Piss Poor Media near Hutchinson Today

[Drew.Gardonia]

Steve Worthington, his navigator Stacy and I were out chasing today near Hutchinson, KS, and I have to say I'm dismayed at the quality of the storm spotters out there.

A particular spotter (Kelly ?) kept calling in on the radio and claiming to have seen funnels lowering almost to the ground, and that he could hear the tornado sirens from 235th Street and something or other.

Steve and I were in the same vicinity watching the same exact wall cloud as this assmunch, and neither of us could see any funnels lowering down to the ground, and we sure as hell couldn't hear any sirens from our location. Not to say that the sirens weren't going off, but we never heard a damn siren all day long. Most we saw was very light rotation, and some wisps of clouds lowering and raising, but nothing organized like a funnel.

As we moved east and came into the town of Goddard, this same spotter came on the radio again, claiming to see funnels lowering almost to the ground, and that the sirens were going off in Goddard. We were driving through the town and there wasn't a single siren going off.

We were listening to 101.3, and this spotter was full of **** on about 3/4 of the **** he called in.

Steve and I were both like what the **** is he looking at?

101.3 should take reports from a more experience and qualified spotter, because this dip**** didn't know his ass from a hole in the ground.

 

[David Schuttler]

It's a radio station they probably just send someone from the station out, not really a storm spotter.

 

[Mike Weiss]

Was also in the area....FWIW we did see two funnels south of Goddard. They were extremely short lived and wispy at best. Never heard any sirens till we got to Conway Springs.
Their chasers are usually pretty good. In fact I believe one of their chasers is a member on ST and is very knowledgeable. I heard his name mentioned last night as having some video of a rotating wall cloud. But with all media, there is always a bit of sensationalism to be added!!!!

 

[Drew.Gardonia]

I just feel they should have a duty to report accurately, and not just what they want to see. Oh well just my opinion, but i felt it was very aggravating.

 

[Steve Worthington]

We hit this cell west of Hutchinson and were back roading this cell all the way down to HWY54.
As it looked cool there was no reason to call in a report as there were "NO funnels lowering" at the time or before the reports were made. We chased this cell till it fell apart before it reached Goddard.



We took off south to hit the other cell that did give us a nice show or 3

Anyway We were there and there was no reason for those reports. I do have it on HD video myself and today I reviewed it and there are "NO funnels lowering "

This should show you we had complete view of the cell

This is a photo Andrew took at the first radar shot. (I think that was the location ??Andrew?)

2nd photo of the same cell. Hope you dont mind Andrew?
Andrew took some really good shots of this cell at our radar locations

The little lowering was to far forward in the inflownotch to be a rotating funnel. Trust me we checked it out and couldnt see any rotation in it. It did show up as a hook on radar but it was nothing that was going to come together. It would get longer then go back up but there wasn`t enough rotation to make it anything.

Moved south to get out of the rain as we were on a dirt road.

 

[Drew.Gardonia]

thanks Steve! You can use those photos anytime. that one funnel shaped cloud on the left kinda threw me, as it looked like a funnel, and it went down and then back up.

but definitely agree those spotters were not of quality caliber, and need to get retrained properly, because whoever trained them, did a crappy job.

 

[Mike Weiss]

Yes I believe I did see you or at least a vehicle with the "extreme Storm Chasers" sticker on it. I do not know if the illustration with the inflow and the circle was directed at me or who. But I dont need directions!!!!!!! As I have said we did see a couple of short lived, yet wispy funnels. I agree they were not reportable quality, IMO.
As we all know, the media will say what they need to, to keep the public enthralled. But one thing I do know is that particular station, is very good with the severe weather coverage, and they do keep their listening area informed. I am not sticking up for their spotters. I refuse to do that, not knowing any of them, but as I have said, one spotter that was mentioned as having maybe a dash cam funnel, is a member of this forum. I have read several of his forecasts and posts, He is very capable in his abilities.
BTW...I was the yellow dodge dakota, just so you know I was in the same area as you!

 

[Drew.Gardonia]

i think Steve was directing that inflow and stuff at me. That was my first experience seeing rotation and wall clouds, so I still have some stuff to learn.

 

[Steve Worthington]

I remember seeing a bright yellow truck on the west side of the road as we were bailing on this storm and heading south for an intercept on the south storm cell.

The "directions" or the "illustration" is for who ever called in.
Making calls like that do nothing but up-set people in town as they know no better. They take the words of others to try and stay safe.

Stacy and I were on an early cell this year 3/07/09 and they were doing the same thing.
We were in the exact spot of the report and again there was nothing.

Some people complain about our way of chasing because we don't report often and are always on the move and looking for only the Extreme cell`s. I feel better about not reporting then I would about making faults reports.

I didn't report the Tonkawa, OK tornado last week because there was a Vortex2 car 5 miles up the road and I figured he`d report it???? I don't think that is a good way of thinking and I feel I should have called it in because "What If" we all thought some one else would make the call? But to make faults reports is just insane and a complete waste of time for everyone.

OK I`m done

BTW.... I own 2 Camaros that will blow "Tornado Tims" off the map.....ROTFLMAO

 

[Mike Weiss]

Steve, I agree with you, that reports are useful, but also that if you get 20 ppl calling in the same report...It would rack my nerves as the report taker!!! We did also get on the Conway Springs storm...It had better rotation for a moment just east of CS.
Andrew...Welcome to the world of chasing...95% sitting around doing nothing and 5% shear excitement...LOL But hey its all fun to me....
"Tornado Tim"....Is an idiot....IMO! oh well till the next chase...see ya on the YBR.

 

[Drew.Gardonia]

Steve, I agree with you, that reports are useful, but also that if you get 20 ppl calling in the same report...It would rack my nerves as the report taker!!! We did also get on the Conway Springs storm...It had better rotation for a moment just east of CS.
Andrew...Welcome to the world of chasing...95% sitting around doing nothing and 5% shear excitement...LOL But hey its all fun to me....
"Tornado Tim"....Is an idiot....IMO! oh well till the next chase...see ya on the YBR.

yes, Tornado Tim is an idiot. I saw that video on the weather channel, and it's amazing that they failed to mention the moron was driving 115 mph just to catch up to the storm, and endangering others.

sorry not use to all the jargon yet, but what's the YBR?

I wish we could get a PDS Warning from the NWS here soon. I love days like that. My previous time chasing before Friday was May 5, 2007, (day after Greensburg got smashed by that brutal F5) and my brother and I were in Dorrance, KS. They had a PDS Warning that day, and tornadoes popped up all over the place, but all we got was a rain wrapped tornado we couldn't see, but we sure saw the debris flying around! 111 tornadoes reported across Kansas, Oklahoma, and Nebraska that day.

 

[Andrew Ryan]

YBR= Yellow Brick Road

BTW, there is no such thing as PDS Warning only a Watch and they are issued by the SPC and not the NWS.

 

[Dan Robinson]

For the record, 'Tornado Tim' Baker is not 'Camaro Dude'.

 

[Steve Worthington]

Mike
That south cell was trying real hard
We kinda got back off in the woods on the east side of I-35.....lol

 

[Danny Neal]

For the record, 'Tornado Tim' Baker is not 'Camaro Dude'.

I was just about to comment.....

I don't know how THAT confusion started but definitely not the same people. I know "Tornado Tim" did get within the circulation of the Kirksville storm, but as far as I can tell he wasn't doing anything wreckless to anyone but his own well being.