Weather - Storm Tracking

[SirMaverick]

Honestly, I LOVE weather. Have for a long time, but it wasn't until 2008 that I REALLY started to get interested it and would sit in the Fox 4 Weather chat when storm were headed my way.

OYE was that chat full of idiots asking questions about stuff that had been answered a million times already which is one reason we left that and started TheSTORMCenter on fb for the DFW area).

I currently am in the process of trying to become a trained Storm Spotter. Granted, it takes time...but I got plenty of that LOL

Still in the process of learning to use the radar software. Right now I got it up and running watching some rather nasty storms in NE TX / NW LA, that actually spawned tornado warnings in some NE TX Counties

I can pull up just about any Weather Radar Station in the US.

 

[Aalo]

Awe! Those equipments are so cool. Sounds like great profession, good luck on that.

Sorry, if asking stupid question, but is it that you aren't interested to go chasing after hurricanes too?

 

[SirMaverick]

Awe! Those equipments are so cool. Sounds like great profession, good luck on that.

Sorry, if asking stupid question, but is it that you aren't interested to go chasing after hurricanes too?

LOL I leave Hurricane Chasin' to the Hurricane Hunters they're the pros

As for Tornado Chasin'...IF I had a vehicle...I would in a heartbeat

 

[Spinning Compass]

I am a trained storm spotter for my county in Michigan. I don't know about where you live but here the training only takes a half day and the certificate is good for two years. Also it used to be that you had to have a ham radio license and you had to be willing to go out and patrol but they have changed that as well. My certificate is only good for my county; however, if I am in another county and see something, I still can call it in. I just have to give my spotter ID number. So it really isn't that hard.

Michigan is very challenging as far as spotter activity because of all the hills and trees that block the view. That's why I don't go chasing and I would never recommend anybody go chasing anywhere but in open, flat country. You need to be able to see what is coming at you at all times. And tornadoes can be awfully tricky to spot. I saw my first (and so far only) one in 2008. It was moving very quickly, was very small and the funnel (what was visible of it through the trees and houses) was nearly invisible. If it hadn't been for the debris whirling around inside I might not have even recognized it for what it was. Some tornadoes can also be rain wrapped. And if you get a big monster tornado, one that is a quarter mile wide or more, you might not recognize it for what it is either if there are hills or other things blocking the way. I hear about all these chaser traffic jams during storm season and I think it is only a matter of time before someone gets trapped and killed. Even a weak tornado like the one I saw could kill if conditions were right. As they say in spotter training--safety first.

 

[SirMaverick]

I am a trained storm spotter for my county in Michigan. I don't know about where you live but here the training only takes a half day and the certificate is good for two years. Also it used to be that you had to have a ham radio license and you had to be willing to go out and patrol but they have changed that as well. My certificate is only good for my county; however, if I am in another county and see something, I still can call it in. I just have to give my spotter ID number. So it really isn't that hard.

Michigan is very challenging as far as spotter activity because of all the hills and trees that block the view. That's why I don't go chasing and I would never recommend anybody go chasing anywhere but in open, flat country. You need to be able to see what is coming at you at all times. And tornadoes can be awfully tricky to spot. I saw my first (and so far only) one in 2008. It was moving very quickly, was very small and the funnel (what was visible of it through the trees and houses) was nearly invisible. If it hadn't been for the debris whirling around inside I might not have even recognized it for what it was. Some tornadoes can also be rain wrapped. And if you get a big monster tornado, one that is a quarter mile wide or more, you might not recognize it for what it is either if there are hills or other things blocking the way. I hear about all these chaser traffic jams during storm season and I think it is only a matter of time before someone gets trapped and killed. Even a weak tornado like the one I saw could kill if conditions were right. As they say in spotter training--safety first.

I couldn't agree more with what you said! Unless you know what you are doing....stay out of the way or stay home. Use your brain and put safety first. Tornadoes are very unpredictable and can change direction at any moment. They can also retract back into the cloud and you never know what's going to happen then....