Dan Robinson
EF5
Ask yourself this question: where did you learn everything you currently know about storm chasing? This includes subjects like how to forecast, how to intercept, safety considerations, vehicle equipment, hotels to stay at and avoid, and everything in between.
The answer to that question is going to be different for every single chaser. No one's story is going to be exactly the same, because there is no single source that can fully inform and equip a chaser. There is no storm chasing course that you can go through. No certification process that covers all of the essentials. Each chaser, for all intents and purposes, is on our own when it comes to learning the craft, being successful and keeping ourselves safe.
During my first 2 or 3 years on the Plains, I learned some of the basics from chaser friends, Stormtrack, WX-CHASE, Haby Hints and reading chase accounts on the web. Much of what I've learned since then has come from raw experience. I've made it a priority to share my experiences in the form of chase logs: forecasting methodology, chase strategies employed, what storms did that surprised me, how I succeeded and how I failed. In doing that, I become just one in another complex web of information that chasers who happen to read my site and my accounts on Stormtrack can integrate into their personal knowledge bank.
In most of chasing's history, there have been various closed circles of knowledge sharing. These have included the CFDG email listserver, private research groups and today, the conversations that take place within small circles on Facebook and even chat rooms here on Stormtrack. If you were excluded from those groups either via rejection from the community or simply not being a social media user, you end up missing a lot of the tidbits of knowledge that can make a difference in your success rates and your level of safety.
Some might choose to withhold knowledge to maintain some type of competitive advantage, which is understandable. For instance, if you've learned through years of experience how to identify subtle clues that precede a mesoscale accident-type event, why would you share that publicly when you could be the only one who scores it?
But you can see the problem with all of this. Some assume there are tenets of chasing that are common knowledge, but are in fact only knowledge shared by the group of your closest acquaintances and associates. How would you expect chasers outside of that realm to come into that same knowledge?
I consider myself well-read on storm chasing and mesoscale convective meteorology: I've repeatedly studied veterans' chase accounts, scientific journal papers, case studies, forecaster talks and more. But even then after 18 years of Plains chasing, I find myself missing things that some expect to be common knowledge.
How can experienced chasers go most of their careers missing seemingly simple points? I think that's the wrong question. The more appropriate thing to ask is, how can anyone be expected to know everything there is to know when there is such a fragmented nature to chase knowledge? Unless you purposefully immerse yourself in every chaser social circle and/or luck out into the elite groups like CFDG, you're pretty much on your own.
I think that should change, particularly with the safety issues. We can't look down on any chaser for a safety misstep when those points haven't been made clear in an easily accessible manner community-wide. Then again, where and how do we accomplish that?
The answer to that question is going to be different for every single chaser. No one's story is going to be exactly the same, because there is no single source that can fully inform and equip a chaser. There is no storm chasing course that you can go through. No certification process that covers all of the essentials. Each chaser, for all intents and purposes, is on our own when it comes to learning the craft, being successful and keeping ourselves safe.
During my first 2 or 3 years on the Plains, I learned some of the basics from chaser friends, Stormtrack, WX-CHASE, Haby Hints and reading chase accounts on the web. Much of what I've learned since then has come from raw experience. I've made it a priority to share my experiences in the form of chase logs: forecasting methodology, chase strategies employed, what storms did that surprised me, how I succeeded and how I failed. In doing that, I become just one in another complex web of information that chasers who happen to read my site and my accounts on Stormtrack can integrate into their personal knowledge bank.
In most of chasing's history, there have been various closed circles of knowledge sharing. These have included the CFDG email listserver, private research groups and today, the conversations that take place within small circles on Facebook and even chat rooms here on Stormtrack. If you were excluded from those groups either via rejection from the community or simply not being a social media user, you end up missing a lot of the tidbits of knowledge that can make a difference in your success rates and your level of safety.
Some might choose to withhold knowledge to maintain some type of competitive advantage, which is understandable. For instance, if you've learned through years of experience how to identify subtle clues that precede a mesoscale accident-type event, why would you share that publicly when you could be the only one who scores it?
But you can see the problem with all of this. Some assume there are tenets of chasing that are common knowledge, but are in fact only knowledge shared by the group of your closest acquaintances and associates. How would you expect chasers outside of that realm to come into that same knowledge?
I consider myself well-read on storm chasing and mesoscale convective meteorology: I've repeatedly studied veterans' chase accounts, scientific journal papers, case studies, forecaster talks and more. But even then after 18 years of Plains chasing, I find myself missing things that some expect to be common knowledge.
How can experienced chasers go most of their careers missing seemingly simple points? I think that's the wrong question. The more appropriate thing to ask is, how can anyone be expected to know everything there is to know when there is such a fragmented nature to chase knowledge? Unless you purposefully immerse yourself in every chaser social circle and/or luck out into the elite groups like CFDG, you're pretty much on your own.
I think that should change, particularly with the safety issues. We can't look down on any chaser for a safety misstep when those points haven't been made clear in an easily accessible manner community-wide. Then again, where and how do we accomplish that?
Last edited:
Hopefully this will keep me from being my usual wordy self...
. Tacit knowledge is knowledge that is difficult to transfer to another person by means of writing it down or verbalizing it, whereas explicit knowledge is formal and codified. Stormtrack at least codifies some knowledge to some degree; Facebook does not, which is why I detest the use of Facebook for chasing content. 
It is also a great source of information on chase techniques, safety and a very good general Tornado Alley travel guide aimed at chasers. The Storm Chaser Handbook, especially if it is ever is updated, should be required reading for all participants of chase tours in addition to those getting ready to chase on their own. Tim has a couple of other forecast books that are much more up to date and are a very good start for one learning to forecast though not necessary for most "tourists" unless their eventual plan is chasing on their own. These books include Severe Storm Forecasting (2010-15), Weather Analysis & Forecasting Handbook (2011-15) and Instability, Skew-T & Hodograph Handbook (2017.) These are available through Weather Graphics.com. It will take time to read and study these books especially beyond the Storm Chaser Handbook. Once these are understood, one can watch the series of online tornado forecasting lectures by the SPC (for serious chasers, not casual tourists.) Google "Severe Thunderstorm Forecasting Video Lecture Series." Many are by meteorologist and chaser Rich Thompson. There is also the Tornado Forecasting Workshop presented by Rich Thompson. The series by Rich Thompson and others is on YouTube and can be Googled. The chase group "Tornado Titans" has a series short basic forecasting and chase technique videos online called "Titan U" that are also very useful and was originally funded by a Kickstarter. There was some talk of the Tornado Titans removing that stuff which would be utterly useless and a complete waste since it was quite good information and very worthwhile for chasers and spotters. The more serious prospective chaser should also start reading StormTrack in more detail including some of the archived print editions especially chase accounts, forecasts and equipment posts. Review previous chase days by looking at archived data, making a forecast and reading about the results. If there are storms currently forecast, practice looking at data in the morning, making one's own forecast and seeing what happens. Most experienced chasers do this when they can't chase for whatever reason. Weathergraphics has a Forecast Laboratory with archived outbreak and null days where one can look at morning charts, make a forecast and see if the forecast verified through the day. Meteorologist Tim Vasquez will do online forecast training sessions via Skype, but I'd recommend doing some initial learning first. Mike Hollingshead has a nice DVD on forecasting that is for sale. Check out some of Skip Talbot's lecture videos on YouTube and Jon Davies severe weather blog. Attend some of the local and National Storm Chaser Conventions and opt for the forecasting class if available.
