Crazy Kearney chase video (5/29/08)

[Ryan McGinnis]

I too was in Kearney that day along with Jeff Piotrowski, we came in North through Kearney and then cut East on US 30, I can tell you there was A LOT of debris, though all of it (at least from our location) appeared to be from nothing more than a Strong RFD, and non of it was insulation or large structure type debris. To us it was clear where the tornado was, on the NW side of Kearney tracking East, and the easy clear decision was to cut East before "driving into it". I will say Kearney was a dangerous town at the time, there were people running stop lights and ignoring traffic signals all over (probably chasers). I don't understand why you would continue to drive North into a clearly rain wrapped tornado, though given what I was seeing in the video, I see NO indication that they were ever actually in the tornado anyway, appears that its just slightly over dramatized video of a strong RFD. My video of driving through Kearney is not viewable on youtube, though parts of that storm can be seen on my 2008 DVD.

The National Weather service damage survey team has identified three seperate tornado tracks through Kearney on May 29th. One in the north part of town, one right along Highway 30, and in the extreme south part of the town. I got a chance to drive through most of the town and look at damage and the tornado damage was definately not relegated to only the north end of town.

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/gid/?n=news_205

My guess is that there was a very wide area of weak circulation that encompassed most of the town, with smaller embedded vorticies. At least that's what it was when I punched under it on I-80 just west of Kearney; a huge, weak ground circulation. I was pretty freaked out when I realized I was driving through a ground circulation.

*edit* BTW, I drove under it knowing full well where I was in relation to the storm -- I did choose to drive through the RFD, then the hook to get into the inflow. I felt that there was still a bit of time left before it put down a tube. In retrospect, even though it netted some incredible pictures, it was a fairly poor/dangerous choice.

Some pics of the storm/damage:

http://pa.photoshelter.com/gallery-show/G0000DDiBbNMstpk/

 

[Jason Foster]

Not that impressed

The original video clip link in the first post didn't impress me. I didn't see much in the way of storm structure, or any actual tornado. I did find it fun to play with the slider bar to see the rotation faster. Of course, I was watching it on YouTube, which really is poor quality...so perhaps I'm missing the details that make it better.

My thought the whole time while watching it was..."I think I would have stopped right there.". I also that it was interesting that they say they don't want go any further, but keep driving forward.

Anyway...I was a spectacular storm that I'm sorry that I missed. I'll have to check out some of the other video and photos that have been posted and hope they show a little more.

 

[Danny Neal]

Best part on Derek's video that he posted ..... at 5:19 you pause. You see the TIV driving in the opposite direction!

 

[Andrea Griffa]

The National Weather service damage survey team has identified three seperate tornado tracks through Kearney on May 29th. One in the north part of town, one right along Highway 30, and in the extreme south part of the town. I got a chance to drive through most of the town and look at damage and the tornado damage was definately not relegated to only the north end of town.

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/gid/?n=news_205

My guess is that there was a very wide area of weak circulation that encompassed most of the town, with smaller embedded vorticies. At least that's what it was when I punched under it on I-80 just west of Kearney; a huge, weak ground circulation. I was pretty freaked out when I realized I was driving through a ground circulation.

*edit* BTW, I drove under it knowing full well where I was in relation to the storm -- I did choose to drive through the RFD, then the hook to get into the inflow. I felt that there was still a bit of time left before it put down a tube. In retrospect, even though it netted some incredible pictures, it was a fairly poor/dangerous choice.

Some pics of the storm/damage:

http://pa.photoshelter.com/gallery-show/G0000DDiBbNMstpk/

Thanks Ryan for this contribute.
Analyzing the video it appears to be a clear large tornado on the ground: the guys in the car are driving to this part of this storm and they see some power flashes; after 10 second by 5:50 minute it appears the tornado. I photoshopped a little bit the video capture, so tell me what do you think. So far I didn't see a clear shot of that tube in the web,it's the first time I see something clear. There's a lot of rain falling into this part of the storm, but to me that is a clear large tornado.

 

[Ryan McGinnis]

Good day all,

I was right next to these guys (Team Ramora) and pretty much experienced this first hand for myself that day in Kearney.

My chase video has the dialog (monitored on VHF / HAM) as debris / powerflashes were affecting Kearney. The damage, from my point of view, looked like EF-1 with isolated areas of EF-2 over a wide area (1/2 mile or more across).

Visually, the tornado was not fully condensed but was multi-vortex in nature, and was not really discernable since we were literally "In It"!

