I became interested in the weather long ago, with my second grade diary project being about the weather (keeping track of high/low and weather conditions daily). I was able to see my first tornado when I was in elementary school, watching a nighttime tornado that was ~15 miles north of my home in northwest Iowa. Since then I have been able to witness several dozen tornadoes over the past couple of years as I chased the Plains states with the likes of Tim Samaras, Tony Laubach, Dr. Bruce Lee and Dr. Cathy Finley, among others participating in the TWISTEX Project; and chasing independently. I hope to continue chasing the plains for several more decades...
I attended Iowa State University after graduating high school in 2005, and I immediately began to pursue a degree in Meteorology. I was happy to accomplish my goals, obtaining a Bachelor's of Science degree in Meteorology from Iowa State in May 2009, with a minor in Geology(Hydrology). Upon graduation I returned back to northwest Iowa to be with my fiance and my newly born son Brayden, and begin my job search. At the start of 2010 I accepted a job with a private weather forecasting company in the Kansas City area and have moved to a suburb of Kansas City to begin my working life as an operational meteorologist.
Besides storm chasing and general weather watching, I do enjoy spending time outdoors with nature in general. I love the prairies and grasslands, much of what my home state Iowa and these great plains used to have looked like hundreds of years ago. Photography is another passion of mine, capturing moments of family/friends, as well as sporting events and other various scenic views from around the plains and near my home. As of late I have took my photography to new levels, operating a part-time business Jayson Prentice Photography; I have expanded to include basic portraits as well as sporting events and natural scenes.
Despite weather, photography, and nature in general, the top of the list is my wife and son. I spend as much time with them as I can to enjoy the days that I have with them and watching my son grow.