Storm chasing has revolutionized modern-day thrill-seeking. Whether for work, play, intense adventure, or scientific research, storm-chasing is sure to thrill. Though the pursuit of tornadoes is the most common form of storm-chasing, many engage in tracking thunderstorms, hail storms, lightning storms, and few even venture into rough hurricane situations. Many who pursue such storms do it for photography and entertainment, but some may be collecting information and reporting and recording data for scientific purposes. Some people have even built businesses around “storm-chasing” tours. In 1972, the University of Oklahoma sponsored the first storm-chasing expedition to obtain more concrete data on tornado activity. From this successful adventure, a new culture of storm-chasers were inspired to chase the thrill and make contributions to the meteorological field. Inherent risks such as road flooding, airborne debris, lightning strikes, hail damage, and high winds seem to be small prices to pay for witnessing some of nature’s greatest furies. Though most storm chasers do it for the thrill of the adventure, several have made valuable contributions to understanding the nature, structure, and formation of large-scale storm systems.
I think when we hear the word “storm chasers” we all either jump to Twister or the Discovery Channel show. While Twister is perhaps a fairly unrealistic portrayal of the hobby and study of storms, it did ignite an interest in the 1990s about the behavior of tornadoes. Unless pursuing storms for valid scientific research, I think that storm chasing is overall a pretty ridiculous concept. It also seems to not to be proportionally rewarding for the time, energy, and money one has to put into it. The article stated that storm-chasers often drive hundreds of miles to sites of reported funnel activity only to see it has dissipated before their arrival. Having grown up in tornado alley, I feel the true impending danger of a tornado and thus I will not likely participate in a storm chasing outing anytime soon.
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