New to Chasing

[Derek Mohr]

I only started chasing last spring. I've been what you could consider an apprentice to Bill Oosterbaan, Bob Hartig, and a couple other chasers, and am learning anything about storm structure through those trips and what I read on Stormtrack. How long does it typically take to get comfortable with storm structures to the point that I could go out comfortably and be the one in charge? I'm in no hurry but it seems like the learning is going slow, any idea's how I can squeeze in learning the basics and advanced while taking non-related college courses?

 

[Shane Adams]

How long does it typically take to get comfortable with storm structures to the point that I could go out comfortably and be the one in charge?

All I can tell you is, if you have to ask, you're not ready.

 

[Jerry Prsha]

I only started chasing last spring. I've been what you could consider an apprentice to Bill Oosterbaan, Bob Hartig, and a couple other chasers, and am learning anything about storm structure through those trips and what I read on Stormtrack. How long does it typically take to get comfortable with storm structures to the point that I could go out comfortably and be the one in charge? I'm in no hurry but it seems like the learning is going slow, any idea's how I can squeeze in learning the basics and advanced while taking non-related college courses?

Not nice Shane!

Derek, I think the focus on safety and your route to it. If you feel like you've always figured out an escape route before you approach a storm, go for it. Just remember that there will always be more. Take your time, keep your distance at first and learn the behavior first. Then you can get closer and build confidence. It's not a race with anyone else.. just yourself. Don't think because others have gotten close that you need to...

 

[Shane Adams]

Not nice Shane!

Wasn't meant to be mean, just the truth. How many of you would disagree with me?

 

[Blake Michaleski]

I agree with Shane... I knew it wasn't meant to be mean but it's the truth...

READ, READ, READ is all I can say.... when I first started, I read chase accounts on different sites, read articles and essays, etc... Understanding the science goes a long way in understanding storm structure and storm behavior. Also, use the best tools you have... your EYES! and Trust what you see and go with your gut, too much second guessing rarely leads to success. I learned to chase before we had mobile internet and radar, and I'm thankful for it.

I also had a great first chase partner who was well experienced and had been extremely successful. I did ALOT of IMing and chatting online with other chasers. I can remember being up late at night chatting on the old chat room with Shane and many others.

I'll also second what Jerry said, Start by observing from a distance, don't try to get under the base right away. By staying back you can recognize storm behavior and structure much better. Then when you are comfortable, move in...

I wish you well, feel free to IM or PM if you have any specific questions...

 

[Angie Norris]

Amen to what Blake said...read, read, and read more. There are tons of good resources out there, on line and books.

Learn how to forecast, and that includes doing hand anaylsis. Reading the forecast discussions from the local offices and SPC can give you ideas on what they are looking at, but analyzing at least the surface and the 500mb charts gives you a hands on feel of what the weather is doing.

There are several good instructional DVDs, including The Art of Stormchasing (a shameless plug for Tim V) that can show you what to look for, what it looks like, and why it's important. Spotter class in most CWAs is another excellent resource as well.

Learn to listen to and trust your instincts. If you're chasing and the voices say do something, then do it...don't second guess yourself.

The computer is useful to some degree, but don't rely on it. If I can get wi-fi somewhere, I'll grab a quick peek at satellite, radar, and surface data, but the sky will tell you most of the stuff you need to know. I'm like Blake...I began chasing with just a weather radio and looking out the windows for data. It's much more fun and (most of the time) a lot less stressful...I actually have much better luck when I chase old school.

Enjoy the ride, but a word of warning...you will find the more you learn, the more there is to learn. The weather is quite addictive

 

[Bob Hartig]

I'm a bit uncomfortable with what the word "apprentice" implies, Derek, since I consider myself very much a learner and by no means an expert. This spring has easily been my best chase season, and very instructional.

My experience of you makes me think you've got one very important thing going for you, and that is passion. You're in it for the right reason, and that will take you far. As for how long the learning curve takes, I think that will involve a number of things: how much self-education you do via books and the Internet, what your learning style is, and how much opportunity you get to connect concepts and terminology with what you actually see in the field.

This forum should be invaluable for you. There's a ton of knowledge here. Keep tuned to it, and ask questions. One tip: make sure to read the SPC forecast discussions and mesoscale discussions. Don't let the acronyms trip you up; stick with it, steep in it, and let it filter in.

Also, get your hands on Tim Vasquez's The Storm Chaser's Handbook. It's a good, readable introduction that won't overwhelm you.

 

[Erik Burns]

I agree with everything that has been said in here, even with you Shane.

Sounds like to me you are questioning your ability to chase. You shouldn't question your ability if you are ready. Like what everybody else has said read, read, read!

One place I have found to get great books is Half Price book stores, if you have one. I have found some great reads at these stores for very cheap. Everyone store I have been to has had a shelf for meteorology.

Gut feeling is a good guide when you're out in the field. I do use a laptop with radar, sprint card, and street atlas.. Once the chase is on I barely use the radar. Being able to read the storm with your eyes is priceless. Plus radar has a 5 minute delay. A storm can do alot within 5 minutes. Leaning how to forecast will not happen over night, but once you do learn it will help you alot with the type of storms you will be dealing with and their movements, being able to read hodographs is also a great tool..

