Bassmaster photographers Shane Durrance and Dalton Tumblin were New York bound for the Bassmaster Elite Series tournament on the St. Lawrence River. Little did they know that their faith would soon be tested.
Just after 6 p.m. CT, they were entering Chambersburg, Penn., when jokingly they called themselves tornado chasers because the weather was looking a bit serious. Though Durrance never heard his weather alert go off, he checked the local radar and realized they were entering a thunderstorm warning area. Durrance then noticed a hook in the cloud formation right over where they were driving.
“Everything went dark, and there was absolutely nowhere for us to go. We could only stop in the middle of the interstate, so that’s what we did for a second — until we saw trees bending over to the ground,” Tumblin said.
“Hail was pelting the truck, lightning was popping all around us and it was just crazy,” Durrance continued.
Durrance grabbed his video camera and started recording the weather event, and the pair parked under the first bridge they came to hoping the cover would provide some protection. After a few minutes, the storm subsided enough for them to feel safe enough to hit the road.
Working for Bassmaster frequently requires the coverage team to be out in the elements, but this was an experience neither Durrance nor Tumblin want to go through again.
