[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Chasing tornadoes (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 7/13/2017 12:38:30 PM EDT
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Hey guys it's one of those summers here and we're getting tornado watches and warnings every day. On Sunday I went down to look for one and almost drove right under the wall cloud that had spawned a small tornado a few minutes before.
Are there any good apps for radar etc or any good tips on reading the storm so I don't Darwin the fuck out of myself? I wanna go out again this afternoon because it's supposed be prime for twisters again. |
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Quoted:
Hey guys it's one of those summers here and we're getting tornado watches and warnings every day. On Sunday I went down to look for one and almost drove right under the wall cloud that had spawned a small tornado a few minutes before. Are there any good apps for radar etc or any good tips on reading the storm so I don't Darwin the fuck out of myself? I wanna go out again this afternoon because it's supposed be prime for twisters again. I use Weatherunderground's Storm radar. It's free. The app can show you the watches & warnings along with threat indicators on storm cells. Link is for the android version but there's a IOS one as well: Storm Radar If you are up in Canada here's a link for your National Weather service: Canadian NWS For training on how to recognize storms we have Skywarn. There are online classes offered. Find the closest U.S NWS office to you and see if they have a class: Skywarn Info For Severe weather storm reports here in the U.S.: U.S. NWS Severe weather prediction center |
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I lived through one F5 . . . started out as five separate funnels that combined into one funnel over a mile wide.
That was enough for me. Attached File |
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I lived through one F5 . . . started out as five separate funnels that combined into one funnel over a mile wide. That was enough for me. https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/16397/The-Fujita-Scale---Terrible-Tuesday-3-252971.JPG |
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I lived through one F5 . . . started out as five separate funnels that combined into one funnel over a mile wide. That was enough for me. https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/16397/The-Fujita-Scale---Terrible-Tuesday-3-252971.JPG My only experience was with the one that came through Edmonton in 87. It's wind speeds were rated at 417km/h and on the old Fujita scale 418km/h and up was an F5. Regardless of the actual wind speeds or rating, as a kid the aftermath was unfathomable to me. Grass and pavement gone, huge outdoor overhead cranes twisted up like paperclips. I'll never forget that. I could only imagine the damage a true F5 like the Jarell tornado would do. |
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I'm not an actual storm chaser, but I did it on my own a few years ago when I was living in a trailer house. I figured that I was safer keeping an eye on the storms and dancing around the edges rather than riding them out in that tin can. Study how storms work, especially the violent ones.
Storm_Tracker is an actual storm chaser. His avatar is a radar picture of a storm with a hook echo (where the tornado is). |
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Holy shit! My only experience was with the one that came through Edmonton in 87. It's wind speeds were rated at 417km/h and on the old Fujita scale 418km/h and up was an F5. Regardless of the actual wind speeds or rating, as a kid the aftermath was unfathomable to me. Grass and pavement gone, huge outdoor overhead cranes twisted up like paperclips. I'll never forget that. I could only imagine the damage a true F5 like the Jarell tornado would do. Smithville, MS got devastated by an F5 a few years back. Lost an acquaintance in it. It literally looked like the aftermath of a nuke. House foundations cleared slick with mayber 3-4" of pipe sticking up, It threw a motorcyle that was inside a cinder block building about 450 yds (this was where my acquaintance was). Tossed a pickup into the bell of a water tower and left an 8 foot dent in the tower. Parts of Hwy 25 had large chunks of pavement missing. I have a copy of a picture of an old friend taken at his niece's homecoming. The original was at his ex SIL's house that was hit. It was found just outside of Huntsville, AL. That is well over 100 miles away. Only recovered because somebody started a Facebook page to return lost pictures to the owners. F5s fuck shit up. |
If you have tried but still can't find someone with experience to show you the safe way, you really need to at least take the SKYWARN class before you go chasing.Â
 2016 NWS STORM SPOTTER TRAINING in HD I would also suggest you get RadarScope for your phone and get an Allison House feed for the radar data. Having a laptop with 'GR Level3' and a way to stream the data to your laptop is pretty much standard for experienced spotters/chasers. . Having a co-pilot is pretty much a no brainer. Additionally, having enough sense to unass an area where you are getting a tornado vortex signature on your radar but can't see the wall cloud or a funnel is fundamental to staying safe. Rain-wrapped tornadoes have killed lots of people. Be prepared to get your vehicle hail damaged because you don't want to hide under a highway underpass. I highly advise you to find an experienced chaser to ride with before you attempt to chase on your own...and don't go alone. You can't watch the storm and the road at the same time. Don't go out and get yourself fucked up. |
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If you have tried but still can't find someone with experience to show you the safe way, you really need to at least take the SKYWARN class before you go chasing.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6fDI9WoBnU
