Let's face it. Storm chasing is an expensive hobby-especially if you go on multi-day hunts and have gas, hotels, and food involved.
But one thing doesn't have to be that expensive--a good radar image. Sure, you can go out and get a nice, new iPhone and hook it up to a nice radar service. But why spend all of that money for something that only happens a few days a year? There is another alternative.
In Nebraska, you have to use Verizon if you want to zoom around the state and expect to have a good signal. They, in my opinion, offer the best reliability. They also have a "pay by the day" plan where you can get access for only $15 a day. All you need is one of their USB modems and a nice laptop. (You can find used modems on ebay.)
Once you have a modem, take it to your local Verizon store and get it activated. You will pay your first charge at that time and you'll be all set.
Instead of looking at a small cellphone image of an approaching storm, you can have a nice big look at your laptop screen. And best of all, you will be saving yourself a lot of big bucks.
Which you may need for gas, food, and hotels!
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
News from the fronts
Cold. Warm. Stationary. Occluded. :o)
Spotter training day was interesting and very informative and lots of folks showed up to hear what Brian Smith and Dr. Ken Dewey had to offer.
Smith is a very interesting guy and a big asset to area weather needs. He is THE trainer for the National Weather Service in Omaha and is a former student of Dr. Tetsuya Theodore Fujita--yes that one--at the University of Chicago. He is also the one that goes out to damage sites and when he is done, the news media starts talking about "straight line" wind damage or there was a tornado with EF2 strength. So, the right teacher did appear and the students were ready.
The spotter program in Lancaster County, Nebraska is one of the best in the country. It relies on the Lincoln Amateur Radio Club (LARC) for manpower and ham radio contacts at some thirty plus sites around the county. When a storm moves through the county, eyes from these designated points track it and if clouds start rotating or dropping hail, these folks are on the front line to tell you. (You can hear some of these "nets" live on dark and stormy nights by going to http://146760.net.)
So much for that side of things. Dr. Ken Dewey is a very interesting guy, too. He is the patient and guiding force behind UNL's meteorology and climatology programs. He also developed the Central Plains Severe Weather Symposium and Family Weatherfest.
With those two presenters available, I finally had a chance to ask my two puzzling questions. Why do we not have those killer overnight tornadoes in Nebraska like they do in the Southern States? Has the tornado pattern shifted in Nebraska from Central Nebraska to the East?
Smith made quick work of the first one. The reason there are more severe overnight events in the South is they are much closer to Gulf moisture. Storms need fuel to keep going and those folks have more of it close by. Dr. Dewey chimed in that there have been overnight storms but as a general rule, he agreed most systems fizzle out in late evening. According to Dewey, the 7:00 am hour is the only hour with no historical storm.
Dewey also confirmed that Nebraska's tornado alley has shifted from the 1970-80's track that was common in Central Nebraska to a track that is more between Hastings and Beatrice with a little more emphasis on Northern Kansas as a breeding ground for trouble.
One last item. What is the severe weather outlook for this year? According to the two men, we could have a busier year this year. The battleground is over Nebraska and should stay there long range for most of the spring but the problem is the drought in Texas. There may not be enough moisture to support severe storms and tornado outbreaks.
Strange as it sounds, Minnesota had the most tornadoes last year with a whopping 145. Compare that to usual hot spots*:
Will the trend continue or is it a trend at all? Could Nebraska's move to the Big 10 be a stormy one? We'll have to wait and see!
Need something to do on April 9th? Check out Dr. Dewey's masterpiece-the Central Plain Severe Weather Symposium. It's a great event.
Spotter training day was interesting and very informative and lots of folks showed up to hear what Brian Smith and Dr. Ken Dewey had to offer.
Smith is a very interesting guy and a big asset to area weather needs. He is THE trainer for the National Weather Service in Omaha and is a former student of Dr. Tetsuya Theodore Fujita--yes that one--at the University of Chicago. He is also the one that goes out to damage sites and when he is done, the news media starts talking about "straight line" wind damage or there was a tornado with EF2 strength. So, the right teacher did appear and the students were ready.
