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From: "Powell E. Way III" <powell{at}conterra.com>
Organization: Gust Front Broadcasting
To: casilist{at}weatherwatchers.org
Date: Fri, 5 Mar 1999 23:43:24 +0500
Subject: Chasing in the SE
Reply-to: powell{at}conterra.com
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OK, yall I am not flaming Greg, I am going to fuss at him a bit, and
a bit of lecturing for others that don't understand the SE terrain. I
have an article on it at my home page.
> >This was an educational and fun chase. Yes, chasing is possible in the SE. It
> >is more difficult and probably more dangerous than chasing on the Plains, but
> >it can be done.
Dr.Hark is right. I do it all the time. Actually I KILL
convection...right, Brad?
> I chased for a while here in E. Tennessee. I went from Crossville to
> Tri-Cities going after storms, from KY Border to Cleveland. As far as this
> area is concerned, it wasnt worth the risk.
I do my "chasing" to give instant feedback to the NWS and most of the
time (If I'm not doing "remote chasing" by being Skwyarn net control)
with either jay (K4JAY) or James ( KF4UYC ) giving me instant
feedback, and me back to them. I KNOW what is going on, and pay very
close attention to storm activity and movement.
> I put myself in a couple of dangerous situations because of my infatuation
> with tornadoes and lack of experience.
SO you learned.
> Once I "punched the core" and about got killed doing so.
And you were lucky. You LEARNED.
> I chased for a little while thereafter, butall I got was hail damage
>and sore from sitting in the car driving for hours on end.
HINT: This is NO different than the high plains. Bust most of the
time!
> I would still like to do it, but only around the midwest area, where the
> terrain is more accomodating and the roads are less likely to throw you in
> the path of an oncoming twister.
Well, see above, and it ainta the roads that do it. If you can'd do
it here, then do NOT go out to the midwest and do it, either.
> I finally wised up and decided to put my resources to better use by getting
> on my HAM radio and directing local SKYWARN nets. It has been unanimously
> agreed upon, by the NWS, area HAMs, and my wife, that I call SKYWARN nets
> better than I do "participating" in one.
Well, I will NOT disagree with you there. We need MORE net
controllers...period. And it's hard enough when I'm net control to
get reports from the field, too.
> I STRONGLY deter anyone in the southeast from chasing.
Let me phrase it this way: I strongly deter ANYONE who does not know
storm dynamics, makeups and cloud formations (advanced skywarned
trained) to chase ANYWHERE. We are lucky no chaser has been killed
(and I'm talking about the midwest and high plains folks!)
> The terrain just cannot accomodate chasing the way Kansas and other tornado alley
states can.
Then you don't chase "that way".
> I continue to hear it from our NWS Morristown liason how I got put
>in the path of a wall cloud and didnt know it until he chewed me out
>for it the next time we met.
I'd chew anyone out who did that. Its too dangerous.
> It's got the thrill similar to bungee jumping, skydiving, or russian roulette.
I don't chase only for the thrill.
But it's not for the Southeast along the Appalachians.
I disagree on this. If you are doing this you need to know everything
that's going on at ALL times, EXACTLY where you are, and if you even
think you might be heading toward the "Bears Cage" or the storm is
going to overtake you, you do the smart thing and turn back. ALWAYS
have an escape route.
Take a
> SKYWARN class, know what you need to look for, watch video tapes and
> participate from the safety of your home.
You can't always participate from your home. Safety? If a severe
storm comes my way, I'll evacuate. (Actually I'm cheating, I live in
a mobile home and the NWS office is close enough that it's my storm
place to go)
You provide a better assessment
> of the weather from a fixed position such as a home, where you know your
> surroundings, know the roads, and know the structures in the area.
That
> serves a better benefit than saying "I see a twister in uhhh...where am I
> at??? Just find me and see."
If you are spotting or chasing you had BETTER well know exactly well
where you are....or you AREN'T WORTH A TOOT TO THE NWS !!
> Of course I'm a little fececious as to the previous remark, but I've seen
> (and heard) it happen. A fellow adventurer once told me he had a dark
> cloud "to my left". Didnt know what road he was on, which direction he was
> traveling, which direction the cloud was traveling, yaddayaddayadda. I
> could have strangled him if I could have reached him.
I get reports that it's raining. I usually will say with somewhat of
raised voice, that ONLY severe weather reports and tell what I want.
A report like that would be to not report back unless he has exact
details for me to fill out on the LSR report.
> I'm not trying to keep you (or anyone else) from chasing, but don't just go
> out thinking it's going to be like Warren Faidley-ish or what you've seen
> on all those documentaries.
Well I won't tell you what I think of Warren. (Jesse please don't hit
me!)
> If youre lucky to come across one, you'd
> better make damned sure you know how to take the right precautions and keep
> from becoming a fatality.
If you know what you are doing, you won't. You want to see what's
going on, and give the correct report so the NWS will know EXACTLY
what the storm is doing, and EXACTLY where it's going. The doppler
cannot see this, especially in the mountains.
> It's just not worth the risk.
If you don't know, or you don't think you are capableof chasing or
spotting stay home, or evacuate to a safer place well in advance.
And if you live in a low area evacuate anyway. The #1 killer via
severe weather is FLOODING. A slow moving storm will produce enough
rain to cause flooding in hilly areas.
Side note. I went to the Texas Panhandle to see storms. They came to
SC and NC when I did. I did get involved in a tornadic supercell
about 45 miles west of Nashville. I have never seen such amazing
lightning. This was about 11 a night. The storm core was NW of me and
I wanted to take lightning pictures SO bad, but I got gas, and
BLASTED west on I-40 and never saw any rain. It's too dangerous to
even consider chasing at night, in unfamiliar territory.
Read Dr. Doswell's essay on chasing. Remember it...no memorize it!
Powell
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powell{at}conterra.com
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