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I Need Your Opinion-Ryan Hall (YouTube Storm-caster)

For those of you who have looked here's some thoughts: everyone is in it for the money. All the SPC staff, all the local meteorologists, and all the youtubers make money for their efforts, so clearly there's nothing wrong with making money on this or you are condemning your own self and the entire profession too when you see something wrong with that.

Ha! You claim in your first post that you're no expert in meteorology, and then you feel you can make this bold claim? This is definitely an apples and oranges comparison. There are no financial incentives for SPC and NWS forecasters nailing a forecast, but there are certainly repercussions if your forecasting skills are crap. And that is determined by cold, hard forecast verification statistics, not likes, shares, or views. Most of us are in it because we like what we do.

Phil, most chasers do their own forecasts and look at what the NWS and SPC discussions say for technical details because that's what they need to do to chase well. Something simplified like what Ryan provides is not usually going to be useful to them, but that doesn't mean it's not useful to others, nor does it mean it's crap. If folks don't like him because of his style, that's okay because that's their opinion. That's what the OP asked for, so there's no reason to rip on people for that. Most of us probably don't have a strong opinion of him or a more negative opinion because we have no need for the content he provides. If you do like him and find his content useful, good for you - that's your opinion. But to claim those who don't like his content or don't know every detail about his life are basically ignorant isn't cool.
 
I don't know who Ryan Hall is, not sure I've ever heard of him, if I have I don't recall. So I don't really have an opinion. But if someone wants to utilize YouTube, or any other social media platform to create content, even if it's related to storm chasing and weather... go for it. The only issue I have with people who does these things are the ones who looks at every marginal tornado day and make it out to be the "tornadopocalypse" just for likes, comments and shares. I see many Facebook pages that does this even on a crapshoot day when tornado potential isn't that great. If he's not doing that and he's not hyping events up to be something they're actually not, then I don't see the problem with what he's doing.
 
The reality is *nobody* really cares how many tornadoes you've seen, how close you've gotten, or how many hurricanes you've been in. It is a fact that I think everyone who chases should learn, there is literally nobody outside the "weather community" who cares about that stuff. Hell most of my family rolls their eyes when I even bring up the idea of my chasing adventures lol.

Most people have very short memories and they won't even remember seeing you on TV, which is why "credit" to me means nothing. Go to a party that isn't weather related and mention how you got close to a large tornado and most people will probably say "oh cool" and then 5 minutes later forget about it or some may even yawn and move on to someone more interesting with more "normal" hobbies they can relate to. That is just human nature.

Going OT but this is an interesting tangent and since the original discussion is degrading anyway…

That‘s all true Ethan, and somewhat ironic given that there aren’t too many “normal” hobbies that are nearly as interesting… 😏 In my life as a financial professional, it was only relatively recently that I even mentioned chasing to business contacts. I found that it was actually a pretty good personal branding thing - people remembered it for sure. They would often ask about it if we hadn’t seen each other for a while, although usually in an ignorant manner - for example, asking in January, “Chase any tornados lately?” Which I suppose is better than what I sometimes get - “Chase any hurricanes in the Midwest lately?” 🤣 But at least it was a conversation starter at professional networking events, and definitely a differentiator for me when I was in a market-facing business development role and personal branding mattered more than when in an “inside“ role. Always a tough balance to figure out exactly how much detail to get into, and I have inadvertently crossed the line into glazed-eye territory numerous times…
 
Going OT but this is an interesting tangent and since the original discussion is degrading anyway…

That‘s all true Ethan, and somewhat ironic given that there aren’t too many “normal” hobbies that are nearly as interesting… 😏 In my life as a financial professional, it was only relatively recently that I even mentioned chasing to business contacts. I found that it was actually a pretty good personal branding thing - people remembered it for sure. They would often ask about it if we hadn’t seen each other for a while, although usually in an ignorant manner - for example, asking in January, “Chase any tornados lately?” Which I suppose is better than what I sometimes get - “Chase any hurricanes in the Midwest lately?” 🤣 But at least it was a conversation starter at professional networking events, and definitely a differentiator for me when I was in a market-facing business development role and personal branding mattered more than when in an “inside“ role. Always a tough balance to figure out exactly how much detail to get into, and I have inadvertently crossed the line into glazed-eye territory numerous times…