I would also suggest you get RadarScope for your phone and get an Allison House feed for the radar data. Having a laptop with 'GR Level3' and a way to stream the data to your laptop. Having a co-pilot is pretty much a no brainer. Additionally, having enough sense to unass an area where you are getting a tornado vortex signature on your radar but can't see the wall cloud or a funnel is fundamental to staying safe. Rain-wrapped tornadoes have killed lots of people. Be prepared to get your vehicle hail damaged because you don't want to hide under a highway underpass. I highly advise you to find an experienced chaser to ride with before you attempt to chase on your own...and don't go alone. You can't watch the storm and the road at the same time. Don't go out and get yourself fucked up. The pro has spoken. Please heed his advice. |
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If you have tried but still can't find someone with experience to show you the safe way, you really need to at least take the SKYWARN class before you go chasing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6fDI9WoBnU
I would also suggest you get RadarScope for your phone and get an Allison House feed for the radar data. Having a laptop with 'GR Level3' and a way to stream the data to your laptop is pretty much standard for experienced spotters/chasers. . Having a co-pilot is pretty much a no brainer. Additionally, having enough sense to unass an area where you are getting a tornado vortex signature on your radar but can't see the wall cloud or a funnel is fundamental to staying safe. Rain-wrapped tornadoes have killed lots of people. Be prepared to get your vehicle hail damaged because you don't want to hide under a highway underpass. I highly advise you to find an experienced chaser to ride with before you attempt to chase on your own...and don't go alone. You can't watch the storm and the road at the same time. Don't go out and get yourself fucked up. |
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Quoted:
If you have tried but still can't find someone with experience to show you the safe way, you really need to at least take the SKYWARN class before you go chasing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6fDI9WoBnU
I would also suggest you get RadarScope for your phone and get an Allison House feed for the radar data. Having a laptop with 'GR Level3' and a way to stream the data to your laptop is pretty much standard for experienced spotters/chasers. . Having a co-pilot is pretty much a no brainer. Additionally, having enough sense to unass an area where you are getting a tornado vortex signature on your radar but can't see the wall cloud or a funnel is fundamental to staying safe. Rain-wrapped tornadoes have killed lots of people. Be prepared to get your vehicle hail damaged because you don't want to hide under a highway underpass. I highly advise you to find an experienced chaser to ride with before you attempt to chase on your own...and don't go alone. You can't watch the storm and the road at the same time. Don't go out and get yourself fucked up. |
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Quoted:
Hey guys it's one of those summers here and we're getting tornado watches and warnings every day. On Sunday I went down to look for one and almost drove right under the wall cloud that had spawned a small tornado a few minutes before. Are there any good apps for radar etc or any good tips on reading the storm so I don't Darwin the fuck out of myself? I wanna go out again this afternoon because it's supposed be prime for twisters again. RadarScope for the win |
 Watch this EXTREME up-close video of tornado near Wray, Colorado | AccuWeather |
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Like others have posted, if you don't know what your doing and you can't tell where and where not to be in a storm, then don't.
It's also important to have another with you that can read maps, radar, and storms also, so you can watch the roads. Standard disclosure, I did storm spotting at the county level for many years. I went to a fixed location and reported back. |
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Thanks for the pointers, much appreciated! Looks like I did everything fucking wrong on Sunday. Was by myself, storm shift direction and I drove right into it etc. I guess my next question is if I find myself under the rain free base, what is a safe distance to be from the wall cloud. Can it drop another wall cloud right on top of me? I'm going to watch that SKYWARN vid you posted and I have downloaded RadarScope. I generally try to stay on the SW side of the storm as they generally track to the NE. How close to the wall cloud is safe is directionally proportional to the number of avenues of escape there are and the shape they're in. In areas with few roads, I tend to keep my distance. Unless you're doing scientific research...there's no reason to crowd a storm. One doesn't want to get close enough that you're cut off from having an escape route that isn't a muddy tractor path in a plowed field. 
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I lived through one F5 . . . started out as five separate funnels that combined into one funnel over a mile wide. That was enough for me. https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/16397/The-Fujita-Scale---Terrible-Tuesday-3-252971.JPG |
| I would have stopped the car around 0:45 or so to figure out what it was doing, but that's just me. |
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Quoted:
Hey guys it's one of those summers here and we're getting tornado watches and warnings every day. On Sunday I went down to look for one and almost drove right under the wall cloud that had spawned a small tornado a few minutes before. Are there any good apps for radar etc or any good tips on reading the storm so I don't Darwin the fuck out of myself? I wanna go out again this afternoon because it's supposed be prime for twisters again. |
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Educate yourself before doing anything. Tornadoes are fickle things and don't allow for mistakes. One of the best was killed just a few years ago after making a mistake.
