I want to be a storm chaser when I grow up! We hope you do some more research about storm chasing before you become one! We think it might be scary to chase storms, but others find it thrilling! Excellent question, Chilly the Penguin! We bet that getting hurt on the job happens from time to time. Similar to other dangerous environments, like firefighters and police officers encounter, storm chasers battle the elements while they work.
It's important to remember that storm chasers take extra precaution to stay safe while chasing a storm! Now that's what I call crazy. When I saw the video somebody will freak out if one of my siblings they would break their neck. We think that storm chasers are very adventurous, and they often face dangerous situations, Ashley S!
We're glad you're learning about what they do, too! I was just looking through my class blog and saw that this site was on it. I clicked it and made me go on this page. This has great information with great questions. I am a student that may be coming on here, commenting and just looking. I also listened to the video, just for a few seconds and thought of commenting for the first time. I thought that this is a very interesting question and thought that maybe that storm chasers are very brave to follow storms, since some people in the world are scared.
I use to be scared of thunderstorms, but finally got over it. I think that this is also very well done and hope to see more questions during the week with some awesome answers and videos to it. Here are some questions I hope you can answer. What kind of storms would a storm chaser not chase? Or would they do it for the fun of it? Have you ever met a storm chaser? Or was this the person you met to interview? What kind of experiance do you need to be a storm cahser? Would one of you would be interested to be a storm chaser? Those are a few of my questions!
It's been fantastic writing this post, and can't wait to see more! Hey there, Wonder Friend Simon! We're so glad that you found us here at Wonderopolis-- welcome! We can't take credit for the Wonder video, but we learned so much from the storm chaser interviewed! Some of our other Wonder Friends mentioned they have met storm chasers in person-- how cool is that?
We think there are different types of storm chasers; for example, some only chase tornadoes, some chase only hurricanes, and some chase any kind of storm! We think storm chasers are very brave, too, Suhall! They have a passion for chasing those storms! Do you guys still remember me? I love this Wonder I wonder if you can do a wonder about the brain? Hey there, Mushkale-- welcome back! Thanks for sharing your suggestion to Wonder about the brain.
I loved the video of the men chasing a storm it looks fun and scary and also dangerous at the same time. We're so glad to hear it, gobgymnst! Thanks for sharing your feelings about today's stormy Wonder! We're so glad you're here! The video was super interesting for me because I have never actually experienced a tornado before and seen people chase hurricanes and tornadoes! We're happy that you were able to see a tornado chaser in action, Danielle!
We think it's super interesting to Wonder about different professions that have to do with weather! We sure hope that you don't have to encounter a hurricane or tornado anytime soon! I liked that video because it inspires you in stuff that you have never tried before.
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And what would happen if a tornado sucks you up? Those are definitely common states for tornadoes. Reminds us of Wonder Where Is Tornado Alley? That's a great point, Lindsey! Storm chasers are great at following storms We think you and Wonder Friend Stefanie are thinking the same thing about tornadoes sucking you up! It's very unlikely, because you have to be extremely close to a tornado in order to be sucked up by it. However, it would be very difficult to recover after a tornado-- they can destroy towns with their power!
Make sure you stay in a safe place, away from glass and windows, when a tornado is nearby! I think today's wonder had a little chill to it. I enjoyed seeing the video and hearing all those great things about how people feel and what they do after they are in a storm. I think that tomorow's wonder will be about jets with gas left to fly, a day at school or at work, or maybe even a huge weight. I hope I get this one right!!!!!!! What a great description from our Wonder Friend, Macey! Storm chasers are very cool to Wonder about, especially when they provide tips for staying safe during storms!
Great question, Stefanie S! It's important to stay far away from tornadoes, unless you're a professional storm chaser, of course! Tornadoes are very good at grabbing anything in its path and spinning it around. The movement is usually so powerful that towns have been destroyed in its path! We Wonder what your favorite part of today's stormy Wonder was, Kayla R!? We're so glad you joined the fun at Wonderopolis today! I don't know how that man can drive through that terrible storm like that.
I would be crying right now. It takes a lot of courage to be a storm chaser! It's a pretty incredible machine, isn't it Henry? We're so happy that you've joined the fun at Wonderopolis today! We're happy that although you may not want to be a storm chaser in the future, we're excited that you're WONDERing about them today! That was really cool and scary at the same time. But it is cool how you said you save people in the storm because people need help in the storm.
You make a great point, Wonder Friend Kayla H! We're very appreciative of all those storm chasers who keep us safe from storms that are heading our way! I know that these people are studying the storm and that they are doing their best to do this and to get everything right. Today's Wonder made us think about the weather, storms and how much we appreciate all that the storm chasers do to keep us safe!
