Frequently Asked Questions


Table of Contents

  1. How do I ... ?
  2. Where can I find ... ?
  3. Why do ... ?
  4. Who is ... ?
  5. Why not ... ?
  6. What is ... ?
  7. When are ... ?
  8. What will ... ?

How do I become a storm chaser ?

Becoming a storm chaser isn't as simple as it sounds.  You'll need a thorough knowledge of how the atmosphere works, storm structure & behavior, and lots of study time.  Read all you can.  Learn to forecast.  Practice, practice, practice.  And then practice forecasting...MORE!  And don't just do it in the spring.  Learn to analyze winter weather, heat waves, hurricanes/tropical cyclones, long-term climate patterns.  Do it all year long.  If you don't use it, you loose it. 

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Where can I find info on becoming a storm chaser ?

Check out the essays on my Links page concerning storm chasing.

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Why do television stations interrupt programming for one little storm?

Simple.  Even though that one storm may only affect a few thousand people, to those folks that storm is big news.  If a storm is tornadic or particularly severe, it's possible that lives could be saved.  

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Who is Jeff Richardson ?

See the About Me page.


Why not a cool MySpace page like everyone else?

Because I'm not like everyone else.  This site is owned in it's totality by me, myself, and I...only.  No sycophants allowed here.  No corporate ivory towers telling me what to do or what's appropriate content.  Take it or leave it, what you see is what you get and therefore, is the most genuine and sincere way I can convey myself through this site.  MySpace, FaceBook, et al. are nice sites but I prefer to be the captain of my own ship.

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What is the best kind of storm chasing vehicle ?

One that is reliable, in safe working order, and gets good gas mileage.  Obviously motorcycles, convertibles, and itsy-bitsy sports cars are out.  Driving the coolest, most stylish SUV won't help either.  If you don't know what you're doing, you'll loose nothing but money and time.  Speaking of money, with fuel prices at all time highs, many chasers will be more concerned about good gas mileage than ever before.  At almost $4.00/gallon, make sure your vehicle is well maintained for optimum fuel efficiency.  Most successful chasers drive MODESTLY priced minivans, small passenger sedans, or small SUV's.    

Oh, by the way...whether your chase vehicle is old or NEW, it will get the inevitable hail dents.  Unavoidable, even when you're careful.  

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When are tornadoes most likely to occur?

Depends on your point of reference.  During the day, most tornadoes occur sometime between late afternoon through the evening.  During the year, most tornadoes in the United States occur during the months of April, May, and June.  Needless to say, with all the variables that exist in nature, these are sweeping generalizations and exceptions to the rule occur all the time.  

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What will the coming storm chase season be like?

I don't know.  Not a clue.  Unfortunately I can't answer questions emailed to me about El Nino, La Nina, oscillations, phases of the moon, or your neighborhood dog's nocturnal howling and how they/it might effect the "Tornado Season."  Do what I do, just take one day at a time.  

Remember, the the world of science is unlike any other (religion, business, law, politics, engineering, et al.) for there aren't always definite answers.  Learn to be comfortable with a wide spectrum of "grays" and answers that lead to multiple complex questions.   That's half the fun of science anyway and why I love it so much, it's the never ending quest for answers to almost unanswerable questions.  


 

Author: Jeff Richardson
Copyright © 2005  Tornado Quest. All rights reserved.
Revised: As Needed