Skip has some good videos on the basics of tornadoes and storm chasing.  Storm Spotting Secrets  Safety Lessons From El Reno  El Reno Tornado Analysis - Understanding a Chase Tragedy As does NWS Norman. Storm Spotter Training: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhzMIjoK81fGyAj0gvvZYRjVHEJ9JNJne |
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Educate yourself before doing anything. Tornadoes are fickle things and don't allow for mistakes. One of the best was killed just a few years ago after making a mistake. Skip has some good videos on the basics of tornadoes and storm chasing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bq0-QXXtOro
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJOjjzHUwsk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVTs55W3Iag
As does NWS Norman. Storm Spotter Training: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhzMIjoK81fGyAj0gvvZYRjVHEJ9JNJne There's a big supercell an hour west of me. I might just stay home until I know more. |
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tornado....
\m/  Megadeth - Tornado of Souls (acoustic cover) |
| A piece of sheet metal from a steel building cut a woman's head off from a f-5 10 miles from me about half a dozen yrs ago, took them 3 weeks for dogs to find her head in the woods 5 miles from where it happened, the storm went over our house on it's way east, I was out watching, then I could hear it when it came down, never forget it, loud as a train but with ripping noise east of our place, told the wifey, somebody gonna get this fucker. |
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Where you at, bro? There's nothing showing up on radar in all of Alberta. ETA: My bad. I just switched radar feeds and there they are.  The rear, just like I do to my wife. I watched all those vids; fascinating. Looks like it might be fading on radar though. |
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Are you mental? We run AWAY from them around here.
Attached File To be fair this was a little 'nader, EF1 best I recall. This pic was taken just after it lifted back up and went right over my sister's house. |
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Thanks for the pointers, much appreciated! Looks like I did everything fucking wrong on Sunday. Was by myself, storm shift direction and I drove right into it etc. I guess my next question is if I find myself under the rain free base, what is a safe distance to be from the wall cloud. Can it drop another wall cloud right on top of me? I'm going to watch that SKYWARN vid you posted and I have downloaded RadarScope. Study up to get at least a tech amateur radio license, then join ARES or hook up and volunteer with your local rescue squad/Emergency Management group or a CERT team. They can usually get you access to NWSChat. Real time updates, synopsis, and damage reports to your laptop straight from NWS and EM's and LEOs. GR2 Analyst is 275.00 or so, it seems better to me than GR3 or Earth. I use it EVERY time. The advice about a driver/navigator is crucial, Just like everything else he said. You two can swap up once both are well trained. This hobby ain't for the faint of heart or the stupid. Prepare to pay out of pocket for damage to your vehicle. Insurance frowns on those of us who are weather enthusiasts. If they ask, you are a storm SPOTTER, not a chaser. Carry ample first aid supplies and the means to extricate yourself from trees, blocked roads, or ditches. Hail is super destructive, especially 1" or greater. Weather ain't no joke. |
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Anything is possible. Mother Nature can be a fickle bitch. I generally try to stay on the SW side of the storm as they generally track to the NE. How close to the wall cloud is safe is directionally proportional to the number of avenues of escape there are and the shape they're in. In areas with few roads, I tend to keep my distance. Unless you're doing scientific research...there's no reason to crowd a storm. One doesn't want to get close enough that you're cut off from having an escape route that isn't a muddy tractor path in a plowed field. Sat in the ditch as the mud washed up under my 4x4 and got slammed by tornadic storm after tornadic storm hitting us, if i recall it was 7 different storms. String of pearls. Nothing we could do but sit there with 80 mph winds hitting us broadside. I thought I was going to die. Slept in the vehicle over night, no cell service, surprisingly in the morning had one bar. Called out and the sherriff called a nearby farmer. He pulled us out with no problem and said, blacktop is 8 miles that way, points east... barely made it out. There are some rural ass areas in NW KS. Stay off of dirt and mud roads... chit gravel at a minimum. Im rambling sorry. |
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Been looking into this as well since I'm headed to Kansas next. Looks like I'm on the right track. SKYWARN class, good radar app, maps, etc.
