Dangerous driving and irresponsible behavior by some storm chasers has led to worries that someone will get killed while chasing storms soon. In this image from a video, the infamous Tornado Intercept Vehicle (TIV) is seen passing other vehicles in an unsafe manner. Watch the video at the link below. (YouTube / Steve Miller)
Professional and amateur storm chasers, television and movie crews, researchers and news media all converge on Tornado Alley during storm season. Severe weather is fascinating and it has been brought more and more into the public eye thanks to the Internet and popular television shows. That popularity has given rise to increased danger to everyone and many say it is only a matter of time before someone chasing a storm gets killed.
Over recent weeks, tornado outbreaks in Oklahoma have seen hundreds of chasers of all types converge on tornado producing storms. Some are there for fun, others to study the phenomena for science, a few to get their two minutes of fame by capturing video to be shown on the Weather Channel and some to capture ‘the perfect shot’ for a movie.
With so many people in a relatively small area chasing the same target, conflicts are sure to arise and they have. Traffic jams of chasers around the storms have created a safety hazard as vehicles are unable to move. People are exiting their vehicles, standing in the middle of roads, all to get a glimpse of a twister.
Many have put the blame for the problem on inexperienced chasers, lured to the chase by what they see on television and the Internet. To be sure these novices can cause problems however they are not the only ones by far.
Vortex 2, the largest tornado research project in history, has brought a veritable armada of vehicles to bear chasing storms. The group’s mission of trying to learn more about tornadoes is important and Dr. Josh Wurman, one of the scientists involved with the project, laments that chasers are getting in the way of science.
Sean Casey, Josh Wurman, Reed Timmer next to Storm Chasers vehicle, TIV2. (Discovery Channel)
Storm Chasers is the Discover Channel’s hit show that tracks a team of tornado chasers across Tornado Alley as they hunt for twisters. Entering its third season, the season premiere is this Sunday, October 18th at 8:00pm MDT.
This season the team features a number of changes over year’s past. Josh Wurman and his team of scientists manning the DOW (Doppler On Wheels) radar returns but now he is participating in the VORTEX2 project as well. Sean Casey and the TIV2 (Tornado Intercept Vehicle) return as well.
Last season’s new addition, the TornadoVideos.net team with Reed Timmer, join with an impressive new piece of hardware – the Dominator. Lastly, world renowned storm chaser Tim Samaras joins the show as he continues on his lifelong hunt and scientific quest.
Here is a preview video for the coming season. Be sure to tune in on Sunday!
The VORTEX2 tornado research project will be the largest in-field study of tornadoes ever.
The single largest and most ambitious field study to increase our understanding of tornadoes is set to kick off next month. The Verification of Origin of Rotation in Tornadoes EXperiment2 (VORTEX2 or V2) will feature more than 50 scientists utilizing 40 vehicles, 10 mobile radar units and an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).
The study which will run from May 10 to June 13 will become the largest mobile in-field laboratory ever assembled to study tornadoes. In a statement Louis Wicker, research meteorologist with NOAA’s National Severe Storms Laboratory and V2 co-principal investigator said, “Data collected from V2 will help researchers understand how tornadoes form and how the large-scale environment of thunderstorms is related to tornado formation.”
The VORTEX2 tornado research project will be the largest in-field study of tornadoes ever.
Operations will be controlled at the National Weather Center in Norman, Oklahoma while the mobile units chase tornadoes across Tornado Alley and the central Great Plains. The target area for the study ranges from southern South Dakota through Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle. Eastern Colorado, home of many tornadoes, is included in the study.
This unprecedented gathering of scientists and technology hold incredible promise for the research that will be gathered. The original VORTEX program which happened from 1994 to 1995 documented the entire life cycle of a tornado from start to finish, the first time that had ever been done. That research greatly enhanced our understanding of twisters and led to much improved tornado warnings that help to save lives today.
VORTEX2 seeks to build on that research and the research that has taken place since. According to the project website it will seek to answer such important questions as: How do tornadoes form? What exactly causes the wind to spin into a concentrated funnel? How can we tell exactly when a tornado will form and when it will die, or how long it will last? Why do some thunderstorms produce tornadoes and others do not? What is the structure of tornadoes? What is the relationship of tornadic winds to damage?
An important finding from the original VORTEX experiment was that the factors responsible for causing tornadoes happen on smaller time and space scales than scientists had thought. New advances will allow for a more detailed sampling of a storm’s wind, temperature and moisture environment and lead to a better understanding of why tornadoes form – and how they can be more accurately predicted.
– Stephan Nelson, NSF program director for physical and dynamic meteorology.
VORTEX2 features scientists and students from the United States, Canada and Australia in collaboration with government agencies, private industry and educational institutions. Many luminaries within the storm chasing and severe weather research community will participate including Dr. Josh Wurman of the Discovery Channel’s Storm Chasers TV show. Some of the notable participating organizations include Center for Severe Weather Research, Rasmussen Systems, NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory, OU/NOAA Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies, NSF-sponsored National Centers for Atmospheric Research, Penn State University, University of Oklahoma, Texas Tech University, Lyndon State College, University of Colorado, Purdue University, North Carolina State University, University of Illinois, University of Massachusetts, University of Nebraska, Environment Canada, and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.
