This up close stuff is getting out of hand

[Brandon Goforth]

Those questioning the impact and visibility of reckless storm chasing may want to log on to CNN.com and look on the front page under "latest news." I believe the fifth one down.

http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-258037

Just a little bit from over there:

"Michael Ambrosia, who says chasing storms is his hobby, called it a "bad mistake" to pull over on Highway 6 in Novinger, Missouri, as a twister loomed in the distance.

"Oh ... I got close ... OK, that's the closest I've ever been ... It's getting very windy," Ambrosia says on an iReport he sent to CNN.com.

One can hear tires screeching as other cars are trying to tear out of the twister's path. Ambrosia stays put.

"It's about 50 yards from me ... Okay, this tornado ... is ... wow," he says. "It's coming across the road here in front of me. Oh, OK, actually, this is too close. You can feel the winds. Oh, my gosh, I've never been this close before. This one is a fat one, never seen one this wide!""

 

[Dennis Sherrod]

From what I can find, it looks like all the clips have been taken down except for the short 38 second one of him panicking.

 

[John Hudson]

Welcome to the Reality TV Era, where garbage is king, and stupidity sells.

Don't believe me? Just look at the prime time lineup on any evening. Last night, on the Learning Channel, of all places, six straight hours of "I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant."

I rest my case.


John
VE4 JTH

 

[Jason Foster]

Was this a black Camaro, from the last generation....late 90s to early 2000s?

I seem to remember someone somewhere (youtube, skywarnonline) talking about being a chaser, but really had no clue. But I can't find anything...any video links left? Not your everyday chase vehicle.

 

[Kenny Drake]

I think there is enough chaser video out there for anyone to recognize that 98% of storm chasers view from a safe distance and know exactly what they are doing. Hence, the 2% of the yahoos, or the crazy i-don't-care-about-my-life storm chasers won't really tarnish the reputation of the rest. I'm more afraid of what appears to already be happening: Once someone witnesses someone else successfully punch a tornadic circulation of the weaker variety then they'll try it on a much stronger circulation and end-up not so lucky (thankfully I don't think the latter has happened to any serious degree in the last couple of years).

 

[Scott Weberpal]

Personally, I'm not satisfied seeing a tornado 2-3 miles away. There is a lot of detail near the ground and around the tornado that you miss from that distance. I enjoy getting close, and I don't do it for anything other than personal gratification - which is why most folks chase. Yesterday when the large tornado passed right in front of me, I likely could have gotten closer and still been here to type about it. I have my limitations (typically about 1/4 mile away), but occasionally there are situations when I feel safe getting even closer. Yesterday, I saw the tornado near Green City before the warning text indicated a confirmed tornado. First and foremost before taking any pictures, I immediately submitted my report via SpotterNetwork. When the 2nd larger tornado developed, again, the report came first which caused me to lose good video time of the tornado transitioning from a truncated cone into the 1/4 mi wide beast.

Getting inside the debris field...that's another story and something you'll never see me doing!

 

[Verne Carlson]

People die all the time from other extreme sports. I don't see storm chasing as any different. If someone dies in Nascar, skydiving, kayaking, extreme surfing, mountain biking, moto-cross or any other sport they have not been shut down or regulated or cries from the public about when's it all going to end.

Even if it saved one life wouldn't it be worth it to stop the up close tornado intercepts?? NO - not in my opinion.

 

[Jacob Ferden]

People die all the time from other extreme sports. I don't see storm chasing as any different. If someone dies in Nascar, skydiving, kayaking, extreme surfing, mountain biking, moto-cross or any other sport they have not been shut down or regulated or cries from the public about when's it all going to end.

Even if it saved one life wouldn't it be worth it to stop the up close tornado intercepts?? NO - not in my opinion.

I respectfully disagree. The difference between storm chasing and the other extreme sports you mention is, storm chasing is done by utilizing public roads that are also utilized by regular citizens. What would happen if a storm chaser, in an attempt to get within the outer edges of a tornadic circulation, caused an accident that led to the death of someone attempting to escape the tornado. Furthermore, storm chasing involves observation of phenomena that can damage and destroy both life and property of everyday citizens living in their homes. I fail to see any instance where any of the other extreme sports you mention directly affect the lives of unsuspecting citizens.

 

[Rich Thompson]

I think what gets the OFs (like myself) a bit frustrated is the fact that so many more of these goobers seem to be gravitating to chasing. Chasing used to be sold as a boring hobby that was mostly occupied by meteorologists. Now, with instant communications and all of this "shock" video, who isn't aware of tornado chasing?

More chasers and more dare devil types will translate into more close encounters. I don't think chasing should be shut down or regulated, but it's a bit sad to watch it devolve into just another extreme sport. The better forecasting and detection gets, the easier it gets to see tornadoes. Soon enough the whole process will be automated and almost *anyone* will be able to target the best threat area with little effort or understanding. If you're willing and able to drive around and can pay for gas, you'll have the opportunity to see tornadoes up close and personal.

