Forgive me if this is totally out of line as a total newbie with zilch experience. Let me give you an outsider's point of view on this controversy. I have been reading the stormtrack threads for over 3 years and just requested membership. There is a lot to say about you folks that is incredibly positive for me-many of you are "professional meterologists, and students" and many of you are veteran chasers and hobbyists. I am so impressed by the forcast, discussion and report threads on this forum. I don't understand many of the technical terms such as "CAPE" and mb etc and what they mean to a storm set-up but when I read through the forcast discussions and dare I say "collaborations" I get the gist of what may happen and where.
I am impressed mostly with the collaboration and discussion between hobbyists and professionals and believe there is utmost value in both. I do believe chasers have contributed extreme value to research directly or indirectly as well. What other weather
phenomena on earth has so much data collected weather it be via pictures, video or scientific equipment? There is ultimate value in chasers-researchers and scientists can't possibly be in enough places to collect what chasers do-especially with so many from all around the country and world gathering some form or another of data on storms in such a hugely vast area. I believe without chasers researchers would be severly lacking in "observational data" With pictures and video you can discern so many things atmospherically going on around the person on the ground as well as the sky-someday maybe a connection will be made with some of those "trigger" signs that may be of value.
Where else in the world do you have so much data on particular storms from so many angles? There should be some gratitude surrounding the willingness of private individuals spending private money to gather data that no amount of a research grant could possibly fulfill.
Even crazies like Reed Timmer may add value someday. If he wants to get close to a tornado and risk his life so be it-just pray that whatever footage he catches while he's swirling around in the tornado can be retrieved later-just kidding Reed but you are a little nuts!
It would be smart on the part of science to acknowledge the credibility of chasers whether you like them or not they have gathered some form of data in some way that by building a partnership or collaboration may benefit all-especially innocent lives!
I also want to thank Mike Hollingshead and Mike Smith whom I have never met, but are in my area specifically Lincoln. Your forcasts and discussions have become as trusted to me as my own weatherman on TV! Thanks for your dedication to chasing and thanks to all of you who do contribute to the safety of others-meterologist/researcher or hobbyist!
