Would you still chase if...

[Marcus Diaz]

...theoretically, meteorologist invent a super computer that has hyper-accurate ability to predict when and where a tornado will form within a square mile? As in, a day in advance a "God Model" tells you that there WILL or WILL NOT be tornadoes along this strip of land. And it'll tell you duration, intensity, and amount of precip. Do you still chase? Why or why not?

This topic will be publicly discussed on next week's episode of The Ghost Train.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Yes, but I'd probably chase much more in unconventional places (east of the Mississippi) where chaser numbers would be lower. In the Plains, they'd start regulating things for sure if those 'events' could be planned ahead of time. You could set up bleachers and sell tickets at that point.

 

[Andrew Clope]

I think that would strip most, if not all of the fun away from it for me, personally. I doubt I would chase anymore if that were to happen.

The hoards of ppl would be nuts too.

 

[Todd Rector]

I totally agree with @Dan Robinson on this. I can see national media jockeying for exclusive rights to televise the events. On the public safety side, imagine how awesome it would be to warn the public with such accuracy!

 

[Alex Heimberger]

Yes, but it would be packed out there. Maybe causing more deaths of people chasing but would save many non chaser lives.

 

[Adam Lucio]

I don't think I would. Too many people congregating on one spot could ruin even the thing I currently love most about life. There would just be no thrill in it. Like purchasing tickets to a sporting event. Might as well place bets on vegas regarding number of roofs removed and cows thrown. I do like to gamble though...hmmm on second thought maybe I would still come out for a tornado or two.

 

[Jon Strebler]

I say yes, but that's only because I might want to see some events, and it wouldn't be anything close to what we know as chasing. I imagine that many of us would still go and see a Pilger or Bowdle type event, but it would be more like going to see Old Faithful in Yellowstone or Kilauea in Hawaii. It wouldn't be chasing, it would be more like sightseeing or tourism. You would be relegated to a far distance and the crowds would be immense. It would take nearly all the enjoyment out of chasing so that's a really tough call, but on the other hand if someone told me that I could go and watch an EF5 handoff similar to the Hesston and Goessel tornadoes then I would have a hard time passing that up.

 

[Todd Lemery]

No, it wouldn't be chasing. Oh sure it might be fun to line up some junk cars out there and video what happens or something like that, but it would be like going hunting in a 20x20 cage or fishing in a fish tank. The challenge and experience is the fun stuff

 

[Donnie Beasley]

I still would. Making my own forecasts is a big part of it that I really enjoy, but at the end of the day I still enjoy seeing storms. I also enjoy seeing nice structure as well. Photography is a big part of why I'm out there. So while everyone is on the big storm, I would probably be on a secondary target still getting some nice shots.

 

[Jason Foster]

Yes...I would "chase". Granted I'd try and beat Steve Miller and other crafty business folks and set up a way and means to sell tickets (as @Dan Robinson mentioned).

Jeez....imagine all the gas that would be saved from not having to meander all those miles.

It certainly would NOT be the same. More like going to see Old Faithful at Yellowstone I guess.

 

[Michael Gavan]

Chasing would expand into tornado extremism and experiments. Can you disrupt a tornado? Can you modify its strength or path? What are the legal ramifications of an experiment gone wrong? Can the energy be harnessed somehow? Also, how about "freebasing" or "squirlsuiting" out of a vortex in an open field?

Also, I know exactly when and how a solar eclipse will look, where to go, what time to take pictures, how long it will last. And I'm absolutely going to go take pictures.

 

[Michael Gavan]

I also think this will never happen. We need to be measuring strength of butterfly wing flaps in the amazon to get the kind of resolution we need in forecasting. It will always be slightly ambiguous until we have a sensor on everything. And if we had a sky full of sensors, they would themselves begin affecting the weather.

What I think we CAN achieve is several weeks of synoptic forecasting with incredible accuracy, and perhaps a few hours of kilometer level convective modeling. That's about all I think we can do without massively decreasing ROI.

 

[Sean Ramsey]

I would have to say no. The crowds, the predictability and the commercialization of it would ruin all the fun. It would be like going to the zoo and hunting the animals in it.

 

[Robert Forry]

Great question. Those hordes of people we see out there on big days would probably increase ten fold or more...so I'm not sure I'd be down with that. It's already dangerous enough.

 

[Caleb Grunzke]

Yes, because that would be the only way I would get a tornado...

I'm just kidding. I probably wouldn't. Knowing that you could watch a huge tornado plow through a town would be dreadful and wrong. Plus, non-tornado chases can be really fun and still offer some great photos and memories.