5/19 Chaser Convergence

[Nick Nolte]

Figured I'd get in on this thread. I was in the queue on 33 as well and witnessed some incredibly staggering behavior. I'd have to check my GPS track for sure, but heading east on 33 it's four lanes at one point. The "Right Lane ends merge left" sign pops up and this dark colored Camry (might even be a Malibu) zips by well after the lane ends, using what was left of the shoulder to cut off a white van from Michigan that was in front of me (whoever you are from Michigan, I saw you at a Sonic somewhere last week, next time I see you I'll have to come up and say Hi since I'm a fellow Michigander ) My dash cam runs in time lapse mode, so I cannot make out the license plate, but he kicked up a little dust at the end as he quickly ran out of shoulder.

I also saw numerous cars not pulled off the road completely, stupid people cutting into traffic...I also witnessed the same thing Doug Mitchell (post #58) saw at that intersection with a stream of chasers coming down from the North trying to make a left onto 33.

This is my first time chasing in the Plains (usually stick around Michigan), and I thought the Wakita/Medford convergence was something to behold, this was way worse and completely blew my mind.

I'm going to start seeing the SPC Convective Outlook as the SPC Chaser Convergence Outlook.

 

[Bill Hark]

I was also part of the crowd that followed the Leedey storm eastward and for the most part, I didn't observe any reckless driving. Most people pulled completely off the road, signaled before pulling out and obeyed the speed limit. The main problem is sheer numbers. The more people on a given road, the slower the traffic becomes and the more difficult it is to drive. The situation was worsened by lack of places to pull off. Is being a part of those numbers bad? As long as one drives safely, I don't think there is a problem. Yes, like most chasers, I'd love to have a storm all to myself but that just doesn't happen anymore. That is the new reality. Maybe, changing chase strategies will help but would most chasers avoid the best storm to also avoid the crowds.

I also don't think the Weather Channel broadcasting VORTEX's location is a major problem. In this recent case, the storms were going by a metropolitan area. More people nearby equals more locals. The radio and television stations in this area clearly broadcast the location of the storm. Also, any local with a iPhone can drive in front of the "big red blob." Looking at the people around me, most appeared to be locals out to see the storm. If this same storm was moving through northern Nebraska, I doubt the crowds would be as big.

The only problem I encountered was a chaser with red and blue flashing lights. I thought they were law enforcement and got out of their way. As the passed, I saw "storm chaser" on their vehicle. Highly illegal and they would be busted in Virginia for impersonating a cop.

I don't see a solution to this problem. As storm chasers, we should do our best to behave well and set a good example. Inform those who drive recklessly that their behavior is not acceptable. If one doesn't like the crowds, chase away from the cities.

Bill Hark

 

[Joey Ketcham]

I gather that you don't think it's that big of a deal. I don't want to sound like Chicken Little, but it is a big deal. With the kind of behavior I and others saw on Wednesday, I feel very confident in saying that there is a significant chance of a storm chaser killing someone soon. That to me is a big deal.

I agree, I frequent a forum designated for journalists and this is a topic of discussion over there, this event has gotten their attention and we could see additional media attention from this in the form of reports on TV or articles in our local newspapers.

 

[Aaron Kennedy]

*comments in this post are of my own and do not represent V2*

I won't go over much of this thread as it would be ad nauseum. As long as the roads are public, everyone has just as much right to view the storms as those of us working on V2 do.

THAT SAID

Please try and give our gear a bit of space. I am currently working with a photogrammetry team on V2. We are essentially using surveying gear to pinpoint where our cameras are looking. This allows us to map out where cloud tags or important features are with respect to radar and surface data.

Here's a recent example of a potentially harmful chaser convergence for our mission:

Initial setup:

After:

In this case, a van pulled directly in front of our frame of view, then moved even closer to our rover. Unfortunately, large metallic objects (cars) can cause issues by either introducing errors or more likely, increasing the time it takes for us to reach observational range. Likewise, if chasers park next to say sticknet or pod deployments, car exhaust, physical blocking of wind, etc. CAN harm our observations. In other words, YES you can have a direct impact on the quality of the data we are collecting.

While everyone has the same right to space as we do, I simply ask that you please try and respect our gear by giving us a bit of space if we are deployed. I know it would make my partners' and my lives much easier.


Finally, thank goodness I live in ND. Maybe our storms are less frequent, but I'll take chasing fewer setups in SD/ND/Canada over what I've seen the past two days in TX/OK any year.

 

[Jason Boggs]

TWC, in my opinion, fuels a major portion of the current problems by encouraging locals and others to do stupid things for a brief moment of TV glory.

W.

Yeah, sometimes I think to myself...Who's going to be the weather channel hero of the day. Why they give glory to the stupid people...I'll never know.

 

[Bryan Stokes]

It seems like that white van really got around yesterday. (the one with the big windows in the back that looks like a rental van) (also the one people are referring to as a tour group) That's the same van that was passing everyone in front of me while going up and down hills just east of Guthrie, and then slammed on their brakes so they could pull over.

