Excellent spotter tips are from Charles Doswell. I would recommend reading them before continuing with the tips presented here. Many of the tips here are more specific to the Iowa area. For example of bad storm chasing, check out Irresponsible Media Storm Chase Practices. More "proper" ethics have been described by Alan Moller.
Any prospective storm spotter should attend a storm spotters class. Since there is not a lot of demand for spotter classes in Central Iowa, it might be necessary to wait a while. Email me if you are interested in a spotter class, and help increase the demand. Attending a class will allow you to learn why "punching core" is bad, how to tell a wall cloud from a low-hanging cloud, and a pile of other information. Just as importantly, it will allow you to meet with other storm chasers to get a "feel" for storm chasing. If you want to go spotting before you manage to attend a class, then do some reading on the subject and hitch a ride with an experienced spotter.
Storm chasing is exciting.
Usually storm chasing involves long drives, and most of the time
you don't ever see anything. If you are the impatient type, this activity
isn't for you.
Storm chasing and storm spotting are the same thing.
A storm spotter's primary goal is alert others if severe weather
occurs. Generally a spotter will know of several good spots from which
to look, and not do much driving. But by providing accurate reports of
severe weather to the local weather service, warnings can be given that
can help save property and lives.
Storm chasers, on the other hand, have a primary goal of capturing the storm on film (or just sight-seeing). This is not a bad thing, but a few chasers have tarnished the name by high-speed driving in poor road conditions. If such a driver ever rams into a car carrying a mother and her new born son, storm chasing will be ruined for all of us. Particularly for the mother and her child. Good chasers travel in pairs so one person can concentrate on driving.
Storm chasers benefit society.
Well-trained storm spotters can be a benefit to the community.
Storm chasers usually don't attempt to provide an early warning service.
If a spotter does not know what to look for, or does not follow the proper
chasing etiquette, he or she can cause a lot of problems. Emergency management
personnel have their hands full enough during storms, and they don't need
to worry about the results of unsafe driving by storm chasers. Radio nets
lose their value when inexperienced spotters report low-hanging clouds
as wall clouds, or participants clog the airwaves with trivial reports.
Tornadoes pose the most risk to a storm chaser
Tornadoes are the #3 risk in storm chasing. Lighting is #2 as it
kills and injures more people than tornadoes and hurricanes combined. Driving
in bad weather is the #1 risk. So keep an alert and open mind at all times.
You can make money by selling the videos or pictures of storms.
This used to be the case. But now TV station's standards have improved
such that videos have to be produced at a professional level, or you were
maimed or killed in the process of shooting the video. To see what sort
of pictures make it, look at Warren
Faidley's home page.
Here is a sample of a proper way to report severe weather in during an amateur radio storm net. The net control is the operator in charge of the radio operation at the repeater. He or she will be be in direct or indirect contact with the national weather service. If resources permit, there will be a net control, and another operator representing the hams at the weather service. In this example AA0PE wants to make a report.
{...}
Net: Ok, ZDA, thanks for the report.
AA0PE: Papa-Echo. [For efficiency, use phonetics for the letters
after the number in your call.]
Net: PDK report. [N0PDK previously requested attention]
N0PDK: Dime-sized hail one mile east of Norwalk.
Net: Dime-sized hail one mile east of Norwalk? [req confirmation.]
N0PDK: QSL, N0PDK. [confirms, gives full call]
Net: Thank you, PE report.
AA0PE: 60 mph gusts and heavy rain at I35 and Grand Avenue.
Net: Heavy wind, but no hail in West Des Moines?
AA0PE: QSL, AA0PE.
Despite the urge we all have to talk on the radio in an important matter, keep it brief. Only report if the net is looking for weather in your area, or you have severe weather where you are located. Sorry, but the ugly truth is no one cares if it is just sprinkling or showering where you are. If you have other friends who are out spotting, set up a simplex frequency to communicate. This can take the boredom out of spotting.
When traveling during a storm, you want to avoid highways and Interstates. Interstates don't offer choices if you have to change your course, and you can't park on the shoulder. Since spotters do a lot of starting and stopping a lot, high traffic areas such as highways and in-town roads should be avoided.
During good weather, get familiar with the area you will be spotting in. Before the storm, find locations with a good view of the horizon. Ideally you should be about 300-500 feet from higher objects. That way the lightning will hopefully hit the higher objects instead of you. At that range a lighting strike will probably only cause your life to flash before your eyes, and save the meeting with your maker for another day. Don't get too close to the higher objects though! And as lightning is never totally predictable, don't hold your microphone (which is connected to the antenna) unless you are actually planning on talking.
In order to make sure you don't miss the action, keep aware of the current forecast. Tune your scanner to the National Weather Service (WXL57 in Des Moines is on 162.545 MHz) for the latest. When bad weather approached, listen to the Des Moines 146.94 MHz repeater. You'll get the news as fast as anyone this way, and it prevents you from having to make a lot of calls.
Up
Last update, 19 May 1996