Lol I definitely didn't mean anything bad by my comment. I get about the same responses from most people as well similar to you lol. It'll be mid January and I'm getting my oil changed and the mechanic will ask me if I've seen any tornadoes lately. Usually I'd be "no, its January", but these days I'm not sure with how the weather is lol. Anyway I think I've gone way off topic myself too haha.
 
I do not know Ryan and have not looked at his stuff. So no opinion on him. However, I do not agree with the opinion a few posts up that "almost every chaser" has driven in ways that involve running stop signs. In all my chases over 25+ years I have never done that, and I think many other chasers also have never done that. Do not make excuses for stupid dangerous behavior.

Sigh... I NEVER said that. I said :" No worse than what I've seen videos of almost every chaser do on the roads really"
Notice I said "almost all" too, which means not everyone. I shouldn't even have to be explaining this, but improper passing, too-wide turns, speeding, going too fast for road conditions, and even driving too slowly can and do put other road users at risk, and that is what I was referring to. It's easy to get caught up in exciting things and lose part of your focus on driving. And it's not always the chaser who errs when a crash occurs but in Ryan's case it was a chaser's fault but not Ryan's. I wanted to point that out as someone else mentioned the crash in a way which could have been interpreted as implying Ryan of being the driver that night when it wasn't. He's even got a vid about this making no excuses for it at all, but presenting the facts in a pretty unbiased way I think.

I'm glad you put such an effort into driving safely John- I applaud you for that. As so many chasers have said repeatedly the most dangerous part of the endeavor is being on the road. I want everyone to be safe out there so I can get to enjoy the pics and vids you get on this mystifying and magnificent weather phenomena and I'll lose some of that if you're dead from a car crash no matter whose fault it was.
 
Ha! You claim in your first post that you're no expert in meteorology, and then you feel you can make this bold claim? This is definitely an apples and oranges comparison. There are no financial incentives for SPC and NWS forecasters nailing a forecast, but there are certainly repercussions if your forecasting skills are crap. And that is determined by cold, hard forecast verification statistics, not likes, shares, or views. Most of us are in it because we like what we do.

Phil, most chasers do their own forecasts and look at what the NWS and SPC discussions say for technical details because that's what they need to do to chase well. Something simplified like what Ryan provides is not usually going to be useful to them, but that doesn't mean it's not useful to others, nor does it mean it's crap. If folks don't like him because of his style, that's okay because that's their opinion. That's what the OP asked for, so there's no reason to rip on people for that. Most of us probably don't have a strong opinion of him or a more negative opinion because we have no need for the content he provides. If you do like him and find his content useful, good for you - that's your opinion. But to claim those who don't like his content or don't know every detail about his life are basically ignorant isn't cool.

Alex, I totally understand your point. But when I posted my opinion and thoughts as the OP asked for, there came along people making erroneous statements and even what could be reasonably called accusations against Ryan which I know were wrong. It is something I can't abide with. Some of the people making the detracting statements admitted having no knowledge of Ryan at all, but boy howdy they already had a very disparaging opinion of him and what he does ready-to-go. I don't expect everyone to spend hours learning about him and analyzing his work, but I do have an expectation of people to know what they are speaking of instead of just prejudicially guessing. When you posit something as being factual when it is only opinion I do feel that there's a lack of intelligence occurring. That has clearly happens in this thread. I can't see it any other way and I don't care if that's "cool" or not. I hope you can understand this.