A video clip of May 29 is below, from my perspective, includes much of the Kearney storm as well...

http://www.sky-chaser.com/m9vid11.htm

Hey, just want to thank you for posting this clip. This is literally the ONLY video I've seen as of yet that actually shows a clear spinup/debris cloud on the Kearney storm. Compelling editing, too.

I know you and a lot of other chasers dropped down to Beloit for the structureiffic storm of the year (and it looks like it a was a great choice!), but I'm surprised that more didn't continue east on I-80 -- the same storm marched all the way to Aurora, Nebraska, perfectly paralelling I-80, where it was *still* causing tornado damage.

 

[Derek Weston]

You know, chasers can chase as they wish. People can do as they wish as long as they're only harming themselves. You want to drive into circulation -- be my guest. I'll enjoy your videos.

But I've got to side with Shane and others -- I think chasers like this are flat out stupid. I have absolutely no idea how you could not have a better sense of self preservation. And if they didn't know what they were driving into... why the heck are they chasing? I don't have years of experience or anything, but I've been smart enough not to purposefully drive into harms way -- it isn't that hard. I mean, they had radar too -- they knew what sort of storm they were dealing with, I assume. You know you're on a tornadic storm, and you're looking at THAT down the road... and you drive into THAT. Stupid, or a very different value set than mine. (and really, nothing personal against these guys -- I don't know them. I'm only commenting on their decision making here)

 

[Rob Wadsworth]

To take it a step farther than Derek, people are trying to outdo other chasers in order to deliver a more exciting video or pics. If they can get the media to buy it or it makes their next DVD release more marketable - surely they will do it.
At what price safety...?

 

[Mike Hollingshead]

To take it a step farther than Derek, people are trying to outdo other chasers in order to deliver a more exciting video or pics. If they can get the media to buy it or it makes their next DVD release more marketable - surely they will do it.
At what price safety...?

Who cares, they aren't dragging anyone with are they? I don't get why everyone is aways so eager to care so much about what others decide to do.

As for the original video in here, I missed the crazy part. Looked like they snuck up from the south in the RFD.

 

[Chris Hayes]

We were on the Kearney tornado on May 29 as well. Came up 44 and watched it across I-80 via powerflashes then chased the storm down I-80 hoping to get a glimpse of any further tornadoes. Not knowing of the intensity of the storm raking northern KS. Still a good and memorable chase though

 

[Danny Neal]

Who cares, they aren't dragging anyone with are they? I don't get why everyone is aways so eager to care so much about what others decide to do.

Agreed, We can say "oh I wouldn't do that, not the decision I would make" etc, but they aren't endangering anybody but themselves. They aren't forcing other traffic to drive reckless or holding a gun to the car next to them saying to follow or else. Aside from maybe not treating the traffic lights as stop signs, they can do whatever they want and drive into whatever they want. Say what YOU would or wouldn't do, but don't be haters.

 

[Derek Weston]

Who cares, they aren't dragging anyone with are they? I don't get why everyone is aways so eager to care so much about what others decide to do.

As for the original video in here, I missed the crazy part. Looked like they snuck up from the south in the RFD.

Eh, something to talk about. Really, I'm pretty much of the same mindset as you -- and stated as much.

Honestly, not totally sure of everything I was seeing. (part of the reason I wouldn't get into a situation like that yet) And I didn't think they were aware, totally, either. I mean, if these guys knew they were well off, and only dealing with some RFD fun, and in immediate threat... then I'll not, ehhh, think they're so crazy. (according to my value system)

There were some power flashes, I think, off to the NW... and, as I understand them, these guys seemed to think the tornado was just off to the NW as they drove towards it. So, that made me wonder about what the heck they were thinking.

 

[Jason Foster]

It's never about hurting just themselves

I don't like the thought that folks say....they are only going to hurt themselves, or they aren't hurting anyone else. That just isn't true.

First... as it has been said, it does hurt the rest of the chaser community. But that isn't the biggest issue.

The most important part of this carelessness is the fact that if they are injured, they have to be cared for by the medical system. If they have insurance, OK, that might take care of the costs to them, but it hurts the business. If they are not covered by insurance, or if the insurance doesn't pay since this was considered a reckless activity by their policy...then tax payers or family have to pay.

It is also family and friends that ultimately pay the price. Having to watch someone suffer should they be injured...or worse...in the case of death. I think those who take these kinds of risks need to consider not just themselves, but those in their lives. What about your mother and father, wife and kids, close friends. Would not they be affected by poor decisions. And for the gain of a few dollars or thrill.