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We agree with you, Santino! We think it's amazing, and often scary, what storm chasers do on a daily basis! I think storm chasing is very dangerous, and that it is very neat that the car is safe from the storm. Storm chasing is a brave and sometimes dangerous career-- you're right, Katelyn!
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Well thank you so much, Curious Girl! Can you imagine being a storm chaser! Some of our Wonder Friends think it would be the coolest thing on Earth, while others, like you, would much rather stay indoors! It sounds like the equipment that gets picked up during tornadoes often gets destroyed. If so, how do the scientists get information about the tornadoes? Great question from our Wonder Friends in Mrs. The storm chasers do lose equipment from time to time.
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However, communication equipment is almost always the most important. Many storm chasers are armed with a video camera, cell phone and radio to accurately track their storms! A team of storm chasers is better than one, Julian! Usually a team of people chase the storm together-- that way they can communicate with and direct the driver while they are calculating the information from the weather! How could you not be terrified? I would because just drive in a tornado that is why I would be scared. We think that storm chasers are brave and adventurous!
Chasing storms is their passion! We're so glad you shared your opinion about today's Wonder with us today! We are very appreciative of all the storm chasers! We agree with you, Blakeleigh, it would be a very scary job! It would take a very brave person to drive into those storms-- we agree with you, Kamaria! We agree with you, Korayma! We appreciate all the hard work that storm chasers put it, but many of our Wonder Friends don't think it's the career path for us! We are so excited that you enjoyed today's Wonder, Jason!
We can't take credit for today's Wonder video, but we think that storm chasers are very brave! Thanks to them, we know when the storm is coming and we can take cover! It is really amazing how the storm chaser can go after a storm. Also when he was little he was afraid of thunder storms and now he isn't. We think that the storm chaser from today's Wonder video is a very brave individual, Korayma! He studied weather for a very long time and loves his job-- like Wonder Friend Azhir said, he helps save lives!
We're glad he is no longer afraid of storms, too! Thanks for sharing your comment with us today! Wow that was pretty cool! I liked that storm chasers don't just chase they also saved lives. I would be scared to chase a storm. But I can see how cool it would be to do that type of stuff. Keep on working on what you do best is chasing storm's. Storm chasers really do make a difference; we learned in today's Wonder video that storm chasers even fill in the meteorologists who are reporting the weather conditions! Because of them we know when to stay away from windows and glass for a tornado or when to evacuate an area for a hurricane!
We LOVE storm chasers! Thanks for sharing your comment today! We're glad today's Wonder was right up your alley, Tyler! We hope you'll do some more WONDERing about storm chasers and research all the different ways these chasers stay safe. We are excited that today's Wonder was a big thumbs up in your book, but we want you to stay nice and safe, too! We thought today's Wonder was interesting. Kaitlyn was very interested in cars that survive going through a tornado. Connor thought it was cool to learn about the TIV2 cars, too. Vito thinks it's interesting that people are risky enough to chase tornadoes.
Madie wonders if there are ships like the TIV2 that can survive hurricanes. We think tomorrow's wonder will be about food, barbells, weights, cows, boulders, elevators, gravity, or anchors. Ski wonders if any of her AM wonder friends will check it out at home and comment. Happy Thanksgiving Wonder Friends! Check it out, our Wonder Friends from Mrs. Ski's AM Class are here!! Today's Wonder about storm chasers was very interesting, and we're glad you thought so, too!
We Wonder if you can find out more information about hurricane chasers We hope you'll join us tomorrow, even if you're not in class! Dear Wonderopolis, Today's wonder was great! The video was amazing. One of our classmates has actually met a storm chaser. We think tomorrow's wonder will be about weights, scales, losing weight at the gym, or even gravity. Thank you for the wonders, Mrs. WOW, how cool that one of our Wonder Friends has met a storm chaser in person! Thanks for sharing that with us!
We are glad that all our Wonder Friends in Mrs. Witkowski's 4th grade class are thinking about the different elements and information used to study a storm!
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We're having so much fun that we can barely wait until tomorrow! Enjoy the rest of your terrific Tuesday! What scientific equipment do storm chasers try to place in a storm in hopes of it being picked up? Great question from Mrs. Storm chasers use different equipment, depending on their objective. But some storm chasers will just have a cell phone, video camera, laptop computer and a radio with them! We had fun learning about storms and how they get into a storm. We particularly enjoyed seeing the high-tech, souped-up, extremely heavy car. We're glad to hear that you enjoyed today's Wonder!
