totally forgot to mention (bad Eshiben) our awesome meteorology students this year are going out on our annual storm chase. Every year we go out to the Midwest to check out the HUGE supercell thunderstorms, we use the Midwest mostly for visibility reasons (its really easy to see for miles so you can see a storm miles away). You're also a whole hell of a lot likely to see storms in the Midwest that fit the supercell description (im not gonna get into that...)
Anywho our meteorologists are being taken out by professors and members of the national weather service to go tornado hunting and already, a mere for 4 days into the chase have seen 3 (maybe 4?) tornadoes. from talking to the guys it sounds like they're having a really good time and are currently driving south into Texas to position themselves for some storms in the western panhandle later this week. I was really bummed that I missed out on the chase this year, but really look forward to doing it next year.
you can follow em here and there are some reallllllly awesome pictures of some incredibly powerful storms and get some of the scientific mumbo jumbo to inside the blog write-ups
https://www.facebook.com/stormcruzzer
http://stormcruzzer.blogspot.com/2014/05/day-4-denver-storm.html
Also Id post some pictures but the way the blog works...it will only let me post the blog site itself and not embed the pictures :\ sorry guys! but check it out there are some cool ones
Comments
Is Kevin Myatt of the Roanoke Times involved with your group, or does he take a different group?
I'd imagine he's with the hokie stormchasers we work a lot with him and he comes to our club meetings regularly
I know he has done this in the past years, and even went some time early this spring. I didn't know if you had gone with the group previously or not. It really seems like it would be exciting. One of the few times I wish I could go back and re-do, I'd love to have had that chance back when... I hope you have great fun, learn bucketsful, and keep us updated.
Eshiben5 I've got a weather/storm chasing question for you. This summer I'll be out at Fort Sill, Oklahoma from mid-July to mid-September for basic training. What's the likelihood of me having to deal with some tornadoes in addition to the drill sergeants?
My niece and her husband were out there last year in the same time frame. I had warned her about the possibility and told her a lot of anecdotal info. She said that what ended up happening for them last year was that there were some tornadoes that came through that were about an hour away, distance-wise. I think there was only one instance when one came any closer. So, they got to watch a lot of evening news about storms, but didn't suffer through any themselves. here's hoping your fate is similar.
yeah no matter what when it gets as hot as it does out there, a lot of potential energy builds up in the atmosphere it just needs something to set it off (whether it be the dryline or a cold front). Keep an eye on that dry-line though, it can create some really dangerous weather, id expect to see hail rather than tornadoes however
She did say there was a lot of hail with the storms. Compared to SW Va, of course.
BCT isn't too bad. All the waiting you learned to do at MEPS, you'll do a lot more at Reception and when Basic actually starts.
Good luck, and HOOAH!
Also, all those that I know that have done the Hokie Storm Chase say there's a great steak dinner at the end.
I mean there is still a chance but the tornado season is may-june fersure. The likelihood is much more slim later on theres just not enough cold air coming in from the north. In order to get tornadoes you need stark temperature gradients, and in may you still have some leftover cool air from the winter that is available to mix with warm summery air from the south. as for this summer I am not on the storm chase unfortunately. Brother is getting married and frankly as exciting as this would be, its kind of a big occasion so im going next year with dave!
Should've studied Meterology while in school, although VT didn't offer it until I was a senior I believe....
Oh well, my official SKYWARN spotter card constantly reminds me of what could have been...
Keep a watchful eye on the skies, Hokies!
I love major thunderstorms but I don't know about chasing them. I'd only go if other people in the group had names like Rabbit, Jo or Preacher.
"Rabbit is good. Rabbit is wise."
Speaking of major thunderstorms, we've had multiple tornado warnings around Richmond during rush hour. Lots of power outages and some hail as large as 4".
Don't forget Dusty