Storm chasers

[Dave W]

In this weekend's tornadoes in Oklahoma, three storm chasers were killed, a father and son who do it for TV, and a companion. They weren't employees of the National Weather Service studying tornadoes for any kind of public benefit; these guys did it for sport, no matter what they claim about doing it to inform the public. They were daredevils who chased storms for the thrill of it, and they lost.

This morning there was a story about a different team of storm chasers getting caught in the same tornadoes, with a YT video that included this note: ...The team is very fortunate to live to chase another day... Incredible storm chaser traffic prevented an escape from the tornado like normal... I went to the website of this group, they even offer tornado tours ("Make your next vacation or holiday an adventure, and experience a trip like no other!"). Oh, brother!

Am I the only one who thinks these people are fools who are endangering public safety? Have any newspeople criticized them? All I've heard is tributes. Maybe it's cold, but I'm not sympathetic.

[gweimer]

I'm with you.  And you can include most forms of extreme sports (snowmobile jumping?), and fanatical mountain climbing.

In the end, man can win all the battles he likes, but nature only has to win one for the war to be over.  And man, despite the vast amount of knowledge and wisdom he has gained about the world around him, and how it works, still manages to grow his arrogance and stupidity at a faster pace. 

Maybe they should never have released Twister with Van Halen and he who shall not be named on the soundtrack.   

[Granny Gremlin]

With regards to lack of criticism in the media, I think that's generally due to tact/political correctness - people died, not the time/too soono etc.

Not sure if I agree with that, but I'm sure that's the main logical component there.

[Psycho Bass Guy]

From the reports I've heard, those guys WERE professionals, they just weren't working for anyone in particular during this last storm. A lot of those guys are freelance scientists, making up new ways of gathering storm info and then selling any data via grants and further studies that has value, the scientific equivalent of "pay for play." Very few of them are actually employed by any meteorological organization because of liability issues, but the "real" weather folks make a lot of use of their data. I'm sure there are idiots out there doing it for kicks and endangering themselves and others, though.

[Psycho Bass Guy]

Maybe they should never have released Twister with Van Halen and he who shall not be named on the soundtrack. 

That's my favorite VH song. Sammy actually sobered up enough to let his anger at EVH shine through in his vocals and it works for me.

[westen44]

I used to be in a band called Storm Chasers, but I wouldn't want to be a storm chaser in real life.  That has to be about the most unappealing daredevil thing to do that I can even think of.  Foolhardy to the extreme.  Very sad that people died, but as has already been noted, they were tempting fate and lost. 

[Psycho Bass Guy]

More info:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/storm-chasing-critical-profitable-dangerous-19315716#.Ua0gndimVqw

[westen44]

More info:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/storm-chasing-critical-profitable-dangerous-19315716#.Ua0gndimVqw

Good article.  If the people killed were experts, that's all the more reason for the amateurs to completely stay out of this, needless to say.  I think it's sheer insanity for anyone to be out there doing that, though.  I did see one "pro" storm chaser interviewed on TV today who said he wasn't sure if he would continue doing it. 

[Dave W]

Whether they're scientists or yahoos, I still don't think they have any business out there. Not that it should be prohibited, but it could cost the lives of innocent people trying to get out of the way.

I heard another storm chaser on the noon news today claiming that the data they collect saves lives. I'm not buying into that at all. There's nothing they can do to change mother nature. Get the hell out of the way.

[westen44]

Whether they're scientists or yahoos, I still don't think they have any business out there. Not that it should be prohibited, but it could cost the lives of innocent people trying to get out of the way.

I heard another storm chaser on the noon news today claiming that the data they collect saves lives. I'm not buying into that at all. There's nothing they can do to change mother nature. Get the hell out of the way.

I know supposedly some of these people are weather experts, not that I really give a crap.  I get the impression that you've got people from areas that don't have tornadoes very much that think it's a thrill to see one or get near one.  That's just freaking insane.  If they lived in an area like I do where we have tornadoes even when they say the risk is slight, they might not be so gung-ho about chasing them.  If there is one thing in life that I am totally sick of it's tornadoes. 

[Pilgrim]

I read a story today that the latest development in storm research is creating drones that can fly into hurricanes and tornadoes and survive to return data.  To me, this sounds like a lot better idea than trying to gather data with human-occupied vehicles of any kind.

[Aussie Mark]

Rule 1: If a storm is coming towards you, you are not the chaser.

[Psycho Bass Guy]

Most of what is known about tornado behavior is a result of storm chasers. Only so much can be gleaned from radar and after-examinations and as stupid as it sounds, having a trained observer be able to just shoot video of one is of scientific value. All of the pros are networked into emergency services communications and know that they're on their own and go out of their way to avoid evacuation routes. Sometimes they also end up being first responders and have helped save people trapped in damaged buildings in areas emergency services either could not reach or are far away. Like healthcare pro's, they are legally obliged to render aid, and handle calls just like the fire, police, or rescue squads.

[Highlander]

Scientific research can be dangerous research, which in this case it was...

Remember where Oppenheimer did his initial work... totally nuts...

[westen44]

I know that storm chasers have done very important research such as their field work which tested doppler radar.  But I see definite negatives, too.  The exposure on TV, for instance, has popularized this kind of thing, creating a situation in which probably only 15% or so of the people out there supposedly storm chasing really know what they're doing.  There is no way the amateurs can be kept from going out there, too.  And there are way too many amateurs out there.  As this case demonstrated, even the most professional people can meet a violent end. 

In my opinion, though, there can be no justification for any human to voluntarily be anywhere near an EF-5 tornado with winds of 295 MPH.  This tornado went from being a mile wide to 2.6 miles wide just in thirty seconds, making it the widest tornado in American history.  As one Ph.D. in engineering noted in making some comments about the event, it was like a sky dragon.  Of course, I'm sure no one would have gone near it if they had had any idea how devastating it would be.  Or would they?  I see this as one of the problems.  Personally, I just don't see the point in messing with Mother Nature in such a reckless way.  Opinions, of course, vary, but this is mine.  Storm chasing seems to have become something which I consider often an ill-advised activity despite some of its obvious scientific benefits.