Sunshine
is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there
is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.
~John Ruskin
Storm Chaser
Storm
Chaser: A Photographer's Journey (Hardcover)
by Jim Reed (Author, Photographer)4.9
out of 5 stars
review By W. Hark
(Virginia)
Jim Reed is a well-known storm chaser, author and weather photographer whose
credits include National Geographic and Time Magazine. As a storm chaser and
photographer, I have always appreciated Mr. Reed's images and have been eagerly
awaiting this book.
I was not disappointed. Storm
Chaser, A Photographer's Journey is a coffee table book documenting 15 years
of extreme weather photography. This volume is really a giant photo album with
some amazing images. He has selected a variety of hauntingly beautiful photos of
severe weather. Of course, my favorites are the tornadoes, supercells, lightning
and hail. He has several tornado images though I would like a few more.
Mr. Reed captures the dark intensity of tornadic storms contrasted with
verdant fields or angry reds and yellows of the setting sun. He has chased
hurricanes including Katrina. The photos illustrate the intense rain and wind
associated with those tropical storms. There are many other images of weather
including ice storms, drought, floods, dust storms and snow-covered landscapes.
Newsbreaker
GARETH LACEY took this electric sky shot Tuesday night from Casuarina Beach
after reading Storm
Chaser
Examples of rare phenomena include hoarfrost in Kansas and aurora viewed from
South Carolina. Although the focus is on the photos, the text is very
interesting with descriptions of his storm chases, journal entries and
interactions with meteorologists, storm chasers and those affected by the
weather. I really enjoyed reading about Mr. Reed's early experiences with
storms, photography, and writing and how those experiences led him to storm
chasing and weather photography. The book is organized by season. Although there
is a general theme of global climate change affecting weather patterns, the book
is not a technical analysis. Those wanting detailed information on tornado
formation, weather forecasting or global warming should look elsewhere.
This
is an art-book with gorgeous weather photos and landscapes; beautiful to view
with an underlying warning about changing climate. I highly recommend this book
to anyone with an interest in weather or who can appreciate the sublime beauty
of the natural world. I am definitely inspired to go out and take more weather
photos.
Jim Reed/Science Faction/Getty Images Members of S.T.E.P.S. (Severe Thunderstorm Electrification
and Precipitation Study) launch a weather balloon into a tornadic supercell
thunderstorm.
Read more about the book: Storm
Chaser: A Photographer's Journey
NOT EASY TO FILM
A TORNADO While filming two separate tornados, another appears not far from
the Storm Chasers' location. Do they have enough time to get into this new
twister's path? Find out in this Discovery Channel video. (May, 2008)
And I believe you can read the thousand words in each.
Sioux City, Iowa. This cloud is one mile in diameter.
Grand Island, Nebraska.
Alvo, Nebraska.
Become
a ‘storm chaser’ for the weather service
Thursday, March 19, 2009 By PATTY RICE GROTH
found at galioninquirer.com
prgroth@galioninquirer.com
One will hear a network weather reporter say, “Our spotters in
Crawford County say ... ” about severe weather. Who are those spotters? One of
them could be “you.”
Becoming an official weather spotter for the National Weather
Service is quite easy — attend a training session and pay attention.
The training makes one part of the National Oceanic Atmospheric
Administration’s “Skywarn®” system — a network of trained weather
spotters who report significant and severe weather to the NWS. For residents of
Crawford County, that reporting would be made to the NWS office in Cleveland.
NOAA/NWS is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce.
That office is responsible for 30 counties in north and
northeastern Ohio and northwestern Pennsylvania, separated into six districts.
Scattered around that area are 15 NOAA radio stations, with the stations in
Butler and Carey closest to residents in Crawford County, in district 3. Each of
the districts broadcasts weather radio on its own frequency.
Spotters are critical to the success of NWS’ efforts to keep
people safe from threatening weather. Weather radar technology still is not able
to pick up nuances of weather conditions which are easily visible to the naked
eye. Spotters provide confirmation of radar indicators, often improving the
window of opportunity to issue weather warnings.
The region experiences about 300 warnings a year, affecting 4.5
million residents of Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Other than the NWS training, there are no prerequisites to
become a spotter. No special licenses and no special equipment are needed. It is
up to the volunteer spotter to decide whether to become more heavily involved.
Some dedicated volunteers have rain gauges, available in a wide
range of prices. Others have chosen to purchase an anonemeter — a wind meter,
though the NWS training explains for to tell at least the minimum wind speed
using trees at a meter.
Amateur radio operators — often called “ham operators” —
are valuable spotter resources for NWS. Spotters may be attracted to becoming
involved in supporting the NWS by becoming radio operators. Area amateur radio
operators are organized in their efforts, even to the point of conducting
drills. In fact, a tornado drill for area amateur radio operators is scheduled
for March 25 at 9:50 a.m.
After completing the training, each volunteer is given an
identity and the spotters’ access telephone number to NWS.
NWS instructor Gary Garnet, based in Cleveland, conducted the
first-ever “Webinar” — a seminar conducted on the Internet — that
includes the same information as is provided in a live seminar. The Crawford
County Emergency Managent Agency hosted a Webinar site in their command
center/conference room; six people took advantage of the opportunity to attend.
A live training session is scheduled on Thursday, April 6,
starting at 6:30 p.m. at William Crawford Intermediate School.
Another Webinar training session is scheduled for Tuesday, April
14, starting at 2 p.m. in the EMA office.
Registrations for the training sessions are limited; advance
registration is strongly recommended. Interested persons should call the
Crawford County EMA office to register for the April 14 Webinar. Registration
for the live training on April 6 can also be made through the EMA office at
1-419-562-6009, or can be done online at http://www.erh.noaa.gov/
cle/skywarn/training/spottran.html. At that same Web site, one will find
upcoming live and Webinar training sessions scheduled in surrounding counties as
well.
It is not necessary to go to a group Webinar site. One can
choose to reserve a spot in class and log in from a home or office computer.
Survival
KitDeluxe Emergency Disaster Preparedness 72
Hour Backpack Kit Earthquake, Hurricane, Fire, Flood, Tornado, Evacuation or
Storm. Home, Work or Auto: 4 Person
~ SurvivalKitsOnline
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Newsbreaker
GARETH LACEY took this electric sky shot Tuesday night from Casuarina Beach
after reading 
This
is an art-book with gorgeous weather photos and landscapes; beautiful to view
with an underlying warning about changing climate. I highly recommend this book
to anyone with an interest in weather or who can appreciate the sublime beauty
of the natural world. I am definitely inspired to go out and take more weather
photos.
~ Black & Decker