<div>Hi everyone, as you know, TSwails.com is a no-pay site that exists on voluntary personal donations. Every year I ask those of you who find value in the site to make a financial donation you feel is worthy. Please reflect on the number of times you have visited us in the last year. If the information or knowledge you gained was valuable, it's my hope you will join the loyal group of contributors that's kept TSwails.com operational since 2013. I'm suggesting $20.00, which is roughly a nickel a day. Less than 4% of my readers donate, so your gift, no matter the size, is not only appreciated, it helps immensely.
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<div>​It is important to note that your donation, supports the content, infrastructure, staff, and operational costs of TSwails.com. Entering our 14th year of operation, we've become one of the most in-depth, trusted, and informative weather sites in the Midwest. Without your loyalty and financial help, this dream could have never become a reality. As weather friends, you are considered a vital part of my family, and I can't thank you enough for putting your trust in the TSwails brand.
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<div><strong>​MY STORY, MY MISSION</strong>
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<div>Going on 50 years now, I've been a meteorologist. My focus was mainly television, although I've worked in all forms of media, including newspapers and radio. My interest in weather runs so deep that I have been compelled to publish 4 books on the subject, hold weather seminars, and be asked to act as a weather authority as an expert witness and keynote speaker. One of the foundational goals of my life is wanting to understand weather and perfect the art of forecasting. There is no doubt in my mind that this is what I was put on this earth to do.
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<div>When I was a kid, I would cut out articles and pictures from the Des Moines Register, Cedar Rapids Gazette, and the Iowa City Press Citizen on blizzards and tornadoes that I would file in scrapbooks. I still have them and some of the earliest go back to the Belmond EF5 tornado in 1967, and the Charles City Oelwein duel EF-5 twisters of May 15th, 1968.
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<div>My fascination with storms eventually drew me to storm chasing. There is no better way to understand the complexity of tornadoes than to put yourself in a position to see one, and I've done that numerous times. It's an experience like no other, and observing the speed of the process and destruction, produced valuable insights into the urgency of issuing timely warnings. 
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<div>Experience is immeasurable when it comes to forecasting (and at the age of 70, I'm well into the fall of my life). Yet for me, the excitement of getting up in the morning and digging into the models and the fresh challenges ahead is irresistible. What's more is that I am a competitor with a boatload of pride. When the name Swails is on a forecast, it represents knowledge, accuracy, and commitment. While there is joy in the process, this is not a game for me. I don't do this for fun, I'm out to win. My personal expectation is that I will interpret, visualize, and convey the outcome timely and on point.
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<div>To be the best absolutely requires a relentless, long-term commitment to mastering one's craft through deliberate practice, extreme dedication, and a growth mindset. It demands working harder than others, embracing consistent, often grueling training, and possessing the resilience to rise after failures, which inevitably happens. I'm always looking for self-improvement through the learning process.
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<div>So what drives me? I have found that I have a gift to deliver information that is helpful to others. It also imparts knowledge. What I do makes a difference in some small way. It allows me to have a legacy, and at my age that word is relevant. I'm told that a legacy is built daily through your actions and habits. My posts are more than forecasts, they are written in my staunch belief in the values of kindness, integrity, compassion, and humor. I'm all about hope, and one of my hopes is that you find value in my insights and the way I present them. That you see the passion and determination I put forth to grow professionally and personally. 
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<div>My career has allowed me to meet thousands of people and touch millions more. What an honor and blessing that is. Never a day goes by when I don't realize what an incredible life I have led, much of it due to my love of weather. I am truly a lucky guy, and I thank all of you who have supported me over the decades. It's been a pleasure to serve you.
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<div>So, while this is no pay site with no sponsorships, I do have operational expenses, a staff, and the vast amount of time I put into the product. As an independent source, I only answer to you. I'm free to tell the truth as I see it without fear or favor, wherever the facts lead me. My loyalty is to you. If you find value in the site,  please make a donation below. 
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<div><strong>THE STORY OF TSWAILS.COM</strong>
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<div>Back in 2013, I came to the decision that I could make a more significant difference in people's lives by starting a website dedicated to the weather and people of the Midwest. I aimed to drill into the specifics of how a forecast is produced and to teach others what's taken me a lifetime to learn. Additionally, I wanted to share my passion for weather along with the thoughts, insights, and challenges that shape forecast strategy. The whole idea was to offer users a behind-the-scenes perspective they couldn't get anywhere else. An honest, personalized, in-depth look at what was about to happen in their backyard.
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<div>Fourteen years later, I'm asking for your help. Running a website on a daily basis requires working capital. Despite the many hours I devote to preparing my blogs, my only compensation is your donation, yet I pay my weather contributors as their incredible work in writing blogs and providing analysis deserves compensation as well. Then there are legal fees, server expenses, hosting fees and data sources I pay to get the best forecasting tools possible. The time and expenses add up.
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<div>For many years, I subsidized the site and its expenses through my employment as a television meteorologist. However, now that I'm retired, that financial outlet no longer exists. With a fixed income and a daughter in art college, I humbly ask for a voluntary donation. While any amount helps, your $20 dollar contribution gets you about 450 posts a year, a minimal cost of 4 cents a day. I hope you feel that's an exceptional value and a service worth supporting, especially if I've educated, entertained, or helped you in any way these past thirteen years.
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<div>Your generosity will allow me to continue my goal of providing the best weather information possible for my followers throughout the country. I sincerely want to be the source you can count on when the skies threaten, or plans need to be made. It's my mission to be out in front of the weather, so you are prepared. Whether your business is farming, construction, cutting grass, or plowing snow, you can depend on me for accurate forecasts to make vital personal and financial decisions. After 49 years in the weather business, I remain committed to you.
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<div>Thank you so much for considering a contribution, and rest assured that you will get a solid, experienced product that is well worth the investment. I hope you can see the effort that goes into each and every post.
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<div>By the way, the support form is safe and secure and has nothing to do with Facebook. The future of TSwails.com is in your hands. Thanks for anything you can do to support the site. All the best and roll weather.
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<div>Sincerely
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<div>T. Swails
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<div>DISCLAIMER
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<div>Please note, no sweepstakes, giveaways, or promotions are offered in exchange for any donations made to this Gofundme campaign.
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