Storm Chasing, How to Chase A Storm Without The Hi-Tech Gear. Part 1

Catching a tornado without all the hi-tech gear sounds like a tuff task, but if you know what you're doing, this can be achieved. In a sense you will have to use some, but you don't have to buy it and put it in your car. First step is make sure you have an understanding of tornadic supercells. There are three basic types of supercell storms. 1- Low precip(LP), 2-High precip(HP), and 3- Classic supercell. You should do your best at learning the visual characteristics of these supercell storms. By understanding these storms, it will make it easier for you to position on these storms and be able to observe a tornado should one spawn. You'll will also need to know the looks of a storm that is splitting into two separate storms. The storm on the right will usually take a fairly hard right turn, and in most cases, this storm will be the one that produces a tornado if one is spawned. To keep out any confusion, look at the storm as if it were a car. If you're facing the storm and it's coming at you, the storm's right side will be on your left. So the storm on your left will go to your left. Now if you're to the right of the storm when it's splitting, you'll need move, because it will be coming at you since you're to its right. Being to the storm's right is the ideal spot to be, but you still must be aware of this potential for a thunderstorm to turn right. If you don't pay attention, you'll become the chased instead of the tornado. I want to make sure you understand these dangers before you get on your first chase. Watch every tornado video you find til all you do is dream about tornadoes. Actually watch as many as you can and observe what is around the tornado, not just the tornado itself. Watch the videos where you have to wait for awhile before the tornado spawns. This way you can observe the cloud features that are near and clouds that are a good distance from the spot where the tornado is forming. Get to know what a wall cloud looks like. There are scud clouds that I have seen in some chasers photos, they actually thought they had a picture of a wall cloud. Some will see a squall line and confuse that with a wall cloud. Don't get fooled by false funnels either. If it isn't rotating, it's not a tornado. You'll need to learn how to recognize the flanking line on the back right side of the storm. This will help you to drive to the right location of the storm to see a tornado also. You'll need to be able to recognize the precipitation free base of the storm. This is where the storm's only updraft will be. A supercell storm only has one updraft as where storm complexes can have several. The wall cloud and the tornado will form in this precip free base of the storm; now this is the usual case but not always the case. A tornado can also spawn in the flank line, but it will usually be of the weaker variety. Don't take weak tornadoes lightly either. They are called weak in comparing them to the strong and violent tornadoes on the enhanced fujita scale. These weak tornadoes can still be a killer. Also beware of second and third tornadoes forming in the same storm. Keep your head on a swivel when observing a tornado. I've seen a video that had six tornadoes on the ground at one time. I have seen two on the ground at one time when I was chasing in Orlando Oklahoma. So make sure you don't get too focused on the tornado when you see your first. I know it's hard not to, but I did manage to look around when I saw my first tornado in Collyer Kansas. You'll have to watch out for other chasers too, because some are the pushy type, although they are few in number. Watch which chasers you pull up to when you're pulling off the road. If it happens to be any car that is built like a tank or if it looks out of the ordinary, and the skies are threatening, don't park by it. And it's not because the chaser is a bad person, it's because you maybe pulling in a spot that is about to get clobbered by a tornado. So make sure you're aware of other things going on around you. I actually stay away from the large crowds when the roads let me. Speaking of roads, that is another thing to pay close attention to. The roads in the plains can get very sloppy and hard to handle at times. Be aware of dead ends and make sure you always have an escape route incase the tornado decides it wants to turn. You definetly don't need to be approaching a dead end street if a tornado is bearing down own you and the only way out is going through the tornado. That just doesn't work except in a Hollywood movie. Other dangers you'll need to beware of is a multitude of Nolan Ryan fast balls being pitched from the storm. Hail is what I'm talking about, and it can and will get huge in tornadic supercells. Some people punch the hail core when chasing, but I would suggest you don't do it. First of all your car will be creamed along with a busted windshield, and you could punch your way right into a nice fat wedge tornado which you don't want to tangle with in your car. So I don't do any core punching. And you should beware of lightning, don't put yourself where lightning is most likely to strike. Flooding is another issue, so make sure you don't get yourself caught in that either. Make sure you know all the dangers in storm chasing, because these storms can blow some mighty mean winds even without a tornado. End of Part 1.