So is there good money in Storm Chasing?

[Deberg_1990]

Just curious.

I a only ask because I'm watching the classic 'Twister' movie and Bill Paxton says his competitors "are only in it for the money, not the science"


Any big balla storm chasers in here?

[Chieficus]

Originally Posted by Jerm

I've always been intrigued by the idea of storm chasing and doing it, like genuinely interested in the science of it and how tornadoes form, move, work, etc.

What areas do you normally go to the most...? Or is it just kind of you're always prepared and go when something pops up.

I live in western MO and have a job which provides some degree of flexibility, so I usually just go when something pops up (or is about to pop up) within a hundred mile radius or so. Yet, I'm very picky anymore about when I go on "distance" chases each year (mostly b/c of the cost of gas), meaning more than 200-300 miles roundtrip.

I do keep an eye on the Storm Prediction Center and if they are forecasting a good setup, I'll wait until the day before and look at various models and such and do my own forecast to see if and where I want to go the next day (for personal forecasting, I love the tools the College of DuPage has at weather.cod.edu).

I typically try to aim for east to central KS, southeast NE, or northeast OK--all places I could drive to and drive back in a single day. So the I-35, I-135, Hwy 81 line in KS is typically as far west as I'll plan to go.

In recent years I've had some really good chases going down to Bartlesville, OK; Salina, KS; and the Beloit, Jewell, Burr Oak area of KS, as part of my one or two longer trips each year.

A lifelong buddy of mine (who has chased with me quite a bit) and I have planned a couple of chase vacations in the past, but we usually have to pick a week a couple of months in advanced b/c of his job, and they don't pan out well (like--one storm in TX at the start of the week and that's it), so we quit doing that.

The pic I attached is from a chase near Salina/Abilene, KS, back in April 2012. It's one of my favorite tornado pics I've taken b/c of it's classic stove-pipe shape, the backlighting that makes it stand out, and the fact that it was over fields and doing very little damage to property. I think we were about 2-3 miles away at the time.

We watched it form on backroads with hardly anyone around, took that pic right before we hopped onto I-70 (where most of the people we encountered were), and then watched it die out when we were on the backroads again.

[Eleazar]

One of the worst movies of modern times. Complete dreck. You should be denied suffrage if you like this movie.

[Jerm]

Originally Posted by Chieficus

I live in western MO and have a job which provides some degree of flexibility, so I usually just go when something pops up (or is about to pop up) within a hundred mile radius or so. Yet, I'm very picky anymore about when I go on "distance" chases each year (mostly b/c of the cost of gas), meaning more than 200-300 miles roundtrip.

I do keep an eye on the Storm Prediction Center and if they are forecasting a good setup, I'll wait until the day before and look at various models and such and do my own forecast to see if and where I want to go the next day (for personal forecasting, I love the tools the College of DuPage has at weather.cod.edu).

I typically try to aim for east to central KS, southeast NE, or northeast OK--all places I could drive to and drive back in a single day. So the I-35, I-135, Hwy 81 line in KS is typically as far west as I'll plan to go.

In recent years I've had some really good chases going down to Bartlesville, OK; Salina, KS; and the Beloit, Jewell, Burr Oak area of KS, as part of my one or two longer trips each year.

A lifelong buddy of mine (who has chased with me quite a bit) and I have planned a couple of chase vacations in the past, but we usually have to pick a week a couple of months in advanced b/c of his job, and they don't pan out well (like--one storm in TX at the start of the week and that's it), so we quit doing that.

The pic I attached is from a chase near Salina/Abilene, KS, back in April 2012. It's one of my favorite tornado pics I've taken b/c of it's classic stove-pipe shape, the backlighting that makes it stand out, and the fact that it was over fields and doing very little damage to property. I think we were about 2-3 miles away at the time.

We watched it form on backroads with hardly anyone around, took that pic right before we hopped onto I-70 (where most of the people we encountered were), and then watched it die out when we were on the backroads again.

That's awesome...there's been some gnarly storms around my area with some funnel clouds here and there but no touch downs or large tornadoes. I've always wanted to see one...

[Demonpenz]

Storm chasers know to stay away from Alex Smith. Won't be any touchdowns around him.

[Fairplay]

I didn't know the movie 'Twister' was a classic.

[Chieficus]

Originally Posted by Jerm

That's awesome...there's been some gnarly storms around my area with some funnel clouds here and there but no touch downs or large tornadoes. I've always wanted to see one...

Granted the bigger they are the rarer they are. ~75-80% are EF0-1, ~15-20% EF2-3, ~1% EF4-5.

I've caught a glimpse of an EF4 from a distance (about 10 miles with hills and trees in the way). By the time we got to where we could view the storm much closer, it had dissipated and reformed a smaller tornado shortly thereafter.

I've caught a few of the EF2-3's. The most up close was that EF2 that went through my hometown, Sedalia, a few years back. Funny thing is: I wasn't even there to chase, I was there for a funeral, and it was my mom who saw it with me (it missed their neighborhood by ~1/4 of a mile, but we were watching it from the parking lot of the new high school a bit further south--I didn't get very good footage of that one b/c she was yelling at me to call my dad since he was at home, the sirens weren't sounding, and it looked like it was heading his way; I did have a little 10sec clip that made the Weather Channel, though). There were so many things that came together just right for that storm--primarily a small boundary set up creating the shear needed for rotation in just the right spot. It wasn't supposed to be a bad day, they didn't even have a watch out.

