Greg McLaughlin

Tour Guide

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My fascination with tornadoes began at the age of 12 when I witnessed the developing stages of the deadly Catoosa, OK F4 tornado in April 1993.  The next week I went to the library and checked out every book on weather and tornadoes.  The stories I read were captivating and the pictures enrapturing.  I had to see a tornado, and so an obsession was born.  Four years later, just after my sophomore year of high school, my storm chasing career began Memorial Day weekend 1997.   My first successful tornado intercept occurred on just my second chase.  Two years later I would track down an F3 tornado which struck Checotah, OK.  My best friend and I went to a local TV station and sold the video.  There I was introduced to the world of television news media.  Over the next several years I continued to gain storm chasing experience.  I worked as a weather producer at a local TV station in Tulsa for a couple of years while considering a career as a broadcast meteorologist; however my passion to chase tornadoes was too great. I decided to develop a career that would give me the flexibility to get out and chase.  Weather is best observed in person, not behind the walls of an office.

Over the past two decades I have documented countless supercells and over 150 tornadoes.  Currently I am a storm tracker with Fox 23 News in Tulsa, OK.  During the quiet months of the year I spend time visiting local schools, giving presentations on storm chasing and severe weather safety.  I also do PR work for a local storm shelter company.  As a tour guide, I am excited to share my passion for storms with others.  Over the years I have found great gratification in sharing these experiences with others, especially with those experiencing it for the first time.