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The Spectator
Storm Chasers Discuss Searching for Tornados
by William McIvor '12Science & Technology Writer
& Julia Litzky '12
Science & Technology Editor
November 06, 2009
Many of you may have seen Discovery Channel's hit show Storm Chasers, which follows professional storm chasers around the Midwest as they seek out tornadoes. Storm Chasing is a field that has been gaining increased interest. Last Thursday, a storm chaser spoke at Hamilton about his work as part of the Emerson Literary Society's "Tell Me What You Know" lecture series. Brian Barnes began his talk by explaining how his interest in tornados was sparked. His first personal experience with a tornado was when he was caught near one driving to his high school prom. This interest led to jobs working as a weather forecaster for the Air Force and a storm chaser for various news stations. Eventually, he founded Storm Tours, and takes groups storm chasing. His talk included an explanation of the meteorology he uses and how to interpret meteorological data to look for and predict tornadoes, along with stories about tornado chases and his experiences with storms.
Barnes dispelled some common rumors about tornados. First, neither mountain nor water will prevent a tornado. Tornados occur all over the country, in all states (including Hawaii and Alaska), and can even touch down in cities. Secondly, tornados could not pick you up like Dorothy's house in the Wizard of Oz. The winds in the funnel mainly move sideways rather than upwards, but these strong winds can still get objects airborne with their strong force.
Additionally, opening your windows will not help in the case of a tornado. Many believe that the low pressure created outside during a tornado will cause too much of a pressure difference between the outside and inside of a house, and so they open their windows. However, this is a myth, and many injuries have been caused by broken glass from windows when homeowners tried to open them. Plus, with the windows open, wind damage can occur inside the house. The best thing to do when in danger from a tornado is to get to a storm cellar or other safe location and wait it out.
Tornados require a combination of factors to occur, including warm moist air and windy conditions. Windshifts before thunderstorms can create a horizontal rotating effect in the air currents, which is then tilted vertically by updrafts within the thunderstorm. Most tornadoes form within this area of rotation. Tornadoes are most common in an area known as "Tornado Alley," a loosely defined area in the midwest which includes northern Texas, Oaklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri and Iowa. Strong storm systems form in this area at the boundary between warm, moist air from the east and hot dry air from the west, producing ideal conditions for tornados.
Barnes's company, Storm Tours, provides patrons with an opportunity to experience storm chasing first hand in Tornado Alley. His tours consist of driving around the areas of Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma and other tornado-prone areas in a van equipped with storm monitoring technology. With his expertise in meteorology, he uses weather patterns to predict the most likely location to find a tornado, and takes the tour group to this location. To see pictures and videos of many of the tornados he has encountered, visit his website at stormchase.com.