We had a very positive response from our one hour special on ABC 33/40 this past Sunday night. The ratings were far above our expectation, and lots of viewers have thanked us for airing our Storm Alert 2005 show on television. One of our highlighted stories was on our own Bill Murray, who is our weekend forecaster and resident storm chaser. Bill actually went on his first Great Plains storm chase last year, and was very successful. He saw a tornado on his first outing, and seven tornadoes on the second trip in late May. Many viewers have asked about how to get involved in storm chasing.
Here are some important points I made in the Storm Alert road show, but didn’t have time to share on the TV special:
*You don’t “chase” tornadoes in Alabama. Hills and trees here block your view, and most of our supercell storms are of the “HP” variety where rain wraps around the tornado. Visibility is simply too limited in most cases. People chase severe storms in Kansas and Oklahoma simply because they don’t have many hills and trees, and “LP” storms are more common. It is all about visibility. Bill saw his tornadoes in Texas, near the Red River, and in Kansas.
*If you go on a chase in the plains states, get some training. Bill went to workshops and training events for two years before finally making the big plunge.
*Go with someone who knows that they are doing. Hopping in your car with a cell phone and driving to Kansas won’t cut it. This is dangerous business and someone could get hurt. You need weather equipment, amateur radio gear, and experience. Bill went that route (he went with Karen and Gene Rhoden), and it paid off nicely with memories of a lifetime!
Here are some important points I made in the Storm Alert road show, but didn’t have time to share on the TV special:
*You don’t “chase” tornadoes in Alabama. Hills and trees here block your view, and most of our supercell storms are of the “HP” variety where rain wraps around the tornado. Visibility is simply too limited in most cases. People chase severe storms in Kansas and Oklahoma simply because they don’t have many hills and trees, and “LP” storms are more common. It is all about visibility. Bill saw his tornadoes in Texas, near the Red River, and in Kansas.
*If you go on a chase in the plains states, get some training. Bill went to workshops and training events for two years before finally making the big plunge.
*Go with someone who knows that they are doing. Hopping in your car with a cell phone and driving to Kansas won’t cut it. This is dangerous business and someone could get hurt. You need weather equipment, amateur radio gear, and experience. Bill went that route (he went with Karen and Gene Rhoden), and it paid off nicely with memories of a lifetime!
on March 29, 2005, 10:05 pm
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