Careers in Meteorology by Institute For Career Research

Author:Institute For Career Research [Institute for Career Research]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Institute For Career Research
Published: 2018-02-01T06:00:00+00:00

The Professionals Speak

I Am a Storm Chaser

"I was born and raised in the state of Arkansas, where I experienced almost every form of extreme weather except hurricanes. As a kid, I was always fascinated with floods and lightning. As I got older, it was tornadoes and derecho events (intense, long-lived windstorms). My first significant severe weather experience was a destructive hailstorm that struck my hometown. The very same year I experienced my first tornado, an F3 that caused more than a million dollars in damage to the town. That was the storm that really got me thinking about a career in weather.

While I was earning my Bachelor of Science degree in meteorology, I took some storm spotter training classes. Spotters keep a visual on a storm in their local area, although they don't chase. It requires the same basic knowledge, and the goal is the same – to call in observations to the National Weather Service during a storm. Those warnings from the field can help save lives. By the time I graduated from college, I had become really serious about chasing.

I'm primarily a Dixie Alley storm chaser, although I cover a lot of territory and sometimes go all the way out to Texas, Oklahoma, or Kansas. I am employed by a major TV cable news network, working as part of a team that provides live coverage to give viewers a very realistic sense of what's happening and where. I work with a camera crew, but mine is a real meteorology job, more than a reporter.

A professional chaser can cover 4,000 miles in a week! So far, I have chased over 100 events. It is hard to say which was the most memorable – there have been so many – but I would have to say the EF5 tornado in El Reno ranks near the top. There were so many things happening at once, it was overwhelming. The inflow winds were around 115 mph, and I saw numerous power flashes about half a mile in front of me. I kept adjusting my heading into the wind just trying to keep from being rolled. Then suddenly this monster tornado blows up about 300 yards away. It was a scary storm, but the people running away were even scarier. Cars kept coming right at me, trying to get away as fast as they could. It made it hard to maneuver so our crew could do our jobs safely. Remember, storm chasing isn't about having a thrilling joy ride. We have to document events and relay warnings to the National Weather Service to help save lives.

Storm chasing is a cool job, but you shouldn't consider it at all unless you're serious and learn a lot first because it can be very dangerous. It's about more than tornadoes, which can usually be avoided if you know what you're doing. All storms can be dangerous. Wet roads can cause a car to skid, floods can sweep cars right off the road, big hail can break windshields and cause serious injury, and lightning can be fatal.

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