I think it's never about these types just hurting themselves....it never is that isolated.

 

[Rob Wadsworth]

As usual. it serves others to assume something about what I said - that I didn't say..
Par for course. (Course - spelled c o u r s e; not c o a r s e)
Storm chasing isn't the riskiest thing I have encountered; that is for sure.
I'll take my chances with storms; they can be far more predictable than human behavior - that's also for sure.

No one wants to tell you what you can do, just be sure that your actions don't endanger anyone else.
If you want to get close and get your pics - go ahead.
I do.
I wouldn't want people thinking that storm chasers don't take stupid risks - that's all.

 

[Ryan McGinnis]

Eh, something to talk about. Really, I'm pretty much of the same mindset as you -- and stated as much.

Honestly, not totally sure of everything I was seeing. (part of the reason I wouldn't get into a situation like that yet) And I didn't think they were aware, totally, either. I mean, if these guys knew they were well off, and only dealing with some RFD fun, and in immediate threat... then I'll not, ehhh, think they're so crazy. (according to my value system)

There were some power flashes, I think, off to the NW... and, as I understand them, these guys seemed to think the tornado was just off to the NW as they drove towards it. So, that made me wonder about what the heck they were thinking.

I'm nowhere near a veteran at this, but I think a great many chasers would have been unaware of what they were seeing, especially if stuck inside a town like Kearney, with structures limiting visibility. Again, there were THREE simultaneous tornadoes on the ground, each in entirely different areas of the storm -- one to the north, one further south, and one even further south, each separated by a several miles, and all of it rainwrapped. To be fair, the thing was visually screaming "run away!" by the time it rolled into Kearney, so if you stuck around in town it shouldn't have been too hard to tell that the pain train was coming. I only hung around Kearney for about three minutes before jumping back on I-80 and flooring it.

FWIW, I think the video shown probably did not show them sneaking through an RFD, seeing as there was a tornado to the north of them and a tornado just about on top of them and a tornado to the south of them. I'm not really sure what the heck they did drive through, but I don't know how it could have been RFD if they were literally surrounded by circulations that left damage tracks. The circulation to the north of them destroyed an apartment building and stacked cars atop each other. My guess is still that it was one big wet-wrapped weak circulation on the ground with satellite spinups. The only thing that makes me doubt this is the straight damage path of the satellite vorticies -- they don't appear to be curved counterclockwise, as if orbiting a larger circulation. The RFD WAS wet and windy as hell, or at least it was about 10 minutes before it hit Kearney on I-80. However, once I got ahead of the RFD, still west of Kearney, there were already thin rain curtains east of me flying rapidly north across I-80 and then turning west northwest and then west to my north. I punched through two of these very thin curtains; it was like driving through a heavy lawn sprinkler for about a second and the southerly wind that was carrying them rocked my car pretty hard and nudged me a bit toward the shoulder, despite the fact that I was going eastbound in excess of the I-80 speed limit.

 

[Danny Neal]

I don't like the thought that folks say....they are only going to hurt themselves, or they aren't hurting anyone else. That just isn't true.

I disagree. It doesn't hurt anyone directly involved in the storm or the storms path. Remember this is about their "reckless" behavior while chasing this storm up close and personal.

First... as it has been said, it does hurt the rest of the chaser community. But that isn't the biggest issue.

The only thing to say about this that some in the chaser community like to blow minute things way out of proportion.

The most important part of this carelessness is the fact that if they are injured, they have to be cared for by the medical system.

Yes, IF. So far I have only been made aware of one case of a minor injury that required medical services about 5 years ago, so to even use this example is a little hypothetical.

If they have insurance, OK, that might take care of the costs to them, but it hurts the business. If they are not covered by insurance, or if the insurance doesn't pay since this was considered a reckless activity by their policy...then tax payers or family have to pay.

I agree with you here.

It is also family and friends that ultimately pay the price. Having to watch someone suffer should they be injured...or worse...in the case of death. I think those who take these kinds of risks need to consider not just themselves, but those in their lives.

No chaser has been killed while chasing as stated above. So I think as a whole we are being pretty safe and responsible.

What about your mother and father, wife and kids, close friends. Would not they be affected by poor decisions. And for the gain of a few dollars or thrill. I think it's never about these types just hurting themselves....it never is that isolated

Families know the risks involved....it's like playing a contact sport. There have been deaths while playing football. None while storm chasing. I bet storm chasing is much safer than football. If football families can cope, I am sure storm chasing families will be able too as well. Even the most reckless storm chasers have STILL made it out alive