Tornado Chasing

Ever since I was a kid I have had a fascination with thunderstorms and adverse weather. Growing up in Western Kansas, I have many vivid memories of watching storms build on the horizon and then taking shelter when they struck. It was not uncommon to be woken up in the middle of the night by intense thunder and flashes of light. This week I have had the chance to experience the storms of the High Plains all over again.

I’m currently in the field working on a project to document a team of researchers who risk it all to study tornados and adverse weather. Needless to say, I am stoked! For the past 5 days I have been tagging along with Josh Wurman and his scientific research team from the Center for Severe Weather Research (CSWR). They are part of Vortex2, one of the largest tornado research projects ever undertaken. Since May 10 they have been combing the plains from South Dakota to Texas in search of tornadic activity.

Ultimately Josh and the Vortex2 project are trying to answer the following questions:

- How, when, and why do tornadoes form? Why some are violent and long lasting while others are weak and short lived?

- What is the structure of tornadoes? How strong are the winds near the ground? How exactly do they do damage?

- How can we learn to forecast tornadoes better? Current warnings have an only 13 minute average lead time and a 70% false alarm rate. Can we make warnings more accurate? Can we warn 30, 45, 60 minutes ahead?

So far this season the weather hasn’t cooperated with the research project. There have been no intercepts to date. However, everyone is remaining hopeful for last two weeks of the chasing season. I’ve extended my stay with the crew until later in the week in hopes that things will pick up. Stay posted for more . . .