The spotter program in Lancaster County, Nebraska is one of the best in the country. It relies on the Lincoln Amateur Radio Club (LARC) for manpower and ham radio contacts at some thirty plus sites around the county. When a storm moves through the county, eyes from these designated points track it and if clouds start rotating or dropping hail, these folks are on the front line to tell you. (You can hear some of these "nets" live on dark and stormy nights by going to http://146760.net.)
So much for that side of things. Dr. Ken Dewey is a very interesting guy, too. He is the patient and guiding force behind UNL's meteorology and climatology programs. He also developed the Central Plains Severe Weather Symposium and Family Weatherfest.
With those two presenters available, I finally had a chance to ask my two puzzling questions. Why do we not have those killer overnight tornadoes in Nebraska like they do in the Southern States? Has the tornado pattern shifted in Nebraska from Central Nebraska to the East?
Smith made quick work of the first one. The reason there are more severe overnight events in the South is they are much closer to Gulf moisture. Storms need fuel to keep going and those folks have more of it close by. Dr. Dewey chimed in that there have been overnight storms but as a general rule, he agreed most systems fizzle out in late evening. According to Dewey, the 7:00 am hour is the only hour with no historical storm.
Dewey also confirmed that Nebraska's tornado alley has shifted from the 1970-80's track that was common in Central Nebraska to a track that is more between Hastings and Beatrice with a little more emphasis on Northern Kansas as a breeding ground for trouble.
One last item. What is the severe weather outlook for this year? According to the two men, we could have a busier year this year. The battleground is over Nebraska and should stay there long range for most of the spring but the problem is the drought in Texas. There may not be enough moisture to support severe storms and tornado outbreaks.
Strange as it sounds, Minnesota had the most tornadoes last year with a whopping 145. Compare that to usual hot spots*:
105-Texas
94-Kansas
74-Oklahoma
66-Colorado
52-Iowa
46-Nebraska
*National Weather Service Data
Will the trend continue or is it a trend at all? Could Nebraska's move to the Big 10 be a stormy one? We'll have to wait and see!
Need something to do on April 9th? Check out Dr. Dewey's masterpiece-the Central Plain Severe Weather Symposium. It's a great event.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Spotter training today
Want to become a "certified" storm spotter for Lancaster County? Well today is your day! (Saturday, March 26). Just show up at Hardin Hall on the University of Nebraska East Campus at noon or so. The training will be conducted by Brian Smith of the National Weather Service in Valley, NE. He's very entertaining and approachable on weather subjects. You will also find a lot of local hams there. No, not funny men. Ham radio operators. They are the backbone of the spotter network around Lincoln and Lancaster County.
I am a ham and I think it is a great license to have. It's easy to get. The radio is pretty cheap when you compare costs to smart phones, laptops, and pads. Plus, it will still work when a tornado turns a cell tower into a figure 8 piece of junk. (That's about all that worked when Katrina hit the Gulf Coast and I am sure they are getting a workout in Japan right now.)
Put the two together and you could find yourself on top of a hill outside of town when some of the rock and roll clouds blow over the Nebraska countryside.
One thing though, if you go through all of this, don't push the push-to-talk switch on your new ham radio and say you see a "lightning and a bunch of gray clouds." That just doesn't make it in the storm spotting business. So. pay attention to Brian if you go today. He'll tell you what to look for.
Hopefully, the big flakes of snow now falling won't prevent you from getting there! Ain't Nebraska weather great!
I am a ham and I think it is a great license to have. It's easy to get. The radio is pretty cheap when you compare costs to smart phones, laptops, and pads. Plus, it will still work when a tornado turns a cell tower into a figure 8 piece of junk. (That's about all that worked when Katrina hit the Gulf Coast and I am sure they are getting a workout in Japan right now.)
Put the two together and you could find yourself on top of a hill outside of town when some of the rock and roll clouds blow over the Nebraska countryside.
One thing though, if you go through all of this, don't push the push-to-talk switch on your new ham radio and say you see a "lightning and a bunch of gray clouds." That just doesn't make it in the storm spotting business. So. pay attention to Brian if you go today. He'll tell you what to look for.
