How to be a better chaser and spotter?

[Brian Davidson]

So this was my first season. I did not get to see anything "awesome" other than seeing...the best way to describe it was the inflow to a monster thunderstorm. Seeing it breath in the energy from the area.

I did have a few "ohh crap, god please don't let me die" moments.

So to reflect over the past year I would say I need to...

Learn how to read the clouds more and not GRlevel3
Dont get over excited and lose focus, remain calm
Get better at forecasting and picking a chase target/time
Don't get a big head "ego" when I have instruments/signs on the car
Don't core punch till I get my hail shield built and installed

Now on to my first problem. How do I learn how to read the clouds and energy in the atmosphere? Is this something that just comes with expereince or can you teach this? I have not read every thread in this section but it will be a mission of mine before the 2011 season starts.

Any advice would be great! Thanks!

 

[Rob H]

I'm in a similar position as you Brian, and experience is a big part of it. To help speed this process up, I've started taking pictures of clouds and cloud features even on non-chase days and then saving a copy of the latest satellite imagery and HPC surface analysis. Matching up what you actually saw with the feature is huge, so I'm documenting even the boring parts of chases now.

I've also made it a point to learn the major cloud types and what they indicate. A good example of a cloud everyone should know is Altocumulus Castellanus (Accas).

Try making it a point to guess what the air temperature and humidity content is, and how fast winds are and what direction they're blowing from. This will give you an idea of how ready the atmosphere is and if you're on the correct side of any boundary features.

 

[J Tyler]

The "don't get too excited" part of it is SOOOOO important. When you let yourself get too excited, you drive wreckless. You make exagerated reports. You do things you would not normally do. In short, you'll REALLY embarrass yourself. If you have any doubt about what you are seeing, I suggest you take a little more time to study what you are seeing. If you do make a report, carefully chose your words and be CLEAR of any uncertainty you may have. There may be another spotter with a better angle that can clarify. But, you don't want to be yelling "huge tornado!" everytime you see dust blow by....

My beginner lession? When I learned to not try to catch storms that are 30 miles away, and moving away from me at 45mph. They seem SO CLOSE, but unless they happen to be traveling straight down an Interstate for over an hour, you'll never catch them!

 

[Wes Carter]

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Now on to my first problem. How do I learn how to read the clouds and energy in the atmosphere? Is this something that just comes with expereince or can you teach this?

This video by Mike Hollingshead is the cat's meow when it comes to learning how to read the sky without actually being out there.

 

[Keith Hosman]

Another suggestion is to hook up with someone more experienced and ride with them for a while to help get more experience.

 

[Dave Rennie]

I just purchased the Storm Structure 101 DVD. Hopefully it will live up to all of it's rave reviews, because I need all the help I can get!