Could You Be a Tornado Chaser?

You don't need a meteorology degree to chase tornadoes, but if everything you know about storm chasing comes from reality TV and movies such as Twister, you have the wrong idea. Here are three ways to encounter severe weather on safe terms?and do some good along the way.

Ride Along With the Pros

Companies such as Silver Lining Tours, Tempest Tours, and F5 Tours take groups of tourists on six-to-10-day storm-chasing trips around Tornado Alley. For a few thousand dollars each, groups of 10 to 20 tourists accompanied by professional guides pile into chase vans and cover thousands of miles, from Texas to North Dakota and as far west as Colorado.

"You get to see a lot of the Great Plains," says Martin Lisius of Tempest Tours. "Every few storms, we see a tornado. Sometimes we see a brief tornado; maybe it's a slender black cone tornado on the ground for a minute or so. Sometimes it's a large wedge tornado that might be a mile wide; it might be a violent class tornado like the F4 or F5, tracking across the open plains."

Sometimes these tours get lucky, and conditions line up just right. Rich Hamel of Silver Lining Tours tells PM that in late May, "We were in Bennington, Kansas, watching a big tornado there that barely moved. It was on the ground for an hour, so everybody was pretty excited about that, and luckily it just sort of sat in place, not over a really densely populated area, so nobody [got] hurt as far as I've heard, and there wasn't a whole lot of damage... We could watch it and didn't have to worry about anybody getting hurt."

Although chasers want to see severe weather, "we certainly don't want to see property destroyed and lives affected," Hamel says. "If we do happen to see something that has been destroyed, we don't jump out and take pictures or anything like that. You've got to try to be respectful of the people that live here."

Become a Storm Spotter

Radar can give meteorologists a good idea how a storm is developing, but experienced spotters say it is no substitute for knowledgeable "eyes on the ground" who can confirm what is happening.

If you want to help track severe weather, including tornadoes, consider the National Weather Service's storm-spotter program, Skywarn. The program offers free 2-hour classes in safety, reporting procedures, and basic meteorology. Anyone can attend a local class and become a spotter.

Storm spotting involves monitoring and reporting severe weather at your location rather than actively chasing storms. Volunteering with Skywarn is a great way to learn about severe weather without putting thousands of miles on your odometer, and it can also be a good way to gain experience. "You're much safer at your home where you can seek shelter if needed while you're learning what you're looking at," storm chaser Andrew Revering says.

Tornadoes, hail, lightning, and flash floods can be deadly, especially for those not trained to operate safely. "You've got to get the basics down before you go out there," Hamel says.

Find a Mentor

If you have logged a year or two of storm spotting and think you might be ready to hit the road, remember that you still have a lot to learn. Even experienced chasers find themselves in lethal circumstances, as the late-May deaths of three chasers in Oklahoma reminded everyone. Those lifers warn aspiring novices against taking off on their own to chase storms. Instead, they say, look for an experienced storm chaser who might be willing to show you the ropes.

"Introducing yourself and learning from your peers is essential," Revering says. "Perhaps learn from several people and absorb as much of it as you can."

Skywarn can be a great way to make contacts while you learn, and forums such as Stormtrack are another good place to connect with experienced chasers. You can improve your chances of finding a mentor by taking the activity seriously, focusing on safety, and making sure your main interest is weather, not adrenaline.

"We're about education. We're about contribution to the community. We're not about adrenaline," Lisius tells PM. "We're responsible, safe, serious storm chasers that are out there to forecast and intercept really great storms, take pretty pictures of them, and share what we see and learn with other people."

Revering says: "A storm chaser is someone who travels from Canada to Mexico for weeks at a time, has extensive experience and knowledge about storms and meteorology, onboard technology, and experience reading a storm. A yahoo, perhaps, is someone who has an interest in storm chasing, but is not ready for the real thing."

Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/natural-disasters/could-you-be-a-tornado-chaser-15634845?src=rss

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