Hopefully, the big flakes of snow now falling won't prevent you from getting there! Ain't Nebraska weather great!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
The first outbreak
Tuesday. March 22. 3:00 PM
I will admit, it's a little early in the season to start looking (and feeling) like this could be the day but it was...the day! I was fooling around with my models on F5 last night and it pointed me toward the usual place. But the best area was looking like just NE of Omaha. Duh. Where else?
Sure enough, it wasn't long before Radar Lab HD was starting to flash. Since I couldn't go, I thought it might be a good time to try some of my other "trys" and see which one worked the best on my aging laptop. I recently doubled the ram and am running Vista. My goal, like every other chaser, was to get down to something easy to tote around in the field and still get the best results for the lowest cost. Barons was not in the list because it is to expensive for me. I wanted to compare HD and Weather Defender.
Weather Defender is much prettier, I must admit. It also shows railroads. HD does not. But HD isn't as clunky. It takes WD longer to get up to speed than it does HD on my laptop. I am not a fan of the background choices of HD. They have several but I would like something a little more tan than what they offer. Anyway, when the tornado popped up on HD in Burt County, I got excited. HD had it instantly. WD not far behind. I animated HD and all was fine. (I like to watch things move.) WD opens another window. I don't like that. The big window had the pretty stuff but you had to pull up the little window to get it to do something.
For $7 or so a month versus $20 or so a month, HD won the first battle of the first outbreak of the 2011 tornado season. Hooked up to Verizon Wireless, I am confident you will have great information in the field. (I like the Verizon mifi idea because it can connect five devices at once so it your laptop gets clunked by hail, you can whip out your iPod touch and still be on the chase.
It was a great afternoon for watchers like me and the 15 or so chasers HD tracks with GPS. That's helpful, too. With gas at almost $3.60 a gallon, it's nice to see where the other guys are betting will be the best supercell to follow. They were right! I'll bet Creston, Iowa hasn't see that many vehicles with dash mounted cams since the last state sheriff's convention. They are probably still wondering why "those people" suddenly pull off the road and run to the ditch with a tripod in one hand and a camera in the other.
But we know. It's exciting. Not like the weather that was behind this boiling mess of March Madness. The weather is back to normal right. Cold. Chance of snow. Gloomy. But it was fun while it lasted.
I will admit, it's a little early in the season to start looking (and feeling) like this could be the day but it was...the day! I was fooling around with my models on F5 last night and it pointed me toward the usual place. But the best area was looking like just NE of Omaha. Duh. Where else?
Sure enough, it wasn't long before Radar Lab HD was starting to flash. Since I couldn't go, I thought it might be a good time to try some of my other "trys" and see which one worked the best on my aging laptop. I recently doubled the ram and am running Vista. My goal, like every other chaser, was to get down to something easy to tote around in the field and still get the best results for the lowest cost. Barons was not in the list because it is to expensive for me. I wanted to compare HD and Weather Defender.
Weather Defender is much prettier, I must admit. It also shows railroads. HD does not. But HD isn't as clunky. It takes WD longer to get up to speed than it does HD on my laptop. I am not a fan of the background choices of HD. They have several but I would like something a little more tan than what they offer. Anyway, when the tornado popped up on HD in Burt County, I got excited. HD had it instantly. WD not far behind. I animated HD and all was fine. (I like to watch things move.) WD opens another window. I don't like that. The big window had the pretty stuff but you had to pull up the little window to get it to do something.
For $7 or so a month versus $20 or so a month, HD won the first battle of the first outbreak of the 2011 tornado season. Hooked up to Verizon Wireless, I am confident you will have great information in the field. (I like the Verizon mifi idea because it can connect five devices at once so it your laptop gets clunked by hail, you can whip out your iPod touch and still be on the chase.
It was a great afternoon for watchers like me and the 15 or so chasers HD tracks with GPS. That's helpful, too. With gas at almost $3.60 a gallon, it's nice to see where the other guys are betting will be the best supercell to follow. They were right! I'll bet Creston, Iowa hasn't see that many vehicles with dash mounted cams since the last state sheriff's convention. They are probably still wondering why "those people" suddenly pull off the road and run to the ditch with a tripod in one hand and a camera in the other.
But we know. It's exciting. Not like the weather that was behind this boiling mess of March Madness. The weather is back to normal right. Cold. Chance of snow. Gloomy. But it was fun while it lasted.
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