Severe Storms and Storm Chasing

[LordRaiden]

Not sure how many of the ATOT members are into severe weather, so out of curiousity I thought I'd ask. One of the things I like to do is to go down into Tornado Alley for at least one 2 week run each year and chase tornados and severe weather. The downtime sucks, but the short bursts of chase time where the weather is golden is awesome. In fact I'm working to revive our old storm chasing group "StormForce5" if anyone is interested. The name comes from an old storm intensity scale that we came up with a few years back that rates several factors to give a storm intensity rating of 0-5. Level 5 will just about gut half a state with great ease. It started out at zero and went up by decimal values of 10. So you could have a light rainstorm with a Storm Force Value of 1.3 or a severe thunderstorm with a value of 3.7 on the scale. We thought it was very useful.

Well, either way I'm getting off the subject. Who else in ATOT loves severe weather? What about storm chasing? I'm patiently waiting for the spring season to kick in this year. It should be a good one provided all of the elements continue to form up as they have been and don't go off track.

 

[Joyride]

I have always been a fan of bad weather.

There is nothing better then watching the dark storm clouds roll in from the west on a humid summer day.

I also love it when the sun is shineing and it's still raining hard

I can't wait for spring when it will come back

 

[slag]

Bad weather is awesome!!!......

if you have a basement to hide in.

I love sitting outside on the porch during a thunderstorm and listening to the rain

 

[LordRaiden]

I can't wait for spring myself either.

My favorite kind of lightning is Finger Lightning. It's fun to watch all the cool shapes and fingers of lightning that go across the sky on a warm, humid summer's night. I just take a drink and my favorite chair out in the front yard and watch all the cool lightning. It's always a great show when it's like that.

Heck, as a kid I used to stand out in the middle of our fields or in the fencerows and actually watch storms come in waiting till the last second to seek cover. I'm kinda lucky I never got struck by lightning.

 

[SoylentGreen]

I've been watching lightning all my life, and am as fascinated by the last bolt I witnessed as the first.

Haven't witnessed a tornado. I'd probably crap my pants.

 

[Nitemare]

Can I have your TV when you die?



I like watching thunder and lightning storms, even windstorms, but as soon as I see a tornado...I am outty.

 

[Joyride]

I have been in numerous tornado warnings but have never seen one in real life

Not sure what I would do if I did see one.

It would definetly depend on where I am and what I am doing

 

[LordRaiden]

Originally posted by: Kiyup
I've been watching lightning all my life, and am as fascinated by the last bolt I witnessed as the first.

Haven't witnessed a tornado. I'd probably crap my pants.

I've been within a quarter mile of one. Scary stuff and yes, you do need a change of underwear after being that close, but the thrill is like nothing else and I would not ever pass it up!

 

[Parrotheader]

I enjoy watching severe weather as well, although living here in Birmingham in the foothills of the Apalachin Mountains with trees all around we don't get the luxury of getting to watch a storm roll in from most areas. The low visibility makes it much more dangerous IMO although our weather guys do a great job of staying on top of severe weather and keeping most people well informed.

I have seen a few tornados and been through too many severe storms to count. Several tornados/funnel clouds I've seen from a great distance (in excess of a couple miles) while I've also had a few tornados pass within a few hundred yards of where I was standing, a small one in my parent's neighborhood, a much bigger one about a block from my apartment in college (scary as hell, but at the same time amazing to watch.)

I don't actively seek out bad weather, but I do get a bit pumped when a particularly nasty storm system is coming in. Obviously you don't wany anybody to be hurt, but I can't help but find those storms fascinating.

I'll never forget the first time I got to see a storm in one of the Plains states. We were driving across Kansas a few years ago, which was quite possibly THE most boring thing I'd ever done up to that point in my life. But after the sun set that evening a BIG thunderhead started to develop WAY off in the distance. We were driving roughly toward it so we got to watch it build for the next 45 minutes as we drove toward it. VERY cool. But nothing beats the same perspective watching a storm roll in off the ocean. I keep saying that one day I'm going to go down to a hurricane party when the timing and conditions are right (i.e., I have a lot of vacation and the storm's not going to be too bad.)

 

[LordRaiden]

What would you guys says is your favorite type of storm? Tornado, Severe Tstorm, Hurricane, just plain rain?

 

[amdforever2]

severe omg we're all gonna die thunderstorm

 

[LordRaiden]

Originally posted by: amdforever2
severe omg we're all gonna die thunderstorm

Oh he** yeah! Those are the kind of storms I REALLY love.

Like my chase director once told me "If the natives aren't screaming, it ain't a good storm!" :Q

 

[Electric Amish]

Hehehe....

Let's just say it's a good thing I don't live in tornado or hurricane territory. I'd proably be dead.

amish