A storm chaser has been in a number of schools in southern Manitoba over the past few weeks talking about respecting the weather and taking action to stay safe.

Chris Chittick lives in Regina and is part of the Tornado Hunters storm chasing team that has a show on the CMT Channel.

Chittick, originally from Michigan, started chasing storms back in 1998 and enjoys it as much today as he did back in the early day.

His message to students includes a mix of science and real life experiences.

“We use the school tours to spread the word about tornado safety, motivating youth to get more out of the weather and to realize what happens when severe weather happens” said Chittick.
 
The veteran storm chaser says weather patterns are changing but not because of climate change. It's more because of a La Nina transitioning to El Nino weather pattern. “We are going have some crazy weather over the next few years and right now we are switching to that pattern.”

Chittick says with their advanced weather equipment they can usually tell three to four days in advance where severe weather will hit.

“Our work is super danger and my wife is not a big fan of what I do. We try to stay about a football field away from the tornadoes.”

According to Chittick taking things for granted is usually the most common mistake people make when it comes to severe weather. He says everyone assumes the big tornado can't happen in my community and that's not a good way to think.

“We were in Arizona this past July and saw a big storm was forming in eastern Saskatchewan. We drove straight from Arizona to Canada and noticed the storm cell had moved east into Manitoba. It touched down in the Pierson and Tilston area and headed north and stayed on the ground for 3 hours before lifting near Virden.

Chittick said that storm was the largest recorded tornado in North America for 2015.