Chasing with Sponsors 2014

[Marcus Diaz]

I've gotten calls several times to report what I am or have seen by NWS out of AMA and ABQ. I usually report everytime I chase around here since there's not a whole lot of chasers.

 

[Jake Orosi]

Personally, if I ever got to a point where sponsorship was a possibility....frankly, I'd still turn it down. Fact of the matter is, I don't want to be pressured into making rash judgement calls to please a sponsor.

I like the cut of your jib; but I must admit I'm now confused here a bit. Those who have/had sponsors - do those sponsors actually make any demands or expectations on your chasing whatsoever, aside from you putting their company logo somewhere conspicuous on your vehicle? It was my understanding that your sponsorship obligations began and ended there, as nothing but a mobile billboard; they don't care what you do or what kind of footage you get.

I've even seen a number of non-chasers put logos on their every-day vehicles in exchange for money. As far as I know, the logo is all that's expected.

 

[Matt Tottle]

Don't be so quick to judge the GPS tracking. When my primary duty is scouring the area for severe weather reports and not as the warning meteorologist, I will check Spotter Network positions, call chasers (if their contact info is available), and asked what they are seeing, especially if they're someone I knew. I'm sure I'm not the only NWS met that has done this.

I've gotten calls several times to report what I am or have seen by NWS out of AMA and ABQ. I usually report everytime I chase around here since there's not a whole lot of chasers.

Chris you definitely aren't. I've also been called a few times based on my beacon being the only one near a cell. Now I know a lot of people don't have a beacon (I learned just how many on 4/14 when I was in the 200+ car traffic jam on K-4 and there were only 3 other beacons showing) but on 5/25/11 I was the only one on highway 281 north of St John when a cell blew up in front of me and dropped a completely rain-wrapped EF-2 that ended up killing 2 people when it blew a huge tree over onto their truck and I got a call from ICT asking what I could see.

I honestly believe the beacons could help lessen the severity of convergences and jam-ups if more people used them. If I see a parade of dots, I will avoid that road if at all possible - and I'm sure a lot of you would do the same.

 

[Greg Ansel]

Now this I can agree with - more so the live GPS than the streaming video. The live GPS seems to me to have very little practical function outside of helping groupies see where all the chasers are so they can come play too. It doubtless plays a large part in convergence. Not the only one certainly, but a great big one.

When chasing/spotting, the NWS uses spotter network to contact chasers for ground confirmation of storm and tornadic events. They use the GPS to know who is on a storm and I have been contacted by NWS through spotter network to confirm if there is a tornado, the size and any damage associated with it so they can issue warnings and contact other EMS depts. The groupie element is a side effect but I think it is a good one in that many newbies/yahoos don't know where to be on a storm, so spotter network can help them know where the majority of "safe chasers" position themselves before and during the storm.

 

[Jake Orosi]

That is interesting; I hadn't considered that NWS actually uses GPS tracking in that fashion. I sit corrected.

 

[Dave C]

I also was not aware of this - in fact I am not sure all regions do this or not. From the Boulder, CO. NWS office, to my knowledge you are only called based upon your stated base location (where you live), and then only remote spotters are called since there are so many in urban areas.

Spotter network is probably less commonly viewed by yahoos than these big chase maps put out by certain chase brands - but that is only my speculation.

 

[Windshear Kear]

When chasing/spotting, the NWS uses spotter network to contact chasers for ground confirmation of storm and tornadic events. They use the GPS to know who is on a storm and I have been contacted by NWS through spotter network to confirm if there is a tornado, the size and any damage associated with it so they can issue warnings and contact other EMS depts. The groupie element is a side effect but I think it is a good one in that many newbies/yahoos don't know where to be on a storm, so spotter network can help them know where the majority of "safe chasers" position themselves before and during the storm.

Yeah...I to never realized the NWS would bother contacting a dot on the spotter network with all the high tech equipment they have. Sure eyes on the ground is always good, but I figured there were more than enough NWS spotters out there. This is good to know. I will pay more attention to my ringing phone in the future!!

I'd rather NOT know where the chaser party is....instead...do my own thing.

 

[Marcus Diaz]

Well some places call trusted local chasers and spotters as NWS spotters. I'll even call the NWS ahead of time telling them I'll be out chasing, just in case I don't have internet but do have talking data. They're always highly appreciative to get ground truth. If a storm on radar says its dumping 4" diameter hail but its actually just a lot of 2" stones, they want to know that. That also works vise versa.

Also, there's no way to prove a tornado is on the ground with radar unless the circulation is very strong and close to the radar. Ground truth is crucial to areas in a radar gap or not very close to the radar itself. The NWS like reports of wall clouds and funnels to get a warning out asap.

 

[Matt Tottle]

In light of Marcus' comment I should add that I am a registered spotter for ICT, and that ID number is on my SN profile.

 

[Chris Nuttall]

Calling chasers based on SN positions/profiles isn't exactly a standard practice. Most people I've worked with only know of SN by name only. They don't know how to access the feed or plot it in GR2AE. That's not necessarily bad because most of us typically have other duties that take priority, and all those dots can really clutter a radar screen. I utilize it when I can because I'm extremely familiar with it, and it's easy for me. I love being able to call a chaser from SN because looking at their GPS, I know exactly where they are located in relation to a storm. I would say a majority of NWS spotters (excluding law enforcement, fire, and emergency management officials) are NOT mobile spotters, believe it or not.

Others in my office are awesome at rounding up reports with their media contacts or searching through the local newspapers online after the event. Using SN and scouring social media has become my "thing" in my office.

 

[John J. Holt]

I have been contacted by media, emergency managers and NWS this year just by them getting my info off the Chasertv/SN beacons. Also here is something alot of you wouldn't like but may be a way to limit convergence... What if live feed was limited by chase vehicles in a say 2mile radius of each it would give out a warning first for over population of the area then if you stay in the area it would limit the feed to the guy which had the most viewers or logged onto that cell first. Just some ideas running through my head, I know that I try to police myself like this.

 

[rdale]

What if live feed was limited by chase vehicles in a say 2mile radius of each it would give out a warning first for over population of the area then if you stay in the area it would limit the feed to the guy which had the most viewers or logged onto that cell first.

I'm not sure the technology supports it, nor sure how that would reduce convergence? If you lose your webcam stream today, do you stop chasing? Not usually...

 

[John J. Holt]

It wouldn't stop anyone from chasing it would just be a type of indicator of the over crowding before they were all jammed up. However what I am seeing is not convergence of veteran chasers or chasers in general it is everyday yahoos wanting to get a quick rush and trying to copy cat chasers... The EL Reno incident was a whole other story. I still believe the traffic was do to panic set on by the media.

 

[Karen St John]

It wouldn't stop anyone from chasing it would just be a type of indicator of the over crowding before they were all jammed up. However what I am seeing is not convergence of veteran chasers or chasers in general it is everyday yahoos wanting to get a quick rush and trying to copy cat chasers... The EL Reno incident was a whole other story. I still believe the traffic was do to panic set on by the media.

Adding a little more data to one's "situational awareness feed" certainly can't hurt in these situations...

 

[Paul Knightley]

As far as the original question goes, we'll chase in a 'normal' vehicle with no outwards indication that we're storm chasing - I don't feel the need to emblazon it with any decals, etc - I really don't know why anyone does!