Denver will host the 11th annual National Storm Chaser Convention from February 13th to February 15th.
The 11th annual National Storm Chaser Convention hits town this weekend as some of the nation’s premier storm chasers converge on Denver. Whether you are a seasoned chaser or just someone with an interest in the weather, this is an extraordinary opportunity to mingle with and hear from some of the biggest names in severe weather. The event is organized every year by two of the biggest names in storm chasing – Roger Hill and Tim Samaras.
Held at the Red Lion Inn in Parker, the event kicks off Friday night with an ice-breaker and a chance to mingle with other weather enthusiasts. Saturday morning the event starts in earnest with an extraordinary slate of speakers covering an array of topics. Saturday night is the infamous video night where videos and photos from last year’s record setting year of tornadoes are sure to play a big part and Sunday the convention continues with additional speakers.
Get ready for ChaserCon - Coming to Denver in February!
The 11th annual National Storm Chaser Convention is coming to Denver from February 13th to the 15th. Organized by storm chasers Roger Hill and Tim Samaras, this event brings together amateur and professional storm chasers, meteorologists, climatologists and experts from across a wide spectrum dealing with weather. It is a great opportunity to learn not just about storm chasing but also about the weather in general.
As usual, a great slate of speakers has been lined up including:
More than lectures though, the convention features screening of some of the most incredible tornado footage from the past year as well as a hands-on look at the latest in weather gadgetry. On the afternoon of the 15th, the National Weather Service will also be holding an official storm spotter training session that is open to the public.
You can learn more about this great event and see the complete agenda on the convention website at www.chaserconvention.com.
The Doppler On Wheels (DOW) surveys storm clouds looking for tornadoes.
Our friendly little bird from the Discovery Channel continues to offer us – and you – sneak peeks of coming episodes of Storm Chasers. The episode guide for this coming Sunday’s episode says:
HAIL TO THE BEAST – Nov. 30 at 9 p.m. ET/PT
Reed and Josh’s teams struggle to find the perfect storm in Nebraska. Reed’s girlfriend Jene gets lost in a deadly hailstorm while the DOW fleet mistakenly drives into an oncoming tornado.
The sneak peek the Discovery Channel has offered us this week is aptly titled, “Green Skies.” As anyone who has been around severe weather knows, green skies mean hail – and tornadoes. We see this is Denver occasionally but in this clip, the TornadoVideos.net team finds themselves separated from each other while under a sky completely filled with green clouds. It is a rather eerie – and scary – effect.
Now that is heavy metal! The TIV 2 is a machine designed specifically for driving into a tornado. Image courtesy Discovery Channel.
The 2008 tornado season was historical for its ferocity. Record breaking numbers of twisters struck Tornado Alley with a frequency not seen in years. In June, north central and western Kansas were ground zero for tornado outbreaks that went on for days.
ThorntonWeather.com continues to be granted special access to the Discovery Channel’s Storm Chasers (Sunday’s @ 8:00pm MST) footage. In this coming Sunday’s episode, the crew finds itself right in the thick of things. The episode guide says:
No Place Like Kansas – Nov. 23 at 10 p.m. ET/PT
With the DOW and all the chase vehicles up and running again, the team finds themselves hunting in the same territory as the rival TVN crew. Tornadoes are forming all over western Kansas on what looks like the biggest day of the season.
This week’s sneak peak – A funnel cloud begins to form in the skies over Quinter, Kansas as the the Storm Chasers scramble to approach it.
The three stars from Storm Chasers: Sean Casey - TIV Chief and Champion Storm Chaser, Dr. Josh Wurman - Research Meteorologist, and Reed Timmer - TVN Lead Storm Chaser, Meteorologist
For those that haven’t seen the show, it is must see TV, even if you aren’t much into weather. The show chronicles a team of storm chasers as they crisscross the Great Plains hunting tornadoes. They have an array of high tech gagetry at hand to help them in their chase to further our understanding of the storms including the TIV – Tornado Intercept Vehicle. The TIV’s primary function? To drive into a tornado!
The third episode’s summary says:
Storm Chasers
Mutiny on the Plains
Sunday, Nov 02 at 10:00 pm E/P on Discovery Channel
Tensions mount between Sean and Josh, as Reed offers to chase with the TIV. Reed chases a risky nighttime tornado into the hills of Arkansas, while Sean and Josh return to Greensburg, Kansas one year after a twister nearly wiped the town off the map.
Without further ado, ThorntonWeather.com’s sneak peak of the episode. In this scene small pieces of debris fall from the sky after meteorologists Danny and Aaron track down a funnel cloud in Rock Valley, Iowa.
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