About me

I was born and raised in Aurora, Illinois, and had my first interaction with severe weather at a very early age. When I was just over two months old on August 28, 1990, a devastating F-5 Tornado struck Plainfield, Illinois (just southwest of Aurora). The supercell thunderstorm which spawned the tornado passed directly over my mom and I (just a few minutes before producing the tornado) as we visited with other family members at my great grandparents home on the west side of Aurora. While I certainly do not personally remember this event, it had a lasting impact on members of my family and others who lived in the area; the stories from this day (that I heard many times as a child) are what sparked a lifelong fascination in thunderstorms and tornadoes for me. 

The photo on the left is of my Great Grandfather, Milton Roesch, and I - it was taken around 3 p.m. on the day of the Plainfield Tornado (8/28/1990) as the storm was approaching us in Aurora.