I was so pissed off. They, and the TIV/Discovery Crew, could have easily killed someone...and for what? What does passing 10 vehicles in a string of 200 cars do for you? Where does it get you?

Bryan

 

[Greg Ansel]

It's Coming!!

Coming soon to a convergence near you!

 

[Jason Boggs]

I had a very special guest in my house that briefly talked about the crazy stuff that went on in OK on the 19th. It's short and sweet, but to the point.

SHORT INTERVIEW

 

[Ryan McGinnis]

It seems to be working. KOCO TV in OKC ran a segment on Thursday night's 10:00 p.m. newscast in which they showed the YouTube videos. Their general tone was that storm chasers are becoming a danger to the public. I wouldn't be too surprised to see this idea spread rapidly, especially with the videos and pictures going around now.

I gather that you don't think it's that big of a deal. I don't want to sound like Chicken Little, but it is a big deal. With the kind of behavior I and others saw on Wednesday, I feel very confident in saying that there is a significant chance of a storm chaser killing someone soon. That to me is a big deal.

The only solution I have been able to come up with is that I will be staying far away from chaser convergences in the future, even if it means missing out on the action.

This worries me a bit -- chasers in general seem very concerned about legislation and the like (well, some do), but very blasé about how the media portrays us. I think we might all be very surprised how quickly public sentiment can turn on us. I can't imagine how annoying it might be next year to have to explain to every pissed off local that we're not one of those "amateur chasers" but rather one of those "professional chasers" like they see on "Storm Chasers".

Seriously. If you thought the somewhat manufactured "Sean Casey vs. Reed Timmer" rivalry was amusing on Storm Chasers, you'd better pray they don't decide next year to make it "Sean Casey and Reed Timmer and Tim Samaras vs. all the other Amateur Chasers".

 

[Chris Novy]

Here's a link to my three camera video of the TIV and support crew endangering the public. Note the use of forward-facing flashing lights.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQQ_-ECVVag

Perhaps the crew simply thought they were in the carpool HOV lane? ;-)

..Chris..

 

[Lanny Dean]

I had a very special guest in my house that briefly talked about the crazy stuff that went on in OK on the 19th. It's short and sweet, but to the point.

SHORT INTERVIEW

CLASSIC!!!!! BAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH And I thought the whole "Jason Boggs...Your In My Video" was going to be the "hit" of the year! This is great!!!!! LMAO. I have not laughed that hard in a while now....great stuff dude!

 

[Andrew Stoller]

On a side note the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and a Hennesy officer put up a road block on Hwy 51 east of Hennesy. They stated that so many chasers were driving reckless that they were only allowing what they felt were research or media chasers by. I stopped and talked to them while uploading some video. The trooper was very nice stating they had more concern for the locals who were chasing. I was allowed thru to continue east bound.

And there you go. It's inevitable that local and state governments will pass some type of no loitering around storms type of law. What you described is essentially just that. With thousands of new chasers entering the mix, law enforcement will be dealing with upwards of thousands of people in their jurisdictions, quite a few acting like Darwin candidates. They will be forced to respond to the situation.

Chuck Doswell's take:

"This 'pushback' from law enforcement eventually is going to have an impact on storm chasing - mark my words."

"And although any laws against chasing that might be passed by state legislatures are likely to be unenforceable in any consistent way, unenforceable laws already exist on the books and you can be arrested for violating them, like it or not. If you want to make it a constitutional issue, go right ahead!"

I'm not going to be surprised when roads are shut down and open only to local residents during bigger outbreaks when mass chaser convergence is occurring.

I talked with a sheriff near Dighton, KS on May 23, 2008, and although we hit it off, he wasn't shy about his disdain for huge crowds of chasers and the problems they create.

 

[Jason Foster]

@Aaron, that's me in the white truck. Two things crossed my mind, 1 - I hope no one crests the hill from the opposite direction, 2 - if someone does crest the hill I hope it's a cop.

Side note:

Hey Terry.....two hands on the wheel...LOL...J/K buddy. I'm sure the pic was just before you realized that tin can was passing you the way it did.

 

[Joey Ketcham]

I honestly have no idea if this is true, I just came across someone mentioning this on facebook. Maybe someone here has heard the same, but I had come across someone stating that the Oklahoma Highway Patrol has became aware of all the videos posted yesterday and will be coming down hard on the TIV and Discovery Channel crew.

Like I said, I don't know if there is any truth to that. I'm not sure who exactly they hold responsible for the recklessness since you don't know who was actually driving.

 

[Sean Casey]

Thought I'd chime in as we were a part of that traffic jam and that someone posted a video of the TIV with a colorful commentary.

I'll keep it short. The TIV passed slower moving vehicles with a broken yellow line as we were approaching a hill. As the TIV is in the lead of our convoy and has a good visual of what is ahead by me standing in the turret at times we are giving a "clear" signal to those behind us over our radio as a safety measure. We have had a meeting so that everyone on the team acts responsible and drives with respect for other drivers.

The only other issue I'd bring up, I don't know if it's been addressed, but while driving people should allow for ample gaps between vehicles.