How Storm Chasers Know Where to Go: Boundaries

Surface boundaries are the basic storm chase target.
In this video, we discuss the different boundaries you can target for storms while out chasing.
There are numerous boundary types to keep in mind from dry lines to warm fronts to cold fronts to outflow boundaries and more.
We’ll talk about the different surface boundaries and what they mean in this video. We dive into each deeper and how to target more effectively for them in other videos!
Why Surface Boundaries?
Surface based storms need lift at the surface to form. Thus, you need a boundary based at the surface to generate some of the initial lift to create storm clouds.
However, the presence of a surface boundary is not a guarantee storms will form. Typically storms will also need lift in the mid and upper atmosphere to form and sustain themselves.
But, nine times out of ten you will target surface boundaries for storm formation. In fact, it is quite rare that you are not targeting some sort of a boundary on a storm chase day.
Be sure to check out each individual lesson to learn more about each type of boundary you can target.