The Pursuit of Power — Severe Weather Calendar 2026 showcases Europe’s leading storm chasers through their most powerful weather imagery. The seventh month, July 2026, features storm chaser Gijs de Reijke with a photo of a bow echo that becomes strikingly photogenic near Gournay-en-Bray, France.
The interview series for featured photographs in each monthly edition of the calendar offers a closer look into the photographer behind the scenes, his approach to photography, his passion, and his striking storm images.
Don’t forget to follow Gijs’ social channels and support his work — you’ll find all the links at the bottom of the interview.
About the Photographer – Introduction: Gijs de Reijke
Let’s start simple — who are you? How old are you, and where in Europe do you call home?
Gijs de Reijke, I was born in 1986 and raised in the south of the Netherlands.
When did your passion for storms and photography begin? Was there a specific moment that pulled you into chasing?
As the son and grandson of geography teachers, I was exposed to the beauty and power of nature quite early in life.
Geological phenomena have been the most interesting to me ever since, but I gradually developed an interest in understanding the processes in Earth’s atmosphere as well. It’s no surprise I teach geography myself as a result.
I bought my first DSLR (Nikon D70) in 2004, mainly to photograph landscapes. In the summer of 2009, I was invited by a friend to join him on a storm chase in the region where I live, and from then on, I grew more interested in finding and capturing severe weather myself.
One of the most important factors that drives me is knowing that Earth’s most spectacular phenomena can occur close to home. Knowledge and being able to think in terms of possibilities, rather than unlikelihoods or even impossibilities, will enable me to get my fair share of what many will consider to be ‘You’ll only find this in Tornado Alley’ or even ‘out of this world’.
Gear & Chasing Setup
What’s inside your camera bag and chase vehicle today? Any must-have gear you never leave home without?
The result should only surprise laypeople. When I’m out on a chase, less is often more. A reliable car, accessible internet, and a manually adjustable camera with interchangeable lenses and a tripod are all I require.
Provided there’s plenty of theoretical knowledge and practical experience, it is what anyone will ever need to chase and capture storms—no pimped cars with a weather station, extra lights, or armour against large hail.
Being somewhat intentionally provocative, I’d say the experienced (read: actual) storm chaser will easily be recognisable by the absence of anything but the bare necessities, of course, taking into account only those who do not intend to drive into tornadoes.
What part of storm chasing gives you the biggest adrenaline rush or emotional high?
After having seen quite a few truly beautiful supercells and linear storm modes, one having done more damage than the next, I’d say the answer would likely be remarkable to most.
To me, nothing beats capturing a bunch of wildly-branched bolts of CG lightning over a pretty landscape.
The Chase Experience
The photo we selected for the calendar is genuinely inspiring. What was the atmosphere like around you — the mood, the light, the energy of the storm — and what went through your mind as you pressed the shutter?
It would be our second significant intercept of the day. There were four of us, driving to the French city of Rouen, and we found ourselves looking at a quasi-stationary supercell for well over an hour from the same spot.
As the storm grew larger and more photogenic, we decided to drive north to intercept the bow echo it was forecast to become. We never even got close to where we wanted to go. While heading east for a little over twenty minutes, the supercell lost its impressive structures almost entirely, with another supercell to the southeast having kicked the bucket well before ours, leaving only a structureless blob surrounded by a thick haze. What happened next is what I never thought possible.
A ‘Rear Inflow Jet’ had formed in between what remained of the two storms, which started the formation of the bow echo. While initially misidentifying the resulting signal in the precipitation radar as a large ‘Rear Flank Downdraft’ of a supercell embedded in the rainy blob formed by the two earlier supercells, we got in front of it at the same time. The cloud structures were condensed into existence almost faster than I can write it, which led me to abruptly pull the car to the side of the road and run into the adjacent field.
Seemingly out of nowhere, the storm went from hero to zero. Just as fast as it formed, it overtook us, already losing its most menacing and photogenic characteristics. Its look and power never recovered from that moment on, so it would be fair to say we got lucky with the unintended timing and location of our intercept.
How far has this passion taken you? In how many countries have you chased or photographed storms so far?
It’s knowing I don’t have to go very far to see spectacular phenomena that drives me to stay as close to home as possible. I did a crazy one-day trip to München in June of 2019 with two other chasers, as well as several three-day trips covering thousands of kilometres throughout France and Germany.
The most significant distance for a single situation was the infamous hail-hurling monsters in northern Italy on July 24-25, 2023.
Tell us about your chase vehicle — is it a normal car, or have you turned it into a lightning-hunting machine? Do you chase solo or with partners?
