What is the purpose of chasing storms?

Their primary goal is to simply capture stunning images of weather, and there are endless opportunities to do so! Others are simply out for a thrill, but these individuals often come and go rather than stick around, as storm chasing can be quite expensive and more often than not, nothing thrilling actually happens.

How do you make money storm chasing?

Some people do become a storm chaser full time, they sell date, photos, and video recordings to media agencies to make their income. They have to invest a lot of what they make into travel, equipment, and legal costs. If there are no storms, they don’t make any money.

Is storm chasing a hobby?

Some meteorologists started chasing storms in the name of science many decades ago but storm chasing as a hobby and tourism industry is still quite young. The whole idea about storm chasing is to find violent storms and experience the beauty and power they possess.

Why do storm chasers chase storms?

Why do they chase storms? Getting close to a storm — even in its direct path — can allow storm chasers to observe storms up-close and record data that they can’t get any other way. Storm chasers are usually scientists who study weather and seek to learn more about these storms, so they can understand how they work.

What kind of storms do storm chasers chase?

Before the chase, the team determines the region that is most likely to have the type of weather they are looking for. Most commonly, storm chasers seek tornadoes, hail, convective wind gusts and visual cloud phenomena. Some chasers also seek hurricanes, winter storms and/or unusual weather phenomena.

Can anyone chase tornadoes?

A person who chases storms is known as a storm chaser or simply a chaser. While witnessing a tornado is the single biggest objective for most chasers, many chase thunderstorms and delight in viewing cumulonimbus and related cloud structures, watching a barrage of hail and lightning, and seeing what skyscapes unfold.

Is it safe to chase tornado?

Tornadoes are the most dangerous part of a storm cloud but they are not the most dangerous threat during a storm chase! Even experienced storm chasers can still get surprised and killed by a tornado, as was the unfortunate case in the El Reno-tornado in 2013. This is, fortunately, extremely rare.

What technology do storm chasers use?

These include portable radar, portable weather instruments, specially designed vehicles for storm penetration, computers and high tech communication systems. These storm chasers perform research that allow us to understand more about storms and how they form.