 

[Scott Nelson]

I saw that Camaro dude chase footage and it really peeved me. The first thing I thought of was if my family was injured or killed because this hero was running to get up close and personal with the storm at 115mph+ -- I couldn't go on myself. But the more I thought about it-- the more I realize what I've learned from this forum. You're not going to change people who don't want to be changed. I'm sure he's happy with what he did and the footage he got but notice how ironic it is that he then gets scared because the storm is on top of him. I was scared for the people he was flying by like it was in a video game. One post on another topic said "I was only going 85mph and people were flying by me." But was 85mph really OK? I was watching a live broadcast the other day and the driver ran a stop sign. Why? Because he was trying to get to the storm. I think Camaro dude is simply a more noticeable worst case situation. Should it be on everyones "WHAT NOT TO DO" play list? That's up to you. But it will be on mine. As a reminder_ If we're running towards the storm... just know that 99.99% of the population is running away.

 

[Chad Ringley]

I'll risk being all philosophical here, but isn't the bigger issue here the circumstances in which you "get close"?

I personally am all for being close, especially if you experienced and understand and can react to what's going on around you. In the case of the Camaro dude, its a situation where there is perceived inexperience and flaunted negligence on the roadway. I think there should be a clear distinction between chasers who "get close" in a calculated way and those who don't.

 

[John Farley]

I'm with Matt on this one. As I said in the DISC thread, what bothers me is that videos of "inside the tornado" with dust, rain, and/or debris pounding the car are becoming 1) more and more the standard for what viewers and networks expect to see and 2) the image of chasers presented to the public. This, in turn, creates 2 problems. First, it hurts our image as chasers, which CAN have consequences if law enforcement decides we need to be protected from ourselves. I've seen a few complaints already on ST about "cops that don't like chasers" - expect more of this. Second, it creates new idiots, like the one in that Facebook/Youtube video that got pulled, because they see this kind of chasing and decide to emulate it. Thus, this kind of behavior has a very self-perpetuating aspect to it.

I agree that it is a matter of time until some chaser or wannabe chaser dies. Three people did yesterday in Kirksville, so that tornado was not to be messed with. Multiple chasers had very close calls - and I get the sense from the chase reports that quite a few of these were on an east-west road between an east-moving tornado and a town that blocked their exit options - yet some waited until the tornado was very close before trying to bail. And with a partly rain-wrapped tornado at that. That goes beyond just getting close. I agree there are situations where it is safe to get pretty close - but on a road directly between a partly rain-wrapped tornado and the town it's moving toward? That seems like pushing the limits to me. Yes, I wasn't there and if I am wrong about this I apologize, and feel free to flame me regardless - but I do think that the continuous broadcasting of "in the tornado" video has consequences that go beyond the person who gets the video. (I'm not talking about TIV here, but people that get such video in regular vehicles.)

 

[Connor McCrorey]

I respectfully disagree. The difference between storm chasing and the other extreme sports you mention is, storm chasing is done by utilizing public roads that are also utilized by regular citizens. What would happen if a storm chaser, in an attempt to get within the outer edges of a tornadic circulation, caused an accident that led to the death of someone attempting to escape the tornado. Furthermore, storm chasing involves observation of phenomena that can damage and destroy both life and property of everyday citizens living in their homes. I fail to see any instance where any of the other extreme sports you mention directly affect the lives of unsuspecting citizens.

I see what you are saying, but to this point I have not seen an example of a chaser endangering citizens around him. Please let me know if I am wrong, but so far all I have seen is chasers getting close without putting others in harm's way.

My view on this is issue is: If someone wants to get close, let them. I agree with Scott, saying that he prefers to be closer to see the tornado's interaction with the ground. In an area like yesterday, that requires being very close. But in West Texas for example, you don't need to be nearly as close to get the same view. I like to see what the tornado is doing on the ground, and that's all I really ask. If that gets me "too close," I'm not going to apologize. Most of the time, it won't. And I will NEVER put any bystanders in harms way just to get "the shot."

 

[Jacob Ferden]

I see what you are saying, but to this point I have not seen an example of a chaser endangering citizens around him. Please let me know if I am wrong, but so far all I have seen is chasers getting close without putting others in harm's way.

My post mainly was prompted by the Camaro driver doing 115 while passing multiple cars in order to catch up to a tornado. That was by far the most egregious example I have seen, but not the only one. One personal experience of mine involved driving north from Sayre, OK back on the 25th, only to be passed by someone with Texas plates doing at least 90 and weaving in and out of traffic on a U.S. highway...a curvy, hilly U.S. highway at that.

 

[Brandon Goforth]

I see what you are saying, but to this point I have not seen an example of a chaser endangering citizens around him. Please let me know if I am wrong, but so far all I have seen is chasers getting close without putting others in harm's way.

Reckless driving is putting others in harm's way, and we all know that's going on left and right out there, and I'm not talking about just driving the usual 5 over...I'm talking about driving 115 mph, running stop signs/lights, pulling out in front of people...all of that puts other people on the road at risk.

Getting close, as I said before, I don't care about...drive into a tornado all you want as that is your call...go punch a core dropping grapefruit sized hail, who cares...just don't do crap that endangers other people...other people who are trying to be safe. It's hard to look out for yourself and the other guy when the other guy is doing 115 mph on a wet road and weaving in and out of traffic. Storm chasing is not an "extreme sport", it's really not even an extreme hobby if you know what you're doing and have half a brain...but as he said, we're using the same roads as everyone else...therefore, the choices we make while on those roads affect everyone else around us...it's not even a matter of opinion really, it's common sense, and it's why we have traffic laws in place...it's always fun and games until someone dies.