https://radarscope.io Don't be these guys...some good lessons learned in there...even for a beginner.  Failed To Load Title |
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She's gonna pass south of me, had a tornado touch down. I'm gonna wait until it passes and then head south for a sneak attack from The rear, just like I do to my wife. I watched all those vids; fascinating. Looks like it might be fading on radar though. I navigate most of the time with the other guys i chase with; because, i'm pretty good at it and they trust me. Whats important to know is all storms have a trajectory and a velocity. Taking that info and extrapolating that to determine if you can catch a storm, or determining what route to take to get on the business end of the storm. Sometimes you have to core punch. I do not recommend you do that until you have some good experience under your belt. It is dangerous. As you get better and better, you start to learn the storms and you find yourself getting closer and closer. I like to set up out in front of that hook, and start filming and snapping photos ideally about 1/2 mile out with it coming at you. Again, dont do this until you have alot of experience under your belt. You have to think and move fast, and as PC Sutton said above make sure of your escape route ahead of time. And everything is happening quickly, so your mind has to think quickly and take in all of this info and again extrapolate it into a strategy all the while not making any mistakes. It can be a game of life and death. Thats what makes it exhilirating. I hate to say that but were basically thrill junkies. Another thing, tornadoes are the least of your worries. More people die of flooding and getting caught in their vehicle than tornados, or getting ran over is a real danger. There are other chasers or motorists and their eyes are wandering, looking up, not paying attention to you the "road hazard". Im much more afraid of being ran over or hit by lighning than any tornado, and flooding is a killer but it is a little easier not always but mostly to avoid that. Just think... old pilots and bold pilots comes into play. Thats the jist of what i fan think of right now. And im probably talking about some things that are controversial. Dont try that shit at home until your ready. Find an experienced chaser to get you up to speed. Once you start catching your own tornados, and you have seen a few dozen then you become more comfortable in and around stroms and can be as careful or risky as you wish. Its on you... I guess what im saying is stay away from the more dangerous techniques like core punching or olacing yourself in the bears cage, until you know what the fuck youre doing. Hope some of that helps. |
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Been looking into this as well since I'm headed to Kansas next. Looks like I'm on the right track. SKYWARN class, good radar app, maps, etc. https://radarscope.io Don't be these guys...some good lessons learned in there...even for a beginner. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBjr-nvA2JgThe thing is, it was a dangerous wedge, you can tell when the whole damn meso is on the ground that its a mean motherfucker. You have to keep safety in mind and read that storm to keep from being a fatality. Stay out from under wedge mesos, for they can become enveloping in short order and you might not escape, as what happened to Samaras and his team. I woke up the next morning at home on my sofa and read that in my FB feed and cried like a baby.  Its surreal; because, there is a time delay, due to family first notification etc...
Basically we spread like ants to get the fuck out that monster and Samaras's team didnt make it out. He was a very experienced chaser, and he was trying to collect data, so a scientist moreso than a thrill seeker. |
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One thing to take away from this, i watched this storm on radar while chasing in and around it. 2 gr level updayes and it went from an ENE trajectory to an eastern trajectory for if i recall 2 or 3 updates. And they got bit. The thing is, it was a dangerous wedge, you can tell when the whole damn meso is on the ground that its a mean motherfucker. You have to keep safety in mind and read that storm to keep from being a fatality. Stay out from under wedge mesos, for they can become enveloping in short order and you might not escape, as what happened to Samaras and his team. I woke up the next morning at home on my sofa and read that in my FB feed and cried like a baby. Its surreal; because, there is a time delay, due to family first notification etc...