The NWS has alot of spotter training booklets online. These are great guides to storm structure and what they mean in simple terms. If there is something you want to know just type in google and the information will be at your fingertips. Keep going out with friends and having a good time, Shoot alot of video and photos and watch them alot and study them. Buy a few chaser DVDs.

Here is a site that I still use that has alot of good information and courses on meteorology, severe weather forecasting and understanding relative storm enviroment.. You will find this site very helpful. Some of it is very technical though. I hope I was some help to you.

http://www.comet.ucar.edu/

 

[Laura Duchesne]

"How long does it typically take to get comfortable with storm structures to the point that I could go out comfortably and be the one in charge?"

Only you are the one to really answer that question, Derek, since we don't know what you know or how well you are grasping the information. It can take a while to learn everything; I have been chasing since 1998 and I am still learning. Learn at your own pace. Remember that learning is a never ending process. Everyone is different, some learn quickly, and others not.

"...any idea's how I can squeeze in learning the basics and advanced while taking non-related college courses?"

I would start working on your sky reading now, since that is a big one and will someday reward you. Look the sky when you walk out of the door in the morning and take note of the conditions. After a while, you should start to get an idea on what type of current weather conditions come before other conditions later in the day (ie. in the morning, a towering cumulus field in a hot, humid environment shows signs of instability, so you may likely see big storms later). Aside from finding instability pockets, if you want a tornado, shear environments are always a good thing, and the sky can show signs of that as well. If you see bubbly cumulus clouds forming horseshoe funnels, or curl over and rotate, you have horizontal vorticity. Transverse rolls in the morning are also a great sign.

The sky and current weather conditions tell a big story, even on sunny days. If you have wispy cirrus clouds or contrails, it's cold at the upper levels and that is what you want (air will rise easier). If it's totally clear, not a cloud in sight... then the atmosphere is capped. Radar won't get you a tornado, so your eyes will always be your best tool no matter how technology savvy you are. I have always looked up at the sky and feel the air around me, take note of current weather, even if I am going out shopping. It is one of my big habits.

If you are the type that can get distracted easily while driving, find a chase partner... they can be of tremendous help and not only that, but can possibly save your life (if you're the driver, you should only watch the road, obey traffic laws, drive safe, etc). If you know forecasting basics, how storms form and behave, you could technically start chasing now if you wanted to. Whether or not you will be successful depends on your skill and sometimes luck. The biggest thing in chasing is arriving at your target safely. Driving is the number one danger after all, and don't speed or do anything that could possibly land you a run in with a sheriff and you would then definitely miss your storm.

Most importantly... if you get overwhelmed, take less in at a time. You are only human, so learn at your own speed. Your brain can only absorb so much information, and if you learn at your own pace, you will grasp things easier. Everyone also has a different way of learning... I am a visual learner and also learn when doing hands on activities, while others learn from auditory processing. There will always be storms. Ask questions if you are not sure of something, there is never such thing as a stupid question.

 

[Eric Flescher]

Eric
Thanks for that link. Looks like a nice resource and website which I will have to check .
http://www.comet.ucar.edu/

The more you get into astronomy, internet, stormchasing, meteorology etc - the more you you find you don't know . Which is part of the fun I guess.

To Novice chasers
(1) Watch the weather in your area and do short chases.
(2) take a camera with you and camcorder even if they are not top of the line.
(3) have a pad or recorder to record some of your progress along the way.
(4) Keep a journal log and make a blog or website in the future
(5) Look at old books, new books , magazines and mine the internet for everything it has including Stormtrack and more.
(6) Use the SPC (Storm Prediction Center) and other websites
(7) make sure your car has gas and is in good working order
(8) Make sure you have all your photos and videos stored in a secure place
(9) Make backups (digital on hard drives or CD or DVDs)
(10) Get one of the year stormchase DVD charity videos and look at the chases of others. I am very impressed at the professionalism of all the videos, slightly different formats and footage.
(11) if someone will take you , make sure to pay for gas, lodging and more and make sure you thank them in person as well as a email communication or letter
(12) post some of your photos and videos (on Stormtrack) and have someone critique them. Don't be shy. Use the education section and the proper areas. Ask if you don't know.
(13) learn all the terminology and try to identify what they look like (beaver tail, mother ship, shelf cloud etc etc etc)
(14) if you want to ask a questions to a person on Stormtrack, PM them and first introduce yourself etc. Make sure to thank them too.
(15) Read, learn, ask (for help), try, try, try

 

[Dean Baron]

Derek, i am still a new chaser, i've only been chasing since 2006, but what i can give you as advice is find someone with experience to chase with, being out in the field with someone who knows what they are doing is a much better better tool for learning than reading books. Although i have to say that reading the discussion of outlooks, MDs, and watches from the SPC and NWS are all very helpful too, as well as reading forecasts and post storm discussion here at StormTrack, and other websites, even if you dont understand it all. I cant tell you how much all these things have taught my since i started getting ready for chasing back in 2005. One more thing, dont expect to see a tornado or perfect storm the first couple of storms, chasing is a lot more than seeing the storms and in the three years i have chased, i can honestly say about half of them have been busts, and i still havent seen a tornado.

