Collection of Essays on Storm Chasing Along with My Thoughts
By: Dorian J. Burnette

Disclaimer: These opinions are my own and in no way whatsoever do they represent the opinions of my employers. I love the field of meteorology, and I will do all I can to protect the field.

Introduction:

I have been storm chasing since 1997. At that time I had the majority of my basic meteorology courses and was preparing to move into my final year of undergraduate study. I decided that if I was going to understand some of the theory and how it relates to forecasting, then I had better do field work (a.k.a. storm chasing). I began storm chasing along side Mark Bogner who had been storm chasing for years and was the first director of the University of Kansas Severe Storms Intercept Project. I had also been interning under Dave Freeman at KSNW-TV in Wichita, Kansas since January 1994 so I was beginning to know the ropes of forecasting, satellite interpretation, and radar interpretation. Combining the internship with field work and my college studies gave me a serious advantage, and things began to "click" in a big way for me at this point.

Education:

Every single one of my storm chases has contributed something new to my library of knowledge. I have learned something even on days that are busts (go out into the field and see nothing). At the very least, you are able to get away from home and see different country. My purpose in storm chasing is not for the thrill or to grab the ultimate video, but rather in the name of science for aiding in the warning process, documentation, and education. Saving lives is a big part of my drive, and there is no greater feeling in my book. I have no doubt that storm chasing allowed me to become a better meteorologist. It has also allowed me to devise some of my own thoughts on storm environments, which I hope to be able to develop these into research topics down the road. I cannot stress enough though how important it is for storm chasers to have respect for the severe thunderstorms they are chasing. Severe thunderstorms are deadly and destructive even when they are not tornadic!

I enjoy talking to students about storm chasing. One thing (of the many things) I always want my meteorology students to come out with is knowledge about storm chasing, particularly how far "Twister" deviates from reality. There are a few accurate things in "Twister", and good points can be made on those, but there also is a considerable amount of nonsense in that movie. I always have my class watch "Twister" in order to find the problems with it. It is amazing how that reinforces basic ideas about severe thunderstorms and tornadoes and destroys misconceptions. I also take students out into the field with me because there is only so much one can grasp from textbooks and lectures...the Earth is outside and not in the classroom and does not necessarily behave in the "ideal" or "simplified" fashion that textbooks discuss.

Anyone who chases with me has to read some essays regarding storm chasing ethics and safety. The following are the essays that I always take with me on every single storm chase, and I highly recommend them:

The Bad:

Unfortunately, there is an increasing amount of people out in the field chasing thunderstorms who are in it just for the thrill or to grab the "ultimate video." Each year I hear of several very disturbing accounts, and I am concerned that this type of stupidity is going to kill someone someday. I would be lying if I said that I do not get excited on every storm chase. I am a meteorologist after all, and I continue to be impressed by the power of nature. I have also made my fair share of mistakes, and I am confident the atmosphere will be teaching me further lessons. A large problem with storm chasing today is in regard to plain and simple stupid behavior. The "yahoos" who cheer for a tornado going through a city, drive through private fields, and/or drive too close to a tornado in order capture the most breath-taking film (just to name a few), need to seriously consider why they are out in the field in the first place. This problem is magnified during times when tornadoes pass near large metropolitan areas.

I continue to hear of increasing, alarming reports of chasers who get way too close to tornadoes (like continuing to edge a little closer to the tornado despite the fact that debris is blowing across the roadway directly in front of them or even on their vehicle!). Some chasers will say they need to be that close in order to tell the TV station exactly where the tornado is. I have never heard such balderdash! You can easily phone into the station "I am 3 miles south of the town of xx observing a tornado about a mile to my northwest moving northeast." Today's storm tracking systems utilized by TV stations allow them to show where the chaser is in respect to the radar signature and in respect to various towns and cities. Thus, such an argument does not seem justified. Then there are other chasers who are getting close for the thrill of it and/or for the "ultimate video" to sell. This conveys a total lack of respect for the thunderstorms to me, and the time is coming when a storm chaser is going to be killed by doing this nonsense. Obviously, the issue of closeness is dependent upon the chaser, but it seems to me that some are pushing things well beyond the limit. Bottom line...there is no need to get overly close to a tornado...that is what the zooming capabilities of your camera and camcorder are for. The following essays are recommended for further reading:

Traffic has become a problem during good storm chases due to the number of chasers. I completely avoid chaser convergence like the plague in the heat of a storm chase. The problem is that an area packed with vehicles near a tornadic supercell has "death trap" written all over it. I absolutely do not like to encounter traffic in the heat of the storm chase, and I will go to great lengths to avoid it. I have no problem using dirt roads, and a lot of times I can be found on them rather than on a more "major" road. However, I will usually not stray too far away from a paved road because 1) better time can be made on paved roads and 2) dirt roads are no fun when they become mud roads . All I am attempting to do is minimize encounters with traffic.

Final Comments:

Without a doubt storm chasing is not easy. There are many circumstances when storm chasers will drive long distances to see nothing but blue sky (I know I have...multiple times!). I have gained a great deal of knowledge, satisfaction, and enjoyment from chasing thunderstorms though, and I love to be able to share this with others. Storm chasing is supposed to be this way, and hopefully a few bad apples will not spoil the bunch.  

Last Update: 17 January 2006

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