Just a regular, reliable car. I prefer to chase with others, especially when it’s more convenient for us not to have to divide our attention too much. One person behind the wheel and one or two handling meteorology while navigating can be the best approach to both success and safety.
Still, sometimes it’s just lovely to find myself looking at a storm, to enjoy the serenity of the night a bit more.
Describe your ultimate dream chase: location, storm structure, light, terrain — the perfect scene.
Just somewhere photogenic, with beautiful CG lightning striking out of a high-based storm with a dense precipitation core.
I still have to check the boxes for a situation like this over very mountainous terrain, as well as very different climate zones, like savannas and deserts, hence my dream to someday head to the western part of the United States for the monsoon storms, rather than to Tornado Alley during the spring months to capture tornadoes.
Be honest: a powerful supercell forms 20 km away… right as a boring work meeting is about to start. What happens next?
Luckily, I’ve seen so many pretty storms I can handle not seeing one or two. I can honestly say I’m at a point in my life where I can control the urge to drop everything and keep chasing storms as what it is: a hobby, not an obsession.
Still, there’s an anecdote that exactly describes what would happen if an opportunity were to turn into an irresistible temptation. In May of 2022, I had to teach a series of classes, just like on any other workday. Knowing a squall line would form and move overhead at some point during my workday, I brought my drone and kept an eye on radar and lightning detection.
About ten minutes before the storm hit the school, I had my pupils look at the smartboard, which displayed the data above. I asked them what they thought it featured and had them go outside to the schoolyard to connect the semi-abstract information on the screen to what they could see moving over the building.
Luckily, the storm’s structures were all I dared to hope for, and a unique opportunity to take teaching to the level it needs to be and to snap a few pictures came to fruition.
Inspiration & Milestones
Which storm chasers or photographers have inspired your journey? Anyone you look up to, even today?
Those who can keep their cool and be effective. Chasers who invest in knowledge always get a +1 from me, and chasers who also know how to take a good picture or two get a +2. If you happen to be friendly, helpful, and just fun to be around, it’s a +3.
There are plenty of people in the European chase communities who have all of these traits. Please drop in on one of the many barbecues, meetings, and gatherings being held during and after every storm season.
Having that said, I’d love to chase with a guy like ‘Pecos’ Hank Schyma, if I am to mention any of the well-known American chasers. Not to exclude any of the others who inspire me, but his excellent videos are fun to show in the classes I teach, and I love a laid-back and humorous approach to life in general.
What moment in your chasing or photography career are you most proud of — a capture, a trip, or a personal milestone?
Any and every moment that revolves around ‘using knowledge and skill to force luck’, as a significant degree of luck is always required, but it takes determination to make use of it.
A supercell far from home, that perfect bolt over a pretty bit of landscape after having gone home from the same place empty-handed plenty of times, or just that swift reaction to an unexpectedly developing situation.
Every chase and every picture has a story that comes with it, which is worth far more than anything else in the hobby and will always keep true aficionados going, regardless of how engaging a posted picture or video is on social media or how realistic AI pictures will become.
What’s the closest call you’ve ever had? Any dangerous moments you’ll never forget, and what did you learn from them?
There were a few lightning strikes nearby, but a thick branch of an oak tree that came down during a very powerful RFD surge in June of 2021 is the one that instantly comes to mind.
It landed about ten centimetres in front of the car while we couldn’t even see it falling, due to the intense precipitation and cold air, which condensed the humid air into the densest fog I’ve ever seen.
Trees and tree limbs crushing cars are significant causes of death when severe weather strikes, and after a tiring night of chasing storms, we weren’t at the top of our game anymore, resulting in us heading into the woods and stopping the car where it wasn’t safe.
Connect With Photographer’s Work
And finally, where can people follow your work and chase adventures online? (Facebook, Instagram, X, website, TikTok,…)
You can find my photos and adventures online at:
- Instagram: @gijs.de.reijke Instagram page
- X: Gijs de Reijke X page
- BlueSky: @gijsdereijke.bsky.social page
Final Note
Thank you, Gijs, for being part of the Pursuit of Power project!
Your story and visuals help showcase the strength, beauty, and diversity of European storm chasing.
The Calendar has 13 pages – a cover page plus 12 monthly pages.
The calendar can be purchased here: Pursuit of Power – Weather Calendar 2026
Take a quick 2-minute survey and help shape the future of Severe Weather Europe: what you enjoy most, what interests you, and what you’d love to see next.
As a thank you for sharing your thoughts, you can enter our giveaway to win one of five SWE rewards, including the brand-new ‘Pursuit of Power’ Severe Weather Calendar 2026.
Your feedback truly helps us create a better SWE service for everyone!