In the last several years the thrill seeking sport, if you will, of storm chasing has exploded in popularity. Storm chasing has been around for over 50 years, with the first credited chaser being David Hoadley in North Dakota in 1956. Since then the field has expanded to include teams of scientists from universities and government entities trying to collect data, and teams or individuals who chase for hobby or entertainment. There are even companies who offer storm chasing excursions as well. Storm chasing began to pick up in the 1970's when the University of Oklahoma partnered with the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) to create the Tornado Intercept Project, then again in the early-mid 1990's and 2009-2010 with the Vortex and Vortex 2 projects which partnered several university teams with the NSSL and other crews all in hopes of gathering data from a tornado to help forecasters better predict when and where tornadoes would form. Outside of teams and projects like these, most storm chasers are amateurs who do it for the thrill and adrenaline rush. Some chasers can make money by selling photos and video to media outlets, but most chasers actually lose money as it is an expensive hobby to undertake. In addition to storm chasers there are also individuals known as trained weather spotters. These people have taken special training classes from the National Weather Service to spot severe storms that may produce tornadoes or other hazardous weather events. Spotters may or may not be chasers as well.
Storm chasing is often something that is glamourized by Hollywood. It is seen as very adventurous and even heroic and while this may be the case sometimes, more often than not it is a dangerous past-time that has gotten many people injured and even killed. There are many inherent dangers to storm chasing and even professional meteorologists and scientists are injured and killed doing this. The most obvious danger is the possibility of catching the tornado you are chasing (or more likely being caught by the tornado you are chasing). The majority of chasing is done in rural areas which means there are few places in which to seek shelter other than a ditch or culvert, neither of which are very safe. Another danger that chasers face is lightning. Many chasers are out in remote areas with little else around them, making them the tallest objects and a good electrical conductor. Flooding can also be a major risk for those out in the field. It's easy to underestimate the amount of water on a roadway when you are trying to chase or frantically trying to outrun a storm, and it only takes a few inches of water to wash away a vehicle. Hail and dangerously high winds are also a threat to chasers as they can smash windshields and toss or overturn vehicles.
More recently in some instances, hobby chasers have become a danger to others in the community as well as themselves. There have been several occurrences where hobby chasers with no training have gotten themselves into trouble by getting caught in the storm and needing assistance from law enforcement, emergency medical services, etc, potentially putting these people now in harm's way and/or wasting resources needed by a community just devastated by a storm. Amateurs looking for a thrill or cool photo opportunity have been known to clog roadways, obstructing roads for EMS, law enforcement, utility companies, etc hindering their work and potentially harming others as well. For these and other reasons, it has always been strongly recommended that amateur chasers stay home and seek shelter during a tornado and leave the chasing if there is any to the professionally trained scientists.
Storm chasing is often something that is glamourized by Hollywood. It is seen as very adventurous and even heroic and while this may be the case sometimes, more often than not it is a dangerous past-time that has gotten many people injured and even killed. There are many inherent dangers to storm chasing and even professional meteorologists and scientists are injured and killed doing this. The most obvious danger is the possibility of catching the tornado you are chasing (or more likely being caught by the tornado you are chasing). The majority of chasing is done in rural areas which means there are few places in which to seek shelter other than a ditch or culvert, neither of which are very safe. Another danger that chasers face is lightning. Many chasers are out in remote areas with little else around them, making them the tallest objects and a good electrical conductor. Flooding can also be a major risk for those out in the field. It's easy to underestimate the amount of water on a roadway when you are trying to chase or frantically trying to outrun a storm, and it only takes a few inches of water to wash away a vehicle. Hail and dangerously high winds are also a threat to chasers as they can smash windshields and toss or overturn vehicles.
More recently in some instances, hobby chasers have become a danger to others in the community as well as themselves. There have been several occurrences where hobby chasers with no training have gotten themselves into trouble by getting caught in the storm and needing assistance from law enforcement, emergency medical services, etc, potentially putting these people now in harm's way and/or wasting resources needed by a community just devastated by a storm. Amateurs looking for a thrill or cool photo opportunity have been known to clog roadways, obstructing roads for EMS, law enforcement, utility companies, etc hindering their work and potentially harming others as well. For these and other reasons, it has always been strongly recommended that amateur chasers stay home and seek shelter during a tornado and leave the chasing if there is any to the professionally trained scientists.