Storm Chasers?

[YWGJoe]

Anyone else here a fan of severe weather? I sure as hell am...I was out chasing last night (for enjoyment only, I don't have much of a camera), but occasionally if some weather comes by with good enough light, I take photos and try to sell them to networks/papers...or just to add to my collection. So far, I've got two tornadoes under my belt...not bad for Manitoba :P

Here's one that went by last Sunday...I was spotting at YWG and watched it take the collective head cleanly off my neighbourhood, and then move directly over the airport


Gust front - winds on the leading edge topped 100km/h briefly, enough to start flexing the triple-pane glass in the observation deck


Wall cloud with funnel - approximately over my house, about 10 miles away. About this time, the weather service started freaking out big-time, people at the airport were warned about the possibility of a direct hit, etc..., made a lot of people go nuts...while they were running for shelter/underground areas (Arrivals C), I was happily going crazy with the camera. This one never touched down, at least not officially...although some trees were knocked over southwest of the field, so it's a possibility...


Close-up on the funnel - was heading directly towards me for a few minutes


Storm overview...damn dark, eh?


Show off your weather photos here

[FlyingPhotog]

Great pics! We had a hell of a storm yesterday afternoon here in Dallas, but no tornadoes. I've always wanted to see one in person, from a safe distance.

[Top_Gun]

I'd love to take a summer off and chase tornados. Nothing in New England really worth "chasing".

I'm usually out watching the lightning and clouds but no viewings like that. Very cool

[Greg J.]

storm chasers

When I lived in Wisconsin, we would get nasty thunder storms during spring and summer. I'm always amazed at how destructive they can be, evan without the
tornados! I thought it would be interesting to be a storm chaser, too. I just wish I had the time and money.

[YWGJoe]

After rocketing down the road at 100 clicks plus, blaring music from the likes of Drivenation and Linkin Park, I've gotta say it's addictive to do the above mentioned while being pounded by rain/hail/dead birds...

Anyone from MB/Sask up for a chase some time?

[Foxtrot]

Re:

Great photos there. I've been on about 4 chases now, been chasing w/ my pals since 2001. I've seen lots of funnel clouds and small gustnadoes and tornadoes, but I have yet to see a maxi-tornado, F4 and F5 . Out over open country, I hate it when they nail any towns or cities.

Foxtrot

[uy707]

Great pics, must be impressive to see.
Alain

[bbuse]

Here are a couple of storm chasers that are well known around the Twin Cities. http://www.twistersisters.com/

I wouldn't mind doing some storm chasing with them!!!

[YWGJoe]

Speaking of MN/ND/NE, I might go down that way for a few weeks next year in search of monsters. Anyone wanna join, lemme know now...may or may not actually make it down (financial...), but it's something I'm considering...

[James]

nearly another big twister Funnel clouds have been spotted over parts of Bristol and Wiltshire England after the big one in Birmingham a week ago http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bristol/4737807.stm. In Britain we averaged about 33 to 35 tornadoes a year i don't know how many you get in the usa but all i know is that they are some big bastards lol

An update i found out that there where four tornadoes on the 28 & 29 of july 2005 and one of them was Birmingham .

from the BBC Science & Nature -Natural Disasters website i found this:

With the amount of media coverage dedicated to American storm-chasers, you'd think the US had the monopoly on these twisters. It doesn't. It might come as a shock, but the United Kingdom is actually the world's most tornado-prone nation.

This fact was calculated by the late Dr Fujita of Chicago University. He devised the standard method of measuring tornado intensity. Fujita figured that since Britain has an average of 33 tornadoes every year in an area 38 times smaller than the USA, you're twice as likely to witness a tornado here.

Regards
James