They are called the “tornado paparazzi” and they are becoming an increasing menace in America’s heartland.
My meteorological buddies in Kansas and Oklahoma tell me that every summer thousands of self-proclaimed storm chasers flock to parts of Tornado Alley in search of twisters. Streaking down the highways and back roads of the Central Plains at more than 90 mph, these amateur weather enthusiasts will do just about anything and go just about anywhere to capture video of a tornado.
“Storm chasing has become a much bigger thing,” Harold Brooks, a meteorologist with the government’s Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, Oklahoma told the Associated Press. “Data is a available to anyone, so you can essentially have live radar in your vehicle for the price of satellite wireless.”
Equipped with a laptop computer, a video camera and a very used copy of the movie “Twister,” thousands of tornado junkies are clogging the roads of Tornado Alley. The National Association of Storm Chasers and Spotters report that three people have been killed since 1999 while chasing storms.
And, officials fear the numbers will rise.
“There are so many chasers, it’s difficult to get where you need to go, and that can be a problem,” said Dr. Greg Forbes, a severe weather expert with the Weather Channel. “What if a tornado hits something, and there are so many cars around? It makes it difficult for emergency managers to do their jobs.”
According to my friends, the vast majority of the storm chasers seem poorly equipped to handle the powerful storms that rumble across the Central Plains. Even worse, many take unnecessary risks to snap a photograph or capture a few seconds of video that might be sold to a newspaper or television station. Some even bring along their kids for the thrill ride.
Meanwhile, the highly trained meteorologists at local National Weather Service offices track the storms and issue the weather warnings while safely inside government facilities. Once the sky has cleared, the meteorologists are dispatched to survey the damage and determine the severity of the twister.
“Nobody has a job as a storm chaser,” said Brooks. “Maybe five percent of the time we would have people involved in a tornado intercept.” But out on the highways caravans of amateur storm chasers high tail it down the road trying to beat each other searching for the next super cell thunderstorm.
“They think I’ve got to drive into a tornado,” said veteran chaser Chris Kridler. “Someone’s going to get killed.”
Tornado-razzi
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