Looking back to 2023 storm chase with ANF meteorologist Isaac Williams

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Leading up to First Alert Storm Chase 2026, Isaac takes us back to what he saw in 2023’s chase across the Great Plains.

First Alert Meteorologist Isaac Williams, along with Dr. Barrett Gutter, took a field course of 8 students from Mississippi State University crisscrossing the Great Plains in May 2023. It was an opportunity for students to take what they learned in the classroom and apply it to the real-world of meteorology.

The trip didn’t bring as much action as others, but we were still treated to several days of great storm structure. We were really able to show the students the ins and outs of why structure is important for overall storm evolution.

We did finally see a brief tornado in eastern Colorado, lasting only around 20 seconds.

Thankfully, it was rated EF-unknown, and no major damage occurred.

In total, we traveled to over 10 states and over 6,000 miles.