Basically we spread like ants to get the fuck out that monster and Samaras's team didnt make it out. He was a very experienced chaser, and he was trying to collect data, so a scientist moreso than a thrill seeker. That incident also brings up another question...chase vehicle. I've read pickups suck in high wind situations because they flip easily (light bed). Obviously a fwd sedan will get good gas mileage on the chase but when traction becomes an issue it could cost you your life. I have a Ford Ranger "hunting truck" with 4x4 that is likely use. It's already got hail dents so that's not a worry.... anything "wrong" with that choice? Attached File |
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I'm trying to learn as much as I can prior to even beginning. Specifically what makes one "developing" storm more likely to produce s tornado than the next that's 100 miles south. And point taken on the radar refresh. Short of driving around a live Doppler radar truck... what is the best option for a chaser? From what I read the app I posted above is pretty good. Any other options out there? That incident also brings up another question...chase vehicle. I've read pickups suck in high wind situations because they flip easily (light bed). Obviously a fwd sedan will get good gas mileage on the chase but when traction becomes an issue it could cost you your life. I have a Ford Ranger "hunting truck" with 4x4 that is likely use. It's already got hail dents so that's not a worry.... anything "wrong" with that choice? https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/2980/IMG-1795-253439.JPG Forecasters dont neccesarily make good storm chasers, and good storm chasers dont neccesarily make good forecasters. It sure helps though so you can pick targets that may be better than another as you said, also chasers may take a different play say up further N on the dryline that may seem more unnatractive to say a southern target just to stay out of the deluge of chasers these days. Triple point is a popular for chasers unsure of the right play, and you know what, the finest forecasters make mistakes because as PC sutton says, Mother nature is a fickle bitch or something to that effect. As far as data, the most used application is "gr level", second would be radarscope, which is a phone, tablet app. Third would be Baron sattelite weather. I have an old baron system and it works rather well. Especially in rural environments where internet may be spotty or non existent. With all of that, you need a mapping system. And you swithc back and forth from radar and mapping, its a skill to toggle back and forth taking into account what youre seeing on radar and then lookijg at maps and what routes to take to escape or get on the business end of the storm youre focused on. How fast is that storm moving, they are in knots so you have to correspond that with mph. Can i make it to that hwy intersection NE 45 miles away in time to be on target? No, ok... whats my next option? Hopefully what im saying makes sense. You need to know trajectory and velocity of that storm to figure all that out and make quick decisions. Your mind is frazzled at the end of the day. Stressful. |
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As far as chase vehicles right now SUVs are popular, gas is cheap, when fuel was $4 a gallon we were all piling in economy behicles with a couple of friends to split fuel costs.
I like to take into account "surface area" in my preferred chase vehicle. I have an xterra, tired of it, im a bigger guy and its a confined space. Plus there is a lot of surfave area and has placed me in a dangerous situation a couple of times when wind speed gets up there, if youre stopped turn your vehicle i to thw wind, mitigates some of that. Id rather have a toyota camry or i guess i could step up to a suburban, but fuck i dont have 80k for a vehicle. Lots of folks equip their vehicles with lots of antennas and lights etc. Its like a lifestyle. I prefer low key and try to stealthfully chase to avoid others or LE who may have a hard on. |
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+1 for radarscope. Study up to get at least a tech amateur radio license, then join ARES or hook up and volunteer with your local rescue squad/Emergency Management group or a CERT team. They can usually get you access to NWSChat. Real time updates, synopsis, and damage reports to your laptop straight from NWS and EM's and LEOs. GR2 Analyst is 275.00 or so, it seems better to me than GR3 or Earth. I use it EVERY time. The advice about a driver/navigator is crucial, Just like everything else he said. You two can swap up once both are well trained. This hobby ain't for the faint of heart or the stupid. Prepare to pay out of pocket for damage to your vehicle. Insurance frowns on those of us who are weather enthusiasts. If they ask, you are a storm SPOTTER, not a chaser. Carry ample first aid supplies and the means to extricate yourself from trees, blocked roads, or ditches. Hail is super destructive, especially 1" or greater. Weather ain't no joke. Quoted:
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Thanks for the pointers, much appreciated! Looks like I did everything fucking wrong on Sunday. Was by myself, storm shift direction and I drove right into it etc. I guess my next question is if I find myself under the rain free base, what is a safe distance to be from the wall cloud. Can it drop another wall cloud right on top of me? I'm going to watch that SKYWARN vid you posted and I have downloaded RadarScope. Study up to get at least a tech amateur radio license, then join ARES or hook up and volunteer with your local rescue squad/Emergency Management group or a CERT team. They can usually get you access to NWSChat. Real time updates, synopsis, and damage reports to your laptop straight from NWS and EM's and LEOs. GR2 Analyst is 275.00 or so, it seems better to me than GR3 or Earth. I use it EVERY time. The advice about a driver/navigator is crucial, Just like everything else he said. You two can swap up once both are well trained. This hobby ain't for the faint of heart or the stupid. Prepare to pay out of pocket for damage to your vehicle. Insurance frowns on those of us who are weather enthusiasts. If they ask, you are a storm SPOTTER, not a chaser. Carry ample first aid supplies and the means to extricate yourself from trees, blocked roads, or ditches. Hail is super destructive, especially 1" or greater. Weather ain't no joke. |
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Frankie is this you We love Frankie 
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I've been fascinated with them since a near F5 blew through town in 87. Nature is awesome. Quoted:
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Are you mental? We run AWAY from them around here. Nature is awesome. |
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Who the hell is that crazy looking guy?
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