Ever since I can remember, I have been obsessed with anything in the sky, including clouds. I live in the Midwest (USA), which is very well known for its extreme storm season. Naturally, I grew up running outside any time there was a tornado, trying to catch a glimpse. Little did I know as a kid, tornados and storms were more than just scary-looking clouds (SLCs, and yes, there is an acronym for it).
A few years ago, I took an official NOAA class to become a storm watcher (there is a huge difference between a watcher and a chaser, which I will explain later). I learned how dangerous storms formed and how to spot these storms using either radar, visible sight, or both. It was the spark I needed to fully grow in my appreciation for storms, along with my curiosity for them. Though I can't explain in full detail how storms work in this post if anyone would like an explanation, comment about it.
As I stated earlier, I would explain the difference between a storm watcher and a storm chaser. The main difference I've noticed is experience, as storm chasers tend to have much more experience in the field of meteorology than watchers. As a side note, if you are interested in storm chasing, start with taking a storm watcher class, and become experienced with storm watching first. I say this because many who are casualties of tornados were those wanting to catch a glimpse of a tornado but had no storm chasing or watching experience.
Often instead of a tornado killing them, it also tends to be flooding around the area, which is the deadliest natural disaster every year, by a long shot. You can find more information about how dangerous flooding is on either the National Weather Service (NWS) website or NOAA's website (1). So, with all that said, if you want to become a storm chaser, start with becoming a watcher and learning all of the dangers involved with storm chasing. It is also highly recommended by NOAA (1) to begin your storm-chasing career by joining an experienced chasing team first, as they should have more experience with the dangers on the field.
My dream to become a storm chaser finally came true when I was talking to the photographer at my church. She explained that she is part of an all-female storm chasing group that chases around my area. She said they would love more members and invited me to join, which I didn't hesitate to say yes to. This has all happened in the past month, and I never thought I would get so lucky as to start storm chasing with someone I already knew. This experience doesn't happen with everyone, and I feel very fortunate to have received this opportunity, especially with someone I know. Though I haven't started chasing since my area is not in storm season right now, I am looking forward to starting this possible side career along with engineering.
Clouds have this beauty to them that I haven't found in anything else. The way the light reflects off from the sun, the shape and overall "vibe" of them, and of course, the science behind them. That's why I am obsessed with clouds, and just knowing that they are not imaginary and that they create all these wonderful works of nature is enough for me to daydream about how to better understand these phenomenal works of art.
Thank you to everyone who got this far, as I know I tend to go off on tangents. I hope you enjoyed reading and if you are interested in storm chasing, do not be afraid to take the first step!
Sincerely,
The Astronaut
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