O'Reilly Interview Digs Into the Tech of Storm Chasing

blackbearnh writes "If you've watched the Discovery Channel series 'Storm Chasers,' you'll be familiar with Dr. Joshua Wurman and his Doppler on Wheels radar, which he uses to study tornadoes up close and personal every spring. O'Reilly Media spent some time last week speaking to Dr. Wurman about what it takes, technologically, to operate a weather radar in 100-mile-per-hour winds in the middle of a lightning storm. They also talked about the value of this kind of research to both tornado and hurricane research, and how having a film crew around during missions affects the science."

Comments

The Best Job

[inKubus]

This is something I've always wanted to do. Someday when I'm rich I'd like to become a storm chaser; outfit an awesome armored car with minicomputers and a powerful radar and run flat tires. I think the weather is going to be getting more interesting, seeing the recent extreme patterns of the jetstream almost reaching the arctic circle before winter even starts! There's something about a good thunderstorm; the booming thunder, the hint of ozone in the air. Ahh.

Re:The Best Job

[tompaulco]

Hopefully you'll be rich enough to make a better looking Tornado Intercept Vehicle (TIV) than the one they use. The TIV II was better looking, but kept breaking. The first TIV looks like something I would have made.

Re:The Best Job

[inKubus]

You're right, the TIV is pretty ugly. I was thinking about starting with an actual armored truck or possibly something military/industrial, like a Unimog or Pinzgauer. I'd definitely probably make it convertible to a regular truck for other weather conditions, so I could attack snow as well ;)

Re:The Best Job

[machinegunben]

Be prepared for long hours in the car, clear sky busts 1200 miles away and a lot of gas station burritos. Storm Chasing, while fun, isn't as glamorous as Discovery has made it out to be.

Re:The Best Job

[Strained Brain]

The problem with those vehicle types is their high profile. You need to remember that the point of the TIV was to drive into the tornado, so should be heavy but yet as low a profile as possible. Even if your armored vehicle base will be heavy, the possibility of tipping over is greatly increased.

Re:The Best Job

[DrVomact]

Yeah, there is no high like a powerful storm. While working for the U.S. Forest Service as a fire lookout (back in the 70s) I got to see quite a few lightning storms from the inside...on a mountain top. No tornadoes (I was in Eastern Oregon), but the sheer magnitude of the forces at work inside an electrical storm gave me such an adrenaline rush that it became quite the addiction. "Oh please Lord, send me some more storms, and may they be with much lightning, little rain, and cause lots of fires." Like they say, long weeks of boredom, punctuated by hours of sheer terror. My building never actually got hit, but the metal (nails, fasteners, antenna) on the outside glowed blue and shot off sparks into the sky a couple of times. Yeee haw!

I think waiting for storms inside a comfy building beats chasing them any day, though.

Re:The Best Job

[afidel]

Considering TIV-I made it through a EF2 tornado without any problems I would say he understood the forces fine, he never though the TIV could survive an EF5 which is the whole reason for teaming with the DOW.

film crew effect on science:

[circletimessquare]

{tornado on radar}
no film crew:
"jim, are we near this isobar on the map?"
film crew:
"GOOD GOD JIM GET US TO THIS ISOBAR STAT! JESUS CHRIST! AAAAH!"

{truck gets flat tire}
no film crew:
"yup, we have a flat"
film crew:
"Why God, why. I swear I have never believed in you before, but if you answer this one prayer for me now. Oh sweet Jesus."

{tornado turns towards truck}
no film crew:
"yeah, it's turning towards us"
film crew:
"I know what you're thinking. 'Did he say EF5 or EF3?' Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But being as this is a tornado, the most powerful windstorm in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?"

Re:film crew effect on science:

[elysiana]

You laugh, but that's just about right. After having storm chased with the meteorology students at college and some of the USAF meteorologists, I can tell you some of the stuff that's done on TV is often laughable and downright dangerous at times. They're melodramatic and they push the limits more than is safe, because it makes for a good show.

That's not to say we never did anything stupid... just never on purpose in order to have a good story. Here and here are some of the photos we've gotten (I'm Becky). The seventh set down on that second page were an accident. We almost got caught in that one - took a wrong turn and got stuck in a residential area near Indianapolis. Let's just say, when you start seeing the blue flash from power pylons blowing up closer and closer to you... well, you know you're in the wrong place at the wrong time.

It may look cool on TV but it worries me the number of people who think you can go do this without having a ground support team. Even trained people can make mistakes.

Storm Chasing

[CompMD]

Being out in Kansas, its kind of expected that we have some totally awesome storm chasing vehicles.

One big annoyance with the show

[smooth wombat]

I don't watch it regularly but have taped a few segments. Other than the one guy in the other chase crew who apparently has lost the ability to control the volume of his voice (BACK UP! BAACK UPP!! BAAACK UPP!!! BAAAAAAAAACK UPP!!!!!!!!!!!!), the one thing that really grinds on me is that no one uses a tripod when filming a tornado. They all hop out of their vehicle, grab their camera and start taping. Then, when you look at the video, you do see the tornado in the distance but it's like the camera guy from Battle Star Galactica had two too many cups of coffee (and I like the effect in BSG).

It's not that difficult to have a quick release tripod mount on the bottom of your camera. It can stay on while you're in the vehicle and holding the camera and be attached to the tripod in seconds once you're outside and taping.

It would make things much more easy on the eyes not to mention you can pick out more details with a stable shot than one moving about.

Yes, it is a bit more cumbersome to haul out the tripod, pop the legs open, mount the camera and start filming, but it would make things more enjoyable to watch.

Re:One big annoyance with the show

[TubeSteak]

It's not that difficult to have a quick release tripod mount on the bottom of your camera. It can stay on while you're in the vehicle and holding the camera and be attached to the tripod in seconds once you're outside and taping.

People in dynamic situations, taking dynamic shots, do not use tripods.

If you've ever seen a professional sports game, the camera guys are almost always using a mono/unipod. Partly to support the weight of their enormous camera lenses, but mostly because it provides a relatively stable and very flexible platform.

I don't get storm chasing

[Anonymous Coward]

Why chase storms at all? All you have to do to capture tornado footage and record atmospheric data is simply set some cameras and equipment up in various trailer parks in the "Tornado Alley' region and wait for the tornadoes to show up and feed on a few double-wides.

To their defense

[Torn8-R]

Most tornadoes only last for a few seconds, and under many circumstances, are travelling at a fairly quick rate of speed. Storm chasers have to be aware of hail, lightning, direction of the storm, and the ever vicious RFD winds. The kinds of tornadoes that set themselves up for beautiful, tripod-able storms have their own rarity. The key is mobility - if a chaser takes the time to set up the tripod, that's one more step in the value stream of the chase.