Should Storm Chasing Be Regulated?

[Robert Dewey]

You may discover that success generates recognition whether you're aiming for it or not.

I guess that depends on how well you're connected to the internet (ST, Facebook, websites, etc). To be honest, I wouldn't know who 99% of you are if it weren't for ST. The exceptions are some of the higher profile people that regularly make it into the media (or at least did)... and those who I chatted with on AOL 10 years ago (i.e. Eric Nguyen pre-OU era).

 

[Marcus Hicks]

I say let the storms thin the heard. If you know what I mean.

 

[Bryan Stokes]

Now that we got the annual regulation thread out of the way, I predict December will bring us the off-season Lightbar discussion!

Bryan

(Jeremy, my comment is not directed at you -- just trying to lighten things up)

 

[Jason Boggs]

Oh, the wannabees will thin themselves out either due to boredom, lack of dough, or getting injured or killed. Unfortunately they will be replaced with other meatheads that will do the same thing. A never ending cycle will ensue.

EDIT: I really hope gas is 4 bucks a gallon by next spring. Would not hurt my feelings a bit.

 

[Marcus Hicks]

Thats what we need to go ahead and get the lightbar thread out of the way too.

 

[Sam Barricklow]

Let me think about this for a minute.

No. Same answer as the last 50 times this topic has been discussed, ad nauseum.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_nauseam

 

[bill mudd]

$5 dollars a gallon, the discovery storm series is canceled indefinatly, the weather channel stops buying video clips, Reed is interviewed on non stop talk shows for the whole month of May, all major interstates east /west options are brought down to 1 lane during April, May and June, it becomes illegal to fly an RC airplane within 100 miles of an inflow, Sean retires after getting his shot this year at LaGrange (and running out of money), Josh finally has enough radar grabs, and finally the legal age to drive in Kansas,Colorado, and Texas becomes 30 years of age.....

that would naturally reduce the chaser convergences by about 5% (and to keep on topic no certification would be needed).

oh yea and tornado clips on you tube are banned and a new site stormporntube evolves, which requires a 30 digit GR3 password of mixed letters and numbers..

 

[Steve Worthington]

Exactly what I was thinking at first but then what do you do with the people who are following the chasers or don't have the decal?

I dont know what you would do but we take em to the hail core

 

[Jason Foster]

Who here would become outlaw chasers and revert to old-west kind of attitude if there was regulation and/or banning of chasing?

I mean, it isn't going to happen, but in a fictional world.....if it did (get regulated), who would?

 

[James Weatherman]

Having been in law enforcement for 8 years and having been on duty during many storms both tornadic and non-tornadic storms I can say law enforcement has thousands of other things going on to worry about if someone is certified to be chasing a storm or if they have a sticker on their vehicle that I would need to allow into an area. Certification would be a nice thing if the courses were very in depth and were longer then a day. But honestly having chased for a while without equipment or anything special it comes down to people using common sense.

 

[Drew.Gardonia]

For the sake of discussion, do you think storm chasing should be regulated? In other words, to legally storm chase one must take some kind of training and pass some kind of certification exam (similar to a drivers test).

Personally I think this would be a good idea (depending how it was done). It makes me nervous to know there are a whole bunch of people out there chasing storms that have absolutely no idea what they are doing. Does that mean I think I know everything? Absolutely not. However, I put ALOT of effort into learning storms, tornadoes, chasing safety, etc before I went out for my first chase. I know the majority of 'newbs' don't do that though...

Anyhow, what do you guys think about regulating it? Would it even be possible?

No it should not be regulated, and no it would not be possible.

if you're going to regulate chasing, then the government should regulate who should have kids and who can't based on their living styles, finances, common sense level, and their ability to properly raise and support them.

 

[Bob Hartig]

Just for the sake of having some fun, and because it's after 2 a.m. and I'm slap-happy in my own quiet way, I say that, damn yes, the government ought to regulate storm chasing, and it ought to do so the same way it regulates the hunting of limited-availability game such as mountain goats: by lottery.

Aspiring chasers would first have to pass a test demonstrating baseline proficiency at forecasting, radar interpretation, storm structure, and applying a double-coat of Rain-X to a windshield in three minutes. Those who passed would then pay a $75, non-refundable fee to have their names entered in a random drawing. Losers would be, well, losers. Winners would take whatever the season offered, for better or worse, and just to make things more interesting, chasing for two consecutive years would be prohibited. Death ridge? Tough luck. Them's the breaks.

Chasers would be required to display their licenses prominently, and to wear hunter orange Kevlar vests and hail helmets at all times for easy identification by law enforcement officers. The installation of an anemometer on top of one's hail helmet would be permissible.

Those caught chasing without a license would face stiff fines, same as for poaching, and would lose their light bars, laptops, roof-mounted anemometers, and other chase-related gadgets. Also, violators would be forced to wear a T-shirt with a scarlet "Y" for "Yahoo" on it, and be subjected to public humiliation and multiple noogies.

There's my proposal. What do you think of it?*
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* No, I am not serious. Are you crazy?

 

[Steve Miller]

Bob - I would like to add tagging to this set of regulations.
Much like hunting for bear or moose, a pre-paid tag or "stamp" should be required for each tornado caught. These would of course be priced dependent upon the size of the tornado; therefore those with an F2 stamp who are viewing and/or filming an F3 will be arrested on the spot and levied a heavy fine; video destroyed.

We will need a lobbying body to help create and enforce regulations for chasing. I propose a member agency much like the NRA. A chaser shall belong to, and support this cause or be looked down upon by others.

You know, in writing this little novelty blurb I realize how much chasing really can mimic hunting sometimes...

 

[Bob Hartig]

Naturally, we'd need to figure out an award system for rating trophy tornadoes. Maybe guys like Greg Stumpf and others who've given us the EF Scale could get with the folks at Boone & Crockett and come up with something, including "typical" and "atypical" categories.

Seriously, Steve, I agree that there are some striking parallels between storm chasing and hunting. From what I can see, both activities involve many of the same basic psychological and behavioral factors.

 

[Steve Miller]

We really do need to touch on the subject of taxation of storm footage too...