 

[Mike Krzywonski]

The following thread also contains some excellent recommendations:http://www.stormtrack.org/forum/showthread.php?t=14095

 

[Brian Stertz]

Just learn as much as you can during the off-season is my words of advice to a new chaser. The good chasers can read the sky and just have that "feeling". While the sting of the bust is very painful, it is best to dissect what kept your chase from being one for the books. Look over as much data as you can the day after. Never give up and keep the chin up. Chasing these days has been made a bit smoother thanks to on the fly data and radar, but instincts and patience still remain big factors in successful chases (as does good old fashioned blind luck). Storm structures are so widely varied at times, the cookie cutter mentality does not always work...so just keep that in mind. Textbook supercells are surely out there, but so are their evil cousins...the hybrid/morph supercell...or LEWP...or some other form of atmospheric quirkiness.

 

[nickgrillo]

Similar to you, I began chasing in 2002 and was located in Michigan (in my case, Detroit) -- and was restricted to the Great Lakes for the first three seasons. At first, I didn't know much at all about severe weather meteorology, but rather read up mainly on storm structure and took off on more local < 100mi chases, and didn't learn much about severe weather forecasting until 2004. It doesn't take much to go out and chase besides the basic equipment and a camera (depending on what you want to do -- i.e. video or still, or both).

I've seen alot of people through the years saying they wanted to chase but seeingly never wanted to get off the ground. Chasing storms is as easy as one deciding to do so. Get up and take off. Your success mainly relies on your knowledge of severe weather forecasting, storm physics and expierence with time. I could write alot more, but I won't

 

[Darrin Rasberry]

All I can tell you is, if you have to ask, you're not ready.

Listen to this man.

I think you already knew this (the way you phrased the question implied that you know you're not ready yet), you're pretty clearly ahead of me, and I've been chasing exactly as long as you have. If you go out unsure but "faking it until you make it," like I stupidly did earlier this year, you end up getting yourself in situations that you don't know how to escape, that you assume danger where none is present, or worse, that you don't even recognize as actual danger.

Idiotic case 1: Last August, before I even knew a thing about chasing or weather, I drove to the southern part of my county to chase a tornadic cell that hit me straight-on after taking a right turn. Fortunately it had become outflow-dominant by the time I reached it (recalling in retrospect the massive front-line winds) but I was scared out of my wits and had no way to escape. Lesson: know weather basics and plan routes ahead of time.

Idiotic case 2: I chased a MDT by myself in Nebraska when my chasing partner had to work. Not only did I entirely ignore a tornado machine in Iowa because I didn't pay attention to storm motions (not Parkersburg, but a nice isolated sup in the southern part of the state) but I ended up quite close to, and nearly under, a bear's cage circulation because I thought what I was looking at was "just some turbulence." I'd figured nothing dangerous could develop on a flanking line. Foolish.

Idiotic case 3: I got a big head, ignored the pleas of my stormchasing partner, and drove south (i.e. the wrong way) during the Wakeeney tornado. We practically got blown off the roads by RFDs. I was lucky to not take a direct hit with my stupidity. Lesson: Always have an experienced partner with you until you're ready to do it on your own, and then LISTEN TO HIM/HER.

How long does it take? I don't know. I'm not there yet myself. Since the people posting on this site are almost universally on the same relative intelligence scale (however, intuition may vary), it probably depends on how much time you can spend a) studying and b) chasing. Geographic location also matters; certainly the dryline storms in Western Kansas, OK, W NE, etc., are far different than the quick-moving cold front late-Winter murderers in the Southeast and the wet, very dangerous late-Spring warm front HP's in Iowa and Illinois.

This isn't to say you can't chase on your own at all. How would you ever know what you're seeing while someone isn't holding your hand? But you still have to be careful, and recall the lessons you have seen when chasing with a partner who is leading. Personally, I go out on stormy days when storms are high based, or elevated, or unsupported in the upper level and thus cellular/outflow-dom and highly improbable to become tornadic. This implies a bit of forecasting on your own, but learning that much hasn't been difficult or long for me IMO.

Without a book, it's difficult to study from the often-recommended Haby site. If you know little, like me, you'll find yourself shortly in a sort of infinite regress of link-clicking on that maze. It sort of assumes you at least know more than I do.

Then where to start? Personally, I purchased Tim Vasquez's Storm Chasing Handbook, Purple and Red Forecasting guides, the Green reference manual for weather maps, models, and satellites, and a program that has about 500 historical forecast setups as a sort of "stormchasing video game" for you to learn forecasting relative to chasing storms. I will go through those products in the order I gave them, and I plan to dedicate the next three months to them with the time I would normally spend for an average, undergradute semester-long course. All of this can be purchased from Tim V's site (don't try Amazon, they're sold out) for about the price of one single college textbook.

Since I got these in just today, I can't vouch for them myself, but a lot of experienced chasers have touted them. That's good enough for me.

Since I am myself a newb, I invite any kind of criticism from any of the vets here - and any advice from the OP's side of his first chasing year as well.