing through a pack of grazers taking a break from their great migration! It hovered atop the herd briefly, and then swept off to the left over a field of grass where the circulation became less apparent, then dissipated. In amongst a slue of amazing moments and sights that we experienced in the Savannah, this was a particularly special one that I will never forget.

Travis Farncombe

I am the founder Highways & Hailstones. I live with my family in Toronto, Ontario - about 2000 miles from Oklahoma City and the heart of Tornado Alley. Every spring and summer, I travel down there, to the American Midwest, to witness the most awe-inspiring weather on the planet.

The first time I chased was ten years ago; I signed up as a guest with a storm chase tour company, and joined that group for a week on the plains. I saw my first tornado on that trip. It was a silhouette on a dark Kansas night, betrayed by strobes of lightning flickering in the distance. While the rest of the tour guides and group scanned the storm to the south, a lingering flash drew my glance to the north, and there, unmistakable, was a backlit cone. It was serendipity. I yelled cone tornado!, and a storm chaser was born.

After chasing for a few years as a guest with Silver Lining Tours, I gradually began to spread my wings and chase on my own, having learned enough from Roger Hill and other veterans to chase safely and responsibly. I became a guide with SLT in 2015. Now, I am a certified spotter and chase locally in Southern Ontario, as well as down in Tornado Alley. I am always meeting new people, always learning, and always humbled by the power of nature.

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