Global Warming and Storm Chasing

This 'safe' position should have a clear view of the tornado-producing part of the storm, as well as good visibility. In the northern hemisphere, this is usually 2-3 kilometres southeast of a storm moving towards the northeast. This is also a safe place because you stay out of the tornadoes path. If the thunderstorm is directly penetrated and the chaser emerges out of the core into the backside of the storm, there is the possibility of finding a tornado directly in front of the vehicle!

Conclusion

It is clear that a diverse range of people from amateurs to professionals operate in extreme weather conditions, and that as Global Warming accelerates there will be an increasing need for Storm Chasers that follow at the back of storms to understand how they operate. Global warming may be a reality, but so are the chasers; and where the weather goes they will follow.

Adam Carter is a freelance car designer who has made a special study of vehicle design specifically for Storm Chasing. This is an extract used with permission of Adam from his Masters Thesis. To contact him, visit http://www.cardesignnews.com/site/designers/portfolios/display/store5/item34482/

For more information:

Watch 'Storm Chasers: Fury in the Skies' TV documentary
http://www.firstscience.com/home/firstscience.tv/stormchasers-fury-in-the-skies_8.html

Watch  'Storm Chasers: Fury in the Plains' TV documentary
http://www.firstscience.com/home/firstscience.tv/storm-chasers-fury-on-the-plains_9.html

Watch 'Oaklahoma Fury' TV documentary
http://www.firstscience.com/home/firstscience.tv/oklahoma-fury_12.html

Watch 'When Nature Strikes Back: Chasing Killer Storms' TV documentary
http://www.firstscience.com/home/firstscience.tv/when-nature-strikes-back-chasing-killer-storms_16.html

Watch 'Artic Meltdown: Rising Seas' TV documentary
http://www.firstscience.com/home/firstscience.tv/arctic-meltdown-rising-seas_4.html

Watch 'Meltdown: In the Shadow of Nepal's Lost Glaciers' TV documentary
http://www.firstscience.com/home/firstscience.tv/meltdown-in-the-shadow-of-nepal-s-lost-glaciers_19.html