Bragging Rights:
Biography of Storm tracker Justin B Dill Storm Chaser/Photographer/OTR Truck driver -I have been chasing storms since 2009; I have driven a Semi Tractor-Trailer the last 4 years of my life. I am a survivor of the following: Hurricane Gloria- September 27, 1985 September 27, 1985 – Hurricane Gloria parallels the New Jersey coastline just offshore as a Category 2 hurricane. Its arrival forces 95,000 citizens to evacuate, while eleven casinos in Atlantic City are closed, resulting in a loss of $7 million (1985 USD). Dubbed by some as the storm of the century, the hurricane is expected to become the first hurricane to hit the New Jersey coastline since the hurricane in 1903, though a last minute turn spares the state. While passing by the state, Gloria caused a storm surge of 4.6 feet (1.4 m) in Ventnor City and a wind gust of 80 mph (129 km) in Ocean City. Despite coming within miles of the coast, the storm caused only light rainfall along the shoreline, though further inland there were reports of over 5 inches (13 cm).Strong winds down trees and power lines, leaving 237,000 without power after the storm. 1993 Storm of the Century- March 12–13, 1993 Also known as the ’93 Superstorm, or the (Great) Blizzard of 1993, was a large cyclonic storm that occurred on March 12–13, 1993, on the East Coast of North America. It is unique for its intensity, massive size and wide-reaching effect. At its height, the storm stretched from Canada towards Central America, but its main impact was on the Eastern United States and Cuba. The cyclone moved through the Gulf of Mexico, and then through the Eastern United States before moving into Canada. Areas as far south as central Alabama and Georgia received 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 cm) of snow and areas such as Birmingham, Alabama, received up to 12 inches (30 cm) with isolated reports of 16 inches (41 cm). Even the Florida Panhandle reported up to 4 inches (10 cm), with hurricane-force wind gusts and record low barometric pressures. Between Louisiana and Cuba, hurricane-force winds produced high storm surges across northwestern Florida, which along with scattered tornadoes killed dozens of people. Record cold temperatures were seen across portions of the South and East in the wake of this storm. In the United States, the storm was responsible for the loss of electric power to over 10 million customers. It is purported to have been directly experienced by nearly 40 percent of the country's population at that time. A total of 310 people, including 10 from Cuba, perished during this storm. Hurricane Opal Opal was a Category 4 hurricane that formed in the Gulf of Mexico in September 1995. Opal also was the ninth hurricane and the strongest of the abnormally active 1995 Atlantic hurricane season. It crossed the Yucatán Peninsula while still a tropical depression from September 27, then strengthened northward in the Gulf, becoming the most powerful Category 4 Atlantic hurricane before making a second landfall, October 4, in the Florida Panhandle near Pensacola as a 115-mph (185-km/h) hurricane. Opal devastated the Pensacola/Panhandle area with a 15-ft (5-m) storm surge and traveled up the entire state of Alabama, becoming a tropical storm in Tennessee. Opal also caused heavy damage in the Mid-Atlantic States before dissipating. Afterward, 50 people had died from flooding by Opal in Guatemala and Mexico, with another 13 deaths in the United States directly or indirectly related to Opal. Preliminary damage estimates were $3 billion, the costliest so far in this season. The name "Opal" was retired in 1996, replaced by "Olga" for the 2001 season. Stats Years Chased: 2 Largest Hail: 2 ¼ (April, 2011) Favorite Chase Location: Anywhere there is a storm! First Storm Chase: Since my childhood Favorite Events: Chasercon 2010