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From: "Ken Hughey" <khughey{at}mindspring.com>
To: "CASI Mailing List Recipients" <casilist{at}weatherwatchers.org>
Subject: RE: CASILIST : RE: Chasing in the SE]
Date: Sat, 6 Mar 1999 21:41:15 -0500
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Chasing in the SE is definitely more dangerous and probably shouldn't be
attempted by most people. For those that do, I would recommend the
following :
- Study storm structure and become a NWS advanced Skywarn spotter. Actually
study the material and do some short distance weather observation trips to
familiarize yourself with storm
cloud structure.
- Never chase alone. Way Too dangerous!! I prefer to have three folks. A
driver who does nothing but drive, a dedicated spotter and a dedicated
navigator. The most critical job is that of the navigator. He is the one
who must take the storm data and determine which way to direct the driver to
prevent an "up close" encounter.
- Have a lot of experience with map reading and have a good set of maps.
For chasing in GA and AL, I use several different maps but my favorite are
the DeLorme Gazetteer series.
- Have good communication. That means having a scanner (with proper antenna
for vehicle operations) with specific Skywarn Frequencies for the areas you
may travel through. This requires a little research. One step up from this
is becoming a HAM radio operator (Then you can talk and not just listen).
You also need a tone alert weather radio. It is important to make sure your
radios are hooked up to speakers that are appropriate for vehicle operations
(It gets noisy in some vehicles).
- You must have a vehicle mounted compass and always be cognizant of your
location and direction.
As the poster earlier indicated, it doesn't do anyone else any good if you
spot a weather hazard but can't relay your location to the NWS.
- I carry two cell phones with different companies (redundancy). I use the
cell phones to contact the nearest NWS via their unlisted 1-800 spotter #.
I also have someone back at a safe location with a dedicated internet
connection that can monitor NEXRAD radar (specifically the Storm Relative
Velocity images) and notify me if they see cells with signs of rotation. I
also call to get occasional updates.
- If you have the $$$, then the ideal is to have a laptop with a cellular
modem.
- There are numerous good sites on the internet for beginner chasers. I
would recommend that you start at http://www.storm-track.com/
- Respect the power of mother nature. If you've never had a chance to see
the devastation that a large tornado can do, then it would behoove you to
see that first. After that you will never underestimate what your going
after.
- Don't rely on equipment to the detriment of using your own eyes and
knowledge of storms.
- Last but not least, use common sense. If you find yourself in a dangerous
position (just figuring this out sometimes requires a bit of knowledge) then
discontinue the hunt and proceed to safely exit the area. I'll call it "a
day" before I'll try dangerous maneuvers like core punching, etc.
Storms also have a tendency to travel quicker in the SE (45-60mph) and the
road networks makes it likely that you will have the storm pass you by
before you can safely maneuver into the safe position.
Ken Hughey
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