Tornadoes around the world. Want to know who gets the most tornadoes?

[MJ Poore]

You are right about that, MJ Poore,
Two years' ago I was in Romania and I was lucky to watch a tornado near Tirgu Mures. However, the locals didn't believe me when I told them that I had seen a tornado in their area. They said: oh, that were rain-curtains. Only when I showed them this picture:

they were convinced

Wow, that's awsome Menno. You've just started something new in European chasing. Is it easy to chase Romania? Were you chasing or was it just good fortune to see it? It's not everyday you go to a strange country and see a nado. I know people who have gone to the US midwest for an entire month in May and seen nothing.

Mungo

 

[Menno van der Haven]

Wow, that's awsome Menno. You've just started something new in European chasing. Is it easy to chase Romania? Were you chasing or was it just good fortune to see it? It's not everyday you go to a strange country and see a nado. I know people who have gone to the US midwest for an entire month in May and seen nothing.

Mungo

No, I was on a holiday/family visit and saw this tornado just by coincidence (whilst helping with the strawberry harvest). Most of Romania isn't good for chasing: too many hills/mountains, forests and a poor road-network. Although the quality of the main roads is quite good, rural roads are poor to very poor..... In the south the country is flat and I think chasing can be quite rewardable over there.
An even better chasing terrain is Hungary: flat and a good road network. The eastern half of Hungary is called "puszta" and looks like the US plains. They get many strong storms in the Carpathian Basin and I do have plans to chase over there. The language is not a problem: I speak some hungarian because my wife comes from the hungarian speaking part of central Romania (Transylvania)

 

[Peter Kirk]

our research always suggested that on average we experienced some 35 tornados per year – however the last five year average has been running at nearly 50! (more reports coming into TORRO due to the internet boom)

Actually the mean number per year is running at over 50 now even for the last 30 years. The mean over the last five years is 70 tornadoes.

 

[tom hanlon]

I was in South Africa in December 2007 and I must say that I suspected that they had more tornadoes than where reported. I saw lighting protoection on many buildings, I chased some promising low LCL storms. I chased these largely by accident.

I figured with chasing being an uncertain venture and the mountains being a certain thing ... I chased the mountains. But I was pleasantly surprised by the nature of the storms there.

Argentina in November !! Who wants to join me?

I am sure a foriegn rental car company would have no issues whatsoever with the hail damaged rental.

--
Tom

 

[scott r currens]

Argentina in November !! Who wants to join me?

I'd love to although I am about 4-5 years away from being able to do it.

 

[Michael Thompson]

Argentina in November !! Who wants to join me?

This is something that has interested me too. I do however think that you must be prepared for a few harsh realities, such as poor roads, no roads, often no accommodation near the end of a storm chase day, probably expensive car rental, lack of data.

I always check the modis sat pics of Argentina and have seen some very large convective complexes in NE Argentina / Paraguay.

Australia in November is also our season, but I would steer anybody well away from here that thinks they will see tornadoes.

You may see supercells, get ample large hail and nice lightning, but forget the tornadoes.

The positives of chasing Australia are familar langauge, some basic data, a basic road network, a more compact chasing area than the mid west and other chasers to talk with. There is also a lot to do on lay days - rainforests, beaches, etc.

The negatives - plagued by poor moisture, even at low latitudes. Shear profiles that are always ' wrong ' - often too linear, often with steering level winds that whisk storms along at 50 mph, poor low level wind strength, jets that all too often take the anvil downstream of the inflow sector ( SW jets ).

 

[tom hanlon]

When you think about chasing foriegn tornadoes a number of factors come into play. Perhaps this should be another thread because I want to talk about chaseability, rather than frequency.

First,
Seasons: if it is May in the Northern Hemisphere i think your target is pretty obvious. Head for the Plains of the USA. Great roads for the most part, incredible data, a community of chasers to assist. Heck you could just drive around and follow the clusters of cars with antennas and you might see something.

So although Romania, the UK, Russia , China and other places may get tornadoes you would be better off in the USA.

The Southern Hemisphere:
So in the Southern Spring you have, Argentina(including the countries that border to the north) and South Africa. Perhaps Australia, see the other post about Australia.

Australia has good data, sparse roads, probably low crime, and no language differences.

South Africa has excellent roads.
Argentina, I am imagining not so good roads. Does anyone have any experience?

South Africa has some data, decent cell phone internet capabilities.
Argentina ??? What would have, anyone know? I suppose anywhere in the world you can find some expensive satellite internet or something. Even if I could get internet there are some radar holes in Northern Argentina as I recall.

South Africa has crime and is rather notorious for it. So caution even in the countryside is advised. Not a horrible problem and travelling in groups is perhaps all that is needed to deter any theft attempts.

Argentina.. ? I do not really know. The claim is that it is a very friendly , low crime country. Who knows ?


I would recommend South Africa. The non-storm scenery is incredible. The storms sure looked promissing. I chased three supercells more or less accidently and I would not have been surprised to see something develop out of two of them. Nice structure, decent energy. You get some upslope action in the kwa-Zulu nataal province.

 

[Eric Flescher]

Tornadoes and storms in other countries

When I go abroad chasing total eclipses I am not looking for bad weather. The closest were thunderstorms in 1999 in Hungary during the early morning. But I got my tour into the bus and we hunted for an opening in the clouds. I was successful in guiding us and we saw a magnificent total solar eclipse (my 6th).
in South Africa in 2001 great eclipse (my 7thy) and absolutely clear weather for me and my group.

I now have seen 5 tornadoes since 2001 and I would like to raise my number to my total eclipse total. It is more difficult to see total solar eclipses so I hope to surpass that number this year or next. (I will lead a group to Russia in 2008 for the next total eclipse and China in 2009- anyone interested let me know).

Has anyone mentioned about all those Aussie tornado chasers?

Found this latest tornado information too
Pakistan
Saturday, June 30, 2007
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C06%5C30%5Cstory_30-6-2007_pg4_19


One killed in Myanmar tornado




::

I was in South Africa in December 2007 and I must say that I suspected that they had more tornadoes than where reported. I saw lighting protoection on many buildings, I chased some promising low LCL storms. I chased these largely by accident.

I figured with chasing being an uncertain venture and the mountains being a certain thing ... I chased the mountains. But I was pleasantly surprised by the nature of the storms there.

Argentina in November !! Who wants to join me?

I am sure a foriegn rental car company would have no issues whatsoever with the hail damaged rental.

--
Tom