I came to this site hoping to make a few friends and to learn some things about storms, perhaps contributing something from what I am knowledgeable of related to this topic. I try my best to be tolerant, civil, and at least reasonably pleasant. I'm human too so I understand when people make mistakes- I do that more often that I like. Yet within a few posts of my entrance posting on something I do know something of I find myself essentially under attack for things I've neither said or did by people who admittedly have little to no knowledge of the matter yet they believe they are right regardless. When I point that out somehow I'm not cool- OK, I can live with that because if being right isn't cool then it's not something I want anyway.
 
Phil, I'm sorry that your experiences thus far with the forum have not been as warm as you'd like. I will attempt to explain what has been said that you see as being erroneous and as accusations so that we can move on hopefully without sour feelings and you will continue to contribute to the forum. It is important to note that while you claim no expertise in meteorology (your words, not mine), there are members of the forum that are meteorological experts. While you want to bring your expertise to the table, they are bringing theirs as well.

When you posit something as being factual when it is only opinion I do feel that there's a lack of intelligence occurring.

There actually has been quite a bit of facts in this thread among the opinion, so let's break it down. First, let's look at Ryan.

Assuming Ryan's self-labeling as a "avid weather enthusiast" on his YT page is accurate and there's nothing more to it, then he is not a meteorologist. The definition of what is a meteorologist varies widely depending on the source, but as an employed, degreed meteorologist, I feel the Meteorologist Wikipedia page most accurately defines the trade, especially when it comes to the education and training involved. Seeing as anyone can forecast, what technically makes a forecaster a forecaster is a little more ambiguous. Simply, I feel that if you forecast, you are a forecaster. There are some great forecasters out there that have no formal education or training in meteorology. However, just because you provide a forecast and can call yourself a forecaster does not mean you are any good at it (even if you are degreed), and those who do not know what they're doing can cause more harm than good. What defines a good forecast/forecaster can only be determined by verification statistics and the assessment of those who are well versed in the field of meteorology and forecasting. For those who are not versed in meteorology or forecasting, it can be hard to determine forecast quality, as the whole reason they are seeking the information in the first place is because they can not produce it themselves. There of course is nothing wrong with that - we all can't be experts at everything.

Employed meteorologists who provide forecasts are held to some degree of standard for their forecast. This can range from feedback from their customers to verification statistics that mathematically compare their forecast to reality. Because they must answer to these customers and face the numbers, forecasts are carefully crafted, words and phrasing are chosen with care, and uncertainty is addressed. That is why you will not often see a severe weather outbreak predicted by the SPC 7 days out, or a blizzard at a similar time range by the NWS. There are no standards, rules, or accountability for those who post to social media platforms, and this rears its ugly head often when some of these individuals post raw model data showing apocalyptical snow fall amounts 1.5 weeks out, or a tornado outbreak to end all tornado outbreaks 7 days out. Those who are employed meteorologists could never get away with that without receiving major backlash and repercussions. The individuals who do post that material make employed meteorologists' lives difficult because then we are forced to address something that's likely not going to come to fruition in addition to it giving the trade a bit of a black eye. I'm not saying that Ryan is one of those people, but at the very least the words and phrases I can see he uses on his page are meant for hype/click-bait and are something that you will likely never see come from an official source.

Additionally, there will always be local sources for critical, life-saving weather information, as that is the job of your local meteorologist. There are also many fail-safes to ensure that you get official weather information. In addition to what has already been said, the concern with these unofficial sources is that they have no responsibility to provide information at any point in time. If people become solely dependent upon them for critical information, but then they disappear or decide not to post, people's safety could be in jeopardy. All of this is why comments in this thread, some by folks with meteorological expertise, have been skeptical or negative toward Ryan. It is not to say Ryan is any of these things or will become any of these things, but it is a concern with any of these types of sources. It is at least promising that you say he refers his viewers back to official sources.

As for this...
Yet within a few posts of my entrance posting on something I do know something of I find myself essentially under attack for things I've neither said or did by people who admittedly have little to no knowledge of the matter yet they believe they are right regardless.