Corson's 4th grade class!! It's cool to learn something new about storms and the equipment used to study those storms! It takes a lot of knowledge and practice to be a storm chaser! Have a terrific Tuesday-- we'll see you soon! Well thank you so much, Aaron! We love meeting great Wonder Friends like you! We've got a Wonder that's right up your alley literally! You can Wonder with us as we learn all about funnel clouds and how they create tornadoes!
Wonder Where is Tornado Alley? It certainly is risky to be a storm chaser, but some people really love to study the weather up close and personal, Directoner! I really liked the wonder of the day because it is nice to learn new things about storms and storm chasing. It was a little scary and sent chills down my spine. Lists with This Book. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. May 21, Jill Smith rated it really liked it. This is the fourth book in the continuing saga of the Duffy and McIntosh families and the aboriginal cures that plagues them.
I was delighted when an older, wiser and worldly Michael Duffy reappeared after what seemed to have been his certain demise in an ambush. Any woman with at heartbeat cannot help but fall in love with the lovable rouge. His son Patrick raised a McIntosh, having served in the British army, is now drawn into the next war as a solder with the newly-formed Federation Australian This is the fourth book in the continuing saga of the Duffy and McIntosh families and the aboriginal cures that plagues them.
His son Patrick raised a McIntosh, having served in the British army, is now drawn into the next war as a solder with the newly-formed Federation Australian army after he concedes his marriage is in trouble. The curse thrives and takes his beloved wife Catherine to the point of madness. Michael is injured in battle in South Africa and is sent back to Australia to recover. Here he is blessed with the opportunity to meet his grandchildren. He takes the youngest, Alexander, to Glen View, the property where the curse originated, and on a search for Wallerie, the old and last remaining member of the tribe massacred there.
They form a close bond and Michael teaches his grandson the art of self defence and self reliance. These are things he needs to learn to take on his bullying older brother, George. Once again Peter Watt has the reader turning the pages in quick succession to find out how events unfold.
As with the first three books in this series you are left longing for the next edition. Jan 15, Deb Bodinnar rated it really liked it. It has been many years since I read the 3rd novel in this series, so the family tree Peter supplied at the start of the book was very helpful. The storyline continues on in 3 different countries and the family differences still continuing.
I have had the pleasure of meeting Peter Watt last year, he is a very interesting man and he no doubt puts an immense amount of time in his research for his novels. This is clear when you read the series, it is just having a history lesson.
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Yet another fabulous book in the Frontier series. Hard to put down and big thank you to the author. Mar 15, Jill Smith rated it really liked it. Most directly weather-related hazards such as from a tornado are minimized if the storm chaser is knowledgeable and cautious. In some situations severe downburst winds may push automobiles around, especially high-profile vehicles.
Tornadoes affect a relatively small area and are predictable enough to be avoided if sustaining situational awareness and following strategies including always having an open escape route, maintaining a safe distance, and avoiding placement in the direction of travel of a tornado in most cases in the Northern Hemisphere this is to the north and to the east of a tornado. Lightning, however, is an unavoidable hazard. The "bear's cage" refers to the area under a rotating wall cloud and any attendant tornadoes , which is the "bear", and to the blinding precipitation which can include window-shatteringly large hail surrounding some or all sides of a tornado, which is the "cage".
Similarly, chasing at night heightens risk due to darkness. In reality, the most significant hazard is driving , [23] [24] which is made more dangerous by the severe weather. Again here, prudence is key to minimizing the risk. Chasers ideally work to prevent the driver from multitasking either by chase partners covering the other aspects or by the driver pulling over to do these other things if he or she is chasing alone.
Falling asleep while driving is a chase hazard, especially on long trips back. This also is exacerbated by nocturnal darkness and by the defatigating demands of driving through precipitation and on slick roads. For nearly 60 years, the only known chaser deaths were driving-related. The first was Christopher Phillips, a University of Oklahoma undergraduate student, killed in a hydroplaning accident when swerving to miss a rabbit in Engineer Tim Samaras , his photographer son Paul, and meteorologist Carl Young were killed doing in situ probe and infrasonic field research by an exceptional combination of events in which an already large and rain-obscured tornado swelled within less than a minute to 2.
Storm chasers vary with regards to the amount of equipment used, some prefer a minimalist approach; for example, where only basic photographic equipment is taken on a chase, while others use everything from satellite-based tracking systems and live data feeds to vehicle-mounted weather stations and hail guards.
Historically, storm chasing relied on either in-field analysis or in some cases nowcasts from trained observers and forecasters. The first in-field technology consisted of radio gear for communication.
