Karen's Myopic Storm Poll

[Karen Politte]

Here we go again.......

EDIT: Other is not included to attempt to stimulate discussion and force those who sit on the fence to make a choice!

All you Pisceans, just imagine for a moment that we CAN indeed classify supercells, OK?

 

[David Wolfson]

I vote for "Other".... :lol:

Edit: Oh, ok..........................

HP storms are the most dangerous IMHO, with fast moving, dynamic supercells of any classification a close second. Fast moving HPs are the worst, and photograph best from a distance, anyway.

... and HP transitioning to bow echo line storm is right up there, too.

 

[Mike Peregrine]

Interesting ... hmmm ... at first I chose CL transitioning to HP but now wish I could change my vote to straight HP ... in a CL making a transition there would probably still be decent visibility until wrapping becomes dense ... with HP a person is forced to go through the rain to get into the cage, so I vote HP when it's all said and done.

 

[Tony Laubach]

I think HP is going to pretty much win out on this one... I voted that way.

 

[Susan Strom]

A 50mph right-moving HP w rain-wrapped tornado, east of I35 at night, in the thick vegetation near places like Fort Smith, Arkansas :shock: There ya go, that's the bad boy

 

[Mike Hollingshead]

Everything else?

 

[Travis Livengood]

HP, too easy to find yourself engulfed if you look away for a second.

 

[Jason Boggs]

HP without a doubt!!!

 

[Shane Adams]

Not really a clear cut answer, as all types have deadly siren-like traps. HPs are the obvious choice because of bad visibility, but a lot of HP tornadoes form on the FF, so to view these you really need to be out ahead of the storm......who wants to get in a blinding rainy cage when you can see the FF clearly out ahead of the storm? HP structure fans are of course well back of the dangers (to see the entire storm), so HPs aren't neccesarily the most dangerous bar-none.

Classics are dangerous in that their perfect balance and tornado-prone nature lure chasers in close for the action.....leaving not a lot of room for mistakes or escapes. Cyclic storms of the classic persuasion are particularly dangerous, because of the aformentioned reason: being drawn in close sometimes puts a chaser right below the next cycle/tornado, while at the same time, mesmerizing the chaser away from the danger area above, as it dances the rope phase of the old tornado a mile or two west.

LPs are probably the most stealthy, as their pure beauty echos the cry "look at me, I'm beautiful, I couldn't possibly harm you......" And then you've got a knot on your head the size of a walnut from the stray golfball (or even worse - baseball) that snuck out of the updraft and right onto you. Even if you yourself survive the impact, your windshield may not, as the stones are falling more and more as you frantically scramble to get your three tripods, twelve cameras, and two video cameras (one for timelapse, one for close-ups) back into your SUV and on down the road.

I don't know that I'd call any one type of storm the "most dangerous" to chase; perhaps the "most difficult" (HP wins!!) All supercells are as dangerous as the chaser chooses to make them. As is, they are just different degrees of difficult.

 

[Tony Laubach]

Moved from Everything Else to here...

 

[Jeff Wear]

I voted HP as well - they have the most hazards of all supercell types. But any type of supercell can be dangerous if they are moving fast and visibility is low (May 2003 comes to mind).

and since the question was asked - yes, an HP can transition into a classic - the 5/29/2004 storm in central Oklahoma did just that after dark.

 

[Tom Dulong]

I voted CL to HP. My chase team was caught in that situation on 5/29/2004 as we pursued the storm in north-central KS. We had good visibility with the CL supercell at the beginning and had time to look at the Kansas county road maps to plan our track. We even felt safe as we drove to the fringes of the "bear cage" for a better look. However, things went downhill for us quickly as it morphed to HP. We got caught in the middle of the ground-based meso (zero visibility, 80-100 mph winds not of the RFD variety). This was near the town of Narka per my AVATAR image. It's all about situational awareness and respecting nature.

 

[George Tincher]

From your list, I'd pick the HP. But I've also had a couple of intense encounters with bowing segments in squall lines. There's nothing like getting surprised by a sudden downburst hitting you from the side! I had this happen once when I was still in high school back in 1994. I was trying to get home from school and thought I had the storm beat, but I was wrong. Looked up and saw the air full of tree limbs being blown toward me, then getting slammed with winds. That wasn't a fun experience with trees all around me.

 

[Justin Walker]

Hey...Well as least we all pretty much agree on this topic. :shock: I don't think that happens very much!!!

 

[Chris Sokol]

I voted for HP, but would like to ammend this to state HP at night.