You compared Ryan's forecasts to those of the SPC, which is not a balanced comparison. Ryan's forecasts have no verification and no formal standard of measure. SPC forecasts are statistically verified through different means and calibrated. Weather models regularly produce impactful weather, from tornado outbreaks to blizzards, at lead times of 5+ days. As has been pointed out, these rarely occur as they appear at that lead time, and SPC/NWS/local employed forecasters know this, which is why it is rare for them to issue a forecast for such an event at that lead time. However, it can certainly be your opinion that Ryan's forecasts are more useful to you than SPC's, and no one can argue with you on that. SPC's forecasts are meant for high-end users like those in the NWS, other government agencies/partners, and local meteorologists.

Building on that, SPC/NWS/local meteorologists do not "make money" off of weather as you said. That implies that additional money comes in when the weather becomes active, and that is not the case. SPC/NWS/local meteorologists are salary and get paid a flat amount regardless of what weather occurs. Folks like Ryan only have something to post about if the weather is active, and in this case, posts make money, so he does make money off the weather. That may seem pedantic, but there is a difference, which is why SPC/NWS meteorologists jumped in to tell you so :) .

Again, there are people who are employed and degreed meteorologists who provide forecasts for a living that have commented in this thread. They have seen this topic come up prior and see this type of thing on a daily basis. While they by no means serve as an end all be all or final word in the forum, it should be considered before assessing that people here may "have little to no knowledge of the matter". Welcome to Stormtrack, and happy posting!
 
Most of these posts were TL;DR so I'm sorry if I'm doubling up here. I just took a gander through his twitter, as well as remember from back when he had the wreck. Honestly he seems like one of the best video bloggers in storm chasing. His videos are pretty well put together and he's charismatic as well as explains things for simple minded folk like myself. As far as his Twitter feed, it's probably the platinum standard of weather feeds. So much cool and useful information being posted. If I had a Twitter, I'd definitely follow.
 
Sigh... I NEVER said that. I said :" No worse than what I've seen videos of almost every chaser do on the roads really"
Notice I said "almost all" too, which means not everyone. I shouldn't even have to be explaining this, but improper passing, too-wide turns, speeding, going too fast for road conditions, and even driving too slowly can and do put other road users at risk, and that is what I was referring to. It's easy to get caught up in exciting things and lose part of your focus on driving. And it's not always the chaser who errs when a crash occurs but in Ryan's case it was a chaser's fault but not Ryan's. I wanted to point that out as someone else mentioned the crash in a way which could have been interpreted as implying Ryan of being the driver that night when it wasn't. He's even got a vid about this making no excuses for it at all, but presenting the facts in a pretty unbiased way I think.

I'm glad you put such an effort into driving safely John- I applaud you for that. As so many chasers have said repeatedly the most dangerous part of the endeavor is being on the road. I want everyone to be safe out there so I can get to enjoy the pics and vids you get on this mystifying and magnificent weather phenomena and I'll lose some of that if you're dead from a car crash no matter whose fault it was.

I think you missed my point, Phil. Certainly it was not to claim sainthood in the driving department - I have made mistakes in the heat of the chase, e.g. driven faster than I should have for the road conditions. Most chasers probably have. Luckily, these did not cause any accidents, but looking back on them I can see that they were mistakes, which I will strive to avoid in future chasing. But that is different from things like running stop signs. And in the context of that, you did say "No worse than what I've seen videos of almost every chaser do on the roads really" And that is what I take issue with, because it creates the impression that most chasers run stop signs or worse. Blowing through a stop sign is, IMHO, on the high end of dangerous driving. It has caused deaths in several accidents involving chasers. And it bothers me to hear people say that most chasers do that, or worse. There are a lot of new chasers who read these posts, and I do not want them, or anyone, to get the impression that running stop signs (or worse) is normal chaser behavior, and certainly do not want them to think it is OK. It is not. This has really little to do with Ryan - about all I know about his incident is from what you posted. But it is about safe chasing and safe driving. I want all chasers to take safe driving seriously, and I want to never see another headline about chasers killing another driver, or themselves, because they blew through a stop sign. I have seen that too many times already.
 
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