Chasers creating panic on social network sites

[Timothy Finn]

Well, I can support your claim quite easily.

I have a storm chase page on Facebook, however, I really try to keep it as just such. I don't put out forecasts, only a quick note that a chase is possible in the next couple of days, and to stay tuned. Afterwards, I post pics. That's all. I don't clog people's newswires with scarecasting, and unnecessary minutiae. I figure you liked my page for the storm chasing, and were getting forecasts elsewhere.

As you may guess, I don't have a lot of followers, LOL.

Tim

 

[Shane Adams]

I see this trend as a lot like rap music; both are total crap, but both have legions of low-hanging fruit who will follow them off a cliff. If a person can figure out a way to get stupid people to part with their money, they're going to. The recent cult followings in the chaser world are just another example. But even the King of the Hill factory chaser teams are now having to create their own tornadoes, because there's just not anything real happening. When it's about business, you have to keep supplying product, regardless. I can't imagine the pressure of knowing you had to constantly entertain thousands of stupid people who, if a week goes by and you have no new activity on a website, they lose interest. I suppose that's the con to targeting the lowest demographic as your meat-n-potatoes.

 

[Rob H]

A few years back, Reed Timmer had a fan ask him if "the tsunami will affect us here in Arkansas??"

That's really all that needs to be said about social media and the people that follow chaser personalities.

 

[calvinkaskey]

A lot of times it seems unnecessary for tornado watches to be issued. When the top wind speeds likely in the strongest tornadoes of the day is like 100 mph or less which was probably evident in Feb during this year's outbreak that saw a tornado or two in Md that was rated f-0. I think if we had an 85 style outbreak in the northeast if people saw a tornado watch and they were saying blah blah f-4, 5's long tracks people would mock the forecast given how frivolously tornado watches seem to be issued. Now about slight forecasts I have seen many, many underestimations by the SPc, so much so I usually think it is a good day here in the northeast if one is issued especially in advance. The Feb day when I chased in NC they were calling for slight chance of severe. There were many severe warnings and hundreds of hail and wind reports that day along with maybe 5 tornadoes. A 'texted" chance (not even slight) was issued in New York the day before [I think] in September with 90 f temps and 70 dpts the following day and only that day [I think] they issued a slight area. Golf-ball sized hail in many parts of northern N.Y. along with probably the most widespread severe event of the year in the southern tier of N.Y. occurred. Again a thunderstorm watch with only a slight chance was issued in May across a good part of New York and there were several tornadoes (even an f-2) and many funnel clouds were reported. Again golf-ball sized hail occurred.

 

[Stan Rose]

I see this trend as a lot like rap music; both are total crap, but both have legions of low-hanging fruit who will follow them off a cliff. If a person can figure out a way to get stupid people to part with their money, they're going to. The recent cult followings in the chaser world are just another example. But even the King of the Hill factory chaser teams are now having to create their own tornadoes, because there's just not anything real happening. When it's about business, you have to keep supplying product, regardless. I can't imagine the pressure of knowing you had to constantly entertain thousands of stupid people who, if a week goes by and you have no new activity on a website, they lose interest. I suppose that's the con to targeting the lowest demographic as your meat-n-potatoes.

Not all rap music is crap, Shane. For example, the greatest song ever recorded is 'Stan' --and that is in no way because of the cool title.

 

[rdale]

A lot of times it seems unnecessary for tornado watches to be issued. When the top wind speeds likely in the strongest tornadoes of the day is like 100 mph or less which was probably evident in Feb during this year's outbreak that saw a tornado or two in Md that was rated f-0.

So a 100mph tornado isn't a big deal? And you're saying that 8 hours in advance, you are able to forecast whether a tornado will form and whether it will have winds < 100mph or > 100mph?

Hmmm... I don't know you, but I'm not sure I believe you.

 

[Rob H]

His entire post didn't make sense in the context of the thread, and that's the part that stuck out to you?

 

[rdale]

I stopped reading at that point

 

[Will Campbell]

Yeah, eliminate tornado watches. That's the answer to people being stupid on social media.

The nutter butters that post that stuff are clearly looking for attention. I had some desk jockey ream me a new one because I told him that his posting of every single watch and warning text in the continental U.S. was annoying. His response and the response of a lot of his followers was that he was saving lives.

Folks, if you're worried about weather and the first place you turn is Facebook or Twitter (with the exception of the NWS offices making official accounts on the aforementioned,) you're doing it wrong. But if you feel save with a 12 year old's forecast who lives 1300 miles away, more power to you I guess. Can't say I haven't seen something more idiotic.

 

[Brandon Jenkins]

There is a reason why my fb friends list only contains ~10 chasers, most of which I have chased with or met personally at some point in time. The hype train, while extremely entertaining in moderation, is becoming a bit played out. It's not as if there is even any real money in chasing for 99% of us, get a real job people

Anyways, gonna go take some selfies and promote the upcoming #MONSTEROUTBREAK

 

[Will Campbell]

Shall I expect some duck face??

There is a reason why my fb friends list only contains ~10 chasers, most of which I have chased with or met personally at some point in time. The hype train, while extremely entertaining in moderation, is becoming a bit played out. It's not as if there is even any real money in chasing for 99% of us, get a real job people

Anyways, gonna go take some selfies and promote the upcoming #MONSTEROUTBREAK

 

[chrisbray]

You mean for example, yesterday proclaiming "I would not be surprised if this Saturday, Sunday, and Monday will be the most significant multi-day tornado outbreak in the U.S. since 2011"?

 

[Logan Karsten]

I have been seeing the whole CIPS analogy page being thrown around where May 3rd, 1999 is one of the analogous events for Saturday. However, if you look at all the events, there are only a few where severe weather occurred. Sure enough though, people are throwing the "May 3rd" term around to describe this weekend, which is irresponsible in my opinion.

 

[kmreid]

What really got me recently, was when a small, local news get up in my area, decided to have some random "journalist" throw around a "forecast" that had no precedence whatsoever. This guy was talking about the chances of tornadoes, over 5 days out! It absolutely blew me away that someone without any knowledge of weather, even in the simplest of terms, was basically causing a huge uproar in my community over his thoughts on weather (which I assume he got the idea from a well known chaser who shall remain unnamed). I contacted my friends that had reposted his ramblings and informed them that if they wanted to know what was going on, that they needed to at least look at what SPC had to say and not some random guy with a news site. I told them that the likelihood was fairly slim for that day, and wouldn't you know....nothing came to pass for the day that he predicted would have tornadoes. I still can't wrap my head around that. Fortunately, he has not decided to play weatherman anymore!

 

[Stan Rose]

You mean for example, yesterday proclaiming "I would not be surprised if this Saturday, Sunday, and Monday will be the most significant multi-day tornado outbreak in the U.S. since 2011"?

I wouldn't put money on it, but I 'woudn't be surprised' either. And im not sure getting a lot of folks attention for the potential is such a bad thing. Don't hate'm cause he's successful.