I actually don't think I would want to see an EF4-5. They're ranked by damage (though RADAR wind estimates are getting better) and to be ranked that high, that means they're (typically) going through a populated area and doing major damage. I like my tornadoes in open fields.

So, I will gladly take the EF0-3's.

Edit: Here's the short vid from Sedalia I was talking about, if it embeds right:

[Fairplay]

Originally Posted by displacedinMN

Thought Helen Hunt was cold.

A comedian said "A twister can take an 18 penny nail out of a bridge but cannot take the top off Helen Hunt."

I thought she came across as aloof and standoffish in her movies.

[ptlyon]

Originally Posted by Fairplay

I thought she came across as aloof and standoffish in her movies.

The crane operator I referred to earlier said she was also.

He saw her on set and approached her and said "Hello Ms. Hunt!" and she turned and yelled "Security!"

We would yell that in the bar occasionally for laughs.

[Lzen]

Originally Posted by Demonpenz

Storm chasers know to stay away from Alex Smith. Won't be any touchdowns around him.

Green Bay, WI Monday, October 31, 2005 - Anthrax Scare At Lambeau Field

Green Bay Packer football practice was delayed nearly two hours today after a player reported finding an unknown white powdery substance on the practice field.

Coach Mike Sherman immediately suspended practice while police and federal investigators were called to investigate.

After a complete analysis, FBI forensic experts determined that the white substance unknown to the players was the goal line.

Practice was resumed after special agents decided the team was unlikely to encounter the substance again.

Hardy har har harrrrr.

[Jerm]

Originally Posted by Chieficus

Granted the bigger they are the rarer they are. ~75-80% are EF0-1, ~15-20% EF2-3, ~1% EF4-5.

I've caught a glimpse of an EF4 from a distance (about 10 miles with hills and trees in the way). By the time we got to where we could view the storm much closer, it had dissipated and reformed a smaller tornado shortly thereafter.

I've caught a few of the EF2-3's. The most up close was that EF2 that went through my hometown, Sedalia, a few years back. Funny thing is: I wasn't even there to chase, I was there for a funeral, and it was my mom who saw it with me (it missed their neighborhood by ~1/4 of a mile, but we were watching it from the parking lot of the new high school a bit further south--I didn't get very good footage of that one b/c she was yelling at me to call my dad since he was at home, the sirens weren't sounding, and it looked like it was heading his way; I did have a little 10sec clip that made the Weather Channel, though). There were so many things that came together just right for that storm--primarily a small boundary set up creating the shear needed for rotation in just the right spot. It wasn't supposed to be a bad day, they didn't even have a watch out.

I actually don't think I would want to see an EF4-5. They're ranked by damage (though RADAR wind estimates are getting better) and to be ranked that high, that means they're (typically) going through a populated area and doing major damage. I like my tornadoes in open fields.

So, I will gladly take the EF0-3's.

Edit: Here's the short vid from Sedalia I was talking about, if it embeds right:

I think I actually remember that tornado...I'm from Clinton.

I still remember the night Joplin got hit...we actually had a bad storm that evening too and then you see news crew van after news crew van speeding through town and all I could think was WTF is going on...that was crazy.

[BlackHelicopters]

I live in JoMo. Don't care to see one ever again.

[Chieficus]

Originally Posted by Jerm

I think I actually remember that tornado...I'm from Clinton.

I still remember the night Joplin got hit...we actually had a bad storm that evening too and then you see news crew van after news crew van speeding through town and all I could think was WTF is going on...that was crazy.

Yeah, the Sedalia one happened I think 3 days after Joplin, so when the thing was first warned, everyone was on edge. It hit two trailer parks and a residential neighborhood. Nerves b/c of Joplin are likely why the worst injuries were scratches--people actually took shelter.

I go through Clinton and Windsor to get to Sedalia. I drove under the storm and when I was almost to Windsor I looked in the rearview and thought, "That looks a lot like a wall cloud, but surely not today," knowing the larger setup wasn't favorable. Ten minutes later my mom called and said the Windsor and Green Ridge areas were under a warning, and that the storm was heading toward Sedalia... So I kept driving.

[Chieficus]

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/md/md0252.html

Speaking of tornadoes, they're saying a small window risk of some in the MO-NE-IA corner over the next few hours.

[ptlyon]

Originally Posted by theelusiveeightrop

I live in JoMo. Don't care to see one ever again.

I'm assuming that is Joplin?

I have friends that went through a tornado in Mapleton Iowa a year or so before the one in Joplin. So after the one in Joplin their church group went down to help. Mapleton got hit but nothing like Joplin. She said it was like a two mile swath right through the middle of town just was gone.

I don't blame you.

[Fairplay]

Originally Posted by Chieficus

Speaking of tornadoes, they're saying a small window risk of some in the MO-NE-IA corner over the next few hours.

I'm driving like a mad man to the area now.