History of Storm Chasing -- Back to Day One

[Mike Smith]

Everyone,

Was going through some files last week and came across the memo by Dr. Joe Golden that started the chasing program in 1972.

Pre-"Twisters:" The Origin of Storm Chasing

How did our modern tornado warning program begin? It started in Oklahoma in 1972 with plucky meteorology students and experimental radars. W...

www.mikesmithenterprisesblog.com

You may find this to be interesting.

 

[William Monfredo]

The 1970s can be viewed as a golden age, not just because of Joe Golden , but because of the curiosity, the implementation, many firsts, and the practical applications. Back then, one of the main conversations: Do tornadoes spin over 500 mph?
I'm younger than Mike. But, when I started researching a lot of this in my academic life, it provided an escape for someone with a very questionable upbringing and a head up in the clouds. I remember journal articles where the radar data was in numbers on a crude b&w map!
Soon the NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) wanted to know if reactors' design criteria could survive big hits in their area: They can now.
The situations & people that do something first...it's a big deal, for whatever reasons. Consider Elvis, the Beatles.
And so, I have a genuine, if not somewhat romanticized, nostalgia relating to what was once real life in Oklahoma testing early Doppler. In fact, one college professor got a weird look on his face back in the day when I mentioned Doppler radar and the 1970s in the same sentence.
No offense to him, but he presumed Doppler was merely a 90's and 2000's thing; he had no idea!

 

[Mike Smith]

In fact, one college professor got a weird look on his face back in the day when I mentioned Doppler radar and the 1970s in the same sentence.
No offense to him, but he presumed Doppler was merely a 90's and 2000's thing; he had no idea!

Actually, the first working Dopplers were in 1958-59 in Wichita and Wichita Falls. The former measured a 206 mph wind in the El Dorado Tornado. There is more here: The First Tornado Detection By Doppler Radar and it includes a link to KAKE-TV's outstanding documentary, "The Dawn of Doppler."

 

[Laney Cole]

Everyone,

Was going through some files last week and came across the memo by Dr. Joe Golden that started the chasing program in 1972.

Pre-"Twisters:" The Origin of Storm Chasing

How did our modern tornado warning program begin? It started in Oklahoma in 1972 with plucky meteorology students and experimental radars. W...

www.mikesmithenterprisesblog.com

You may find this to be interesting.

I find it fascinating how little the guidelines and criteria have changed over the years. A lot of this remains useful information 50+ years later. Thanks for sharing, always enjoy reading your articles.