Saturday, November 21, 2009 |
 TWISTER TALLY AS OF TODAYSupercell thunderstorms: 5 Rotating wall clouds: 10 Funnel clouds (in the air): 0 Tornadoes (on the ground): 0 |
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Nine New River Valley high school and college students, two older trip leaders and a weather columnist for The Roanoke Times hit the road on Sunday, May 15, for a 10-day field trip. With a field as big as the heart of America, their search for the ferocious but elusive beast known as the tornado is an adventure that's part "Twister" and part "Road Rules." |
FEATURE STORY
GRAPHICS
TRACKING THE WEATHER
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History gives team hope for last chase days A year ago, the team led by Carroll had a close encounter with a powerful tornado in Harlan County, Neb. The right conditions, a wait for nothing The Southwest Virginia storm chasers were in the middle of a tornado watch, but no tornado. Chasing, yes; storms, not really The group is frustrated by the lack of storms to track, but some see victory even in the apparent defeats. Chasers learn the wages of CIN is dearth No storms are firing over southeast Kansas because the atmosphere was again capped in its middle levels. Taunts cap a slow day A stable layer of warm air, known as a 'cap,' prevents storms from firing as expected. Finally: A storm Chasers encounter intense thunderstorm in Neb., complete with quarter-size hail. 'Perfect' weather not so for chasers The team that left Blacksburg on Sunday travels under bright blue skies and through cool winds. Twisters, supercells and ... cloggers? When cloggers and storm chasers meet at a Kentucky rest area, you know it's going to be a unique and entertaining afternoon. All wired up and ready to go Twelve storm chasers headed out from Blacksburg on Sunday for a storm-chasing expedition into the Great Plains. Storm chasers On the road in Tornado Alley with a Pulaski County teacher and his crew of students. Teacher praised by parents, colleagues Dave Carroll has steadily built a reputation for safe educational activities that put classroom theory into a real-life laboratory. It's not like in the movies The melodrama of Hollywood also created some wrong impressions about real storm chasing. |
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| ON THE WEB Looking for more information about tornadoes? Check out these sites: Storm Prediction Center The National Weather Service's backbone of severe weather forecasting, based in Norman, Okla. Severe weather watches nationwide are issued by the SPC. Mesoscale discussions focus on areas where thunderstorms may soon erupt, while convective outlooks assess zones of potential severe weather up to three days out. Stormtrack After 25 years as a 'zine catering to the storm chaser subculture, Stormtrack went entirely online in 2002. It addresses many topics in its Frequently Asked Questions segment. Chasers themselves discuss current and future severe weather in the forums. Also, check out the twisted humor page, especially "Mr. T's Storm Chase School." The Tornado Project One of the most comprehensive sites for historical and statistical tornado information. Tornado books and videos are also available for purchase. |
