With all of the recent tornado fatalities, many people have expressed concern about my storm chasing activities. In a previous post, I described the dangers of severe thunderstorm chasing. In this post, I provide methods that chasers can use to mitigate those dangers. This post is the fifth in a six-part series on storm chasing that began with showing the joys of storm chasing. The intended audience for this series is non-chasers who are interested chasing themselves, or simply interested in how chasing works.
First and foremost, avoiding chasing dangers requires up-to-date equipment in the chase vehicle. Radar data on a mounted PC laptop will enable you to identify the precipitation of the storm and the likely places for a tornado. The Storm Protection Center on the web can tell you if a storm is severe, and therefore has a hail core. 3G service (right now Verizon is clearly the best), with GR Level 3, will give you the ability to see all these things, but in the case where the reception goes out, a satellite weather data receiver, like Baron’s Mobile Threat Net (MTN), is essential. All of this equipment will give you a view of the storms, so you can avoid its dangers.
Redundant cell phones and a C.B. radio can help communicate to the outside world when in danger. A weather radio is advisable.
Here are some ways to avoid the following chase dangers:
Lightning: The best way to avoid lightning is to stay in your vehicle, an effective shield. When outside your vehicle ALWAYS stay close to the vehicle. Your vehicle is your means of escape should “C.G.” (meaning cloud-to-ground lightning) or any other threat present itself. When outside the vehicle, everyone should be on the lookout for C.G. When the lightning is too close, get back in the vehicle. Distance of lightning can be approximated by counting the time from when the lightning appears and when its thunder is heard. Approximately every 5 seconds is a mile.
Hail: Know where a hail core is. The SPC or MTN can tell you if a storm has a hail core and how large the stones are, and the deepest color on the radar will tell you where it is. Make sure you do not place yourself in the path of the hail core. Sometimes experienced chasers will “punch the core” in order to emerge with the best view of a tornado. I do not recommend doing this unless 1) you are a VERY experienced chaser, and 2) understand the damage it will do to your vehicle.
Downed power lines: When you see a downed power line, RUN AWAY, DO NOT PASS GO, DO NOT COLLECT $200. JUST GO. BE HAPPY YOU SAW WHAT YOU SAW AND GO THE F**K HOME.
Stranded: Always make sure your vehicle is in top working order. Replace parts proactively. Have a full-sized spare tire. Run-flats are good. Make sure you always fill up the tank just prior to a chasing session. Have more than one cell phone. Have a C.B. in working order. Carry extra parts that are small, like batteries. Bring jumper cables, flashlights, a first aid kit, water to drink. You get the picture.
Flash Flooding: Pay attention to flash flood watches and warnings from SPC. If there’s a warning, don’t chase, be happy with what you’ve seen already. When under a watch, it’s advisable not to drive into an area that can be thought of as the bottom of a crevasse.
Straight-line winds: This is hard to avoid, but, luckily, it’s not a major threat. Listen for reports of straight-line wind damage, and avoid areas where you see trees under a lot of distress.
Automobile accidents: On long stretches, avoid fatigue just like with any long-distance driving. Try to not have the same person drive all day and then drive the chase. While chasing, CALM DOWN, stay alert, and pay attention to the road. The driver just doesn’t get to see as much as the rest of the passengers. Deal with it.
Tornadoes: Your weather radar and satellite data will tell you the direction a storm is moving in. The best place to view a tornado is directly south of the storm. Most storms travel east or northeast, but not always. Remember that some storms, especially the strong ones, can make a “right turn” which changes the direction of travel usually from northeast to east. When a tornado is heading in your direction, you need to judge if you can get out of the way in time. If you can’t, then pull over and exit the vehicle. Find a ditch or some depression in the ground and lie down, shielding your head with your hands and arms. This will help prevent injury from flying debris.
Rain-wrapped tornadoes: Be well-schooled in determining where a rain-wrapped tornado is. Even experts are never quite sure. Your radar and satellite data will help a lot with this. Many times, the rain will surround the tornado in three directions, viewable from a fourth direction. This is called a notch. Avoid the temptation to view the tornado from there unless you have a well thought-out escape route.
Lack of visibility: Tornadoes should be kept in visual range, unblocked by buildings, trees, hills and rain. Have an escape route in mind, aware of the road network of the area you are in.
Losing your data signal: If you rely only on 3G for your chasing, you run the risk of becoming "blind" when you lose the signal. Supplement this with a satellite-based receiver, like MTN.
Next post: What to do for your first storm chase
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