Much of this equipment could also be adapted to receive radiofax data which was useful for receiving basic observational and analysis data. The primary users of such technology were university or government research groups who often had larger budgets than individual chasers. Radio scanners were also heavily used to listen in on emergency services and storm spotters so as to determine where the most active or dangerous weather was located. A number of chasers were also radio amateurs , and used mobile or portable amateur radio to communicate directly with spotters and other chasers, allowing them to keep abreast of what they could not themselves see.
It was not until the mid- to late s that the evolution of the laptop computer would begin to revolutionize storm chasing. Early on, some chasers carried acoustic couplers to download batches of raw surface and upper air data from payphones. The technology was too slow for graphical imagery such as radar and satellite data; and during the first years this wasn't available on any connection over telephone lines, anyway.
Some raw data could be downloaded and plotted by software, such as surface weather observations using WeatherGraphix predecessor to Digital Atmosphere and similar software or for upper air soundings using SHARP , RAOB , and similar software. Most meteorological data was acquired all at once early in the morning, and the rest of day's chasing was based on analysis and forecast gleaned from this; as well as on visual clues that presented themselves in the field throughout the day. Plotted weather maps were often analyzed by hand for manual diagnosis of meteorological patterns.
Occasionally chasers would make stops at rural airstrips or NWS offices for an update on weather conditions. Nowadays, storm chasers may use high-speed Internet access available in any library, even in small towns in the US. This data is available throughout the day, but one must find and stop at a location offering Internet access. With the development of the mobile computers, the first computer mapping software became feasible, at about the same time as the popular adoption of the VHS camcorder began a rapid growth phase.
Prior to the mid to late s most motion picture equipment consisted of 8 mm film cameras. While the quality of the first VHS consumer cameras was quite poor and the size somewhat cumbersome when compared to traditional film formats, the amount of video which could be shot with a minimal amount of resources was much greater than any film format at the time. Weather were popular with chasers, in the morning preceding a chase for the latter and both before and during a chase for the former.
Commercial radio sometimes also provides weather and damage information. The s brought technological leaps and bounds. With the swift development of solid state technology, television sets for example could be installed with ease in most vehicles allowing storm chasers to actively view local TV stations. Mobile phones became popular making group coordination easier when traditional radio communications methods were not ideal or for those possessing radios. The mids marked the development of smaller more efficient marine radars.
While such marine radars are illegal if used in land-mobile situations, a number of chasers were quick to adopt them in an effort to have mobile radar. These radars have been found to interfere with research radars, such as the Doppler on Wheels DOW utilized in field projects. The first personal lightning detection and mapping devices also became available [36] and the first online radar data was offered by private corporations or, at first with delays, with free services. A popular data vendor by the end of the s was WeatherTAP.
Chasers used paper maps for navigation and some of those now using GPS still use these as a backup or for strategizing with other chasers. Foldable state maps can be used but are cumbersome due to the multitude of states needed and only show major roads. National atlases allow more detail and all states are contained in a single book, with AAA favored and Rand McNally followed by Michelin also used. The preferred atlases due to great detail in rural areas are the " Roads of Covering every state of the union are the DeLorme "Atlas and Gazetteer" series.
DeLorme also produced early GPS receivers that connected to laptops and for years was one of two major mapping software creators. Chasers now use Google Maps or other web mapping as no suitable alternative mapping software emerged. GPS receivers may still be used with other software, such as for displaying radar data. A major turning point was the advent of civilian GPS in At first, GPS units were very costly and only offered basic functions, but that would soon change.
Towards the late s the Internet was awash in weather data and free weather software, the first true cellular Internet modems for consumer use also emerged providing chasers access to data in the field without having to rely on a nowcaster. In conjunction with all of this, GPS units now had the ability to connect with computers, granting greater ease when navigating.
Some places restaurants, motels, libraries, etc. In two more storm chaser tools emerged. Unlike preexisting cellular based services there was no risk of dead spots, and that meant that even in the most remote areas storm chasers still had a live data feed. The second tool was a new piece of software called GRLevel3. Since a growing number of chasers are using Spotter Network SN , which uses GPS data to plot real time position of participating spotters and chasers, and allows observers to report significant weather as well as GIS layering for navigation maps, weather products, and the like.
The most common chaser communications device is the cellular phone. These are used for both voice and data connections. External antennas and amplifiers may be used to boost signal transception. Scanners are often used to monitor spotter, sometimes public safety communications, and can double as weather radios. Since the mids social networking services may also be used, with Twitter most used for ongoing events, Facebook for sharing images and discussing chase reports, and Instagram trailing in adoption.