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We lost three very important men this weekend.
12 years ago
I am very sad to say that most of these fatalities, if not all of them, could have been prevented this weekend during the Oklahoma tornadoes.
Three very important men were among the 14 causalities from the Oklahoma tornadoes this weekend. They were professional meteorologists and storm chasers, doing all this to save lives.
Storm chaser and meteorologist Tim Samaras, his storm chaser partner Carl Young, and his son Paul Samaras, were among the 14 people killed during those tornadoes. Tim Samaras was the founder of Twistex- a research experiment that was aimed to better understand tornado formation, the life cycles, and to measure the wind speeds along the ground during these tornadoes.
He designed, built, and deployed instrument probes to measure atmospheric variables such as pressure and wind in the path of tornadoes. Their goals were to help increase tornado warning lead times and also gather data so that we could design better and stronger buildings that can withstand these tornadoes. He and his team were some of the safest chasers out there, so this comes as a big surprise for all of us. He and his crew have saved countless amount of lives during the decades they chased these storms.
It's sad to say that this could have been easily prevented.
The roads were filled with people. There were at least 70 "storm spotters" out there on the road, not counting the novice chasers who don't understand the full danger or unpredictability of these storms. They had the roads clogged, making escape near impossible. The tornado was wrapped in rain, making visibility null and danger at an extreme. This tornado system also was extremely unpredictable and very fast moving. It took a sudden turn toward them and left them unable to get out of the way, picking up their truck and throwing it. There is a picture circulating around that shows their truck after it was found. It's unrecognizable. It's beyond sad that they lost their lives doing what they can to protect others.
The Weather Channel's crew was also on the road during that time. They foolishly got too close, spent too long watching it and didn't try to run sooner. Their SUV got picked up and thrown 200 yards away into a field. They were incredibly lucky to walk away with minor injuries.
A meteorologist on one of the news channels wrongly advised people to outrun the storm this time. The interstates were gridlocked- people could not escape. If the tornado had traveled across that road, we could easily be seeing death tolls into the hundreds.
If there's anything that people take away from this situation, please please know and truly understand just how dangerous it is to be inside a vehicle near a tornado. If you're in the path of one, and you aren't in a mobile home, find an interior room without windows and hide under sturdy furniture if you don't have a basement or storm cellar. A well built house can survive all but the strongest storms. Cars however can be damaged by the weakest of tornadoes and launched into the air like toys. Tractors and trucks are even more vulnerable to these winds. If you're stuck outside during a storm, get out of your vehicle and find the lowest lying area you can. Lay as flat as possible and hold on to whatever you can.
I'm sharing this because of how important it is to have the right information, to really know the strength of these storms on a deep level. So many people fall into complacency and then don't have an emergency plan set in place. So many people also don't know just how strong they can be on a person level.
The below images are of the two vehicles owned by professional meteorologists and storm chasers. It's extremely sad but also extremely important that people understand. I hope that this opens up a lot of eyes, especially to all the young storm chasers out there who don't know what they're doing. This could've been any or even all of them.
Warning: Graphic damage to vehicles. No human blood or even any signs of people in the images at all, but this was the truck of Tim Samaras and crew: https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hpho.....29864708_n.jpg
And this was The Weather Channel's SUV that got picked up and tossed:
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d.....with-video.jpg
We will forever remember the brave work these guys did to save thousands or maybe even millions of lives. Storm chasing won't ever be the same without them.
Three very important men were among the 14 causalities from the Oklahoma tornadoes this weekend. They were professional meteorologists and storm chasers, doing all this to save lives.
Storm chaser and meteorologist Tim Samaras, his storm chaser partner Carl Young, and his son Paul Samaras, were among the 14 people killed during those tornadoes. Tim Samaras was the founder of Twistex- a research experiment that was aimed to better understand tornado formation, the life cycles, and to measure the wind speeds along the ground during these tornadoes.
He designed, built, and deployed instrument probes to measure atmospheric variables such as pressure and wind in the path of tornadoes. Their goals were to help increase tornado warning lead times and also gather data so that we could design better and stronger buildings that can withstand these tornadoes. He and his team were some of the safest chasers out there, so this comes as a big surprise for all of us. He and his crew have saved countless amount of lives during the decades they chased these storms.
It's sad to say that this could have been easily prevented.
The roads were filled with people. There were at least 70 "storm spotters" out there on the road, not counting the novice chasers who don't understand the full danger or unpredictability of these storms. They had the roads clogged, making escape near impossible. The tornado was wrapped in rain, making visibility null and danger at an extreme. This tornado system also was extremely unpredictable and very fast moving. It took a sudden turn toward them and left them unable to get out of the way, picking up their truck and throwing it. There is a picture circulating around that shows their truck after it was found. It's unrecognizable. It's beyond sad that they lost their lives doing what they can to protect others.
The Weather Channel's crew was also on the road during that time. They foolishly got too close, spent too long watching it and didn't try to run sooner. Their SUV got picked up and thrown 200 yards away into a field. They were incredibly lucky to walk away with minor injuries.
A meteorologist on one of the news channels wrongly advised people to outrun the storm this time. The interstates were gridlocked- people could not escape. If the tornado had traveled across that road, we could easily be seeing death tolls into the hundreds.
If there's anything that people take away from this situation, please please know and truly understand just how dangerous it is to be inside a vehicle near a tornado. If you're in the path of one, and you aren't in a mobile home, find an interior room without windows and hide under sturdy furniture if you don't have a basement or storm cellar. A well built house can survive all but the strongest storms. Cars however can be damaged by the weakest of tornadoes and launched into the air like toys. Tractors and trucks are even more vulnerable to these winds. If you're stuck outside during a storm, get out of your vehicle and find the lowest lying area you can. Lay as flat as possible and hold on to whatever you can.
I'm sharing this because of how important it is to have the right information, to really know the strength of these storms on a deep level. So many people fall into complacency and then don't have an emergency plan set in place. So many people also don't know just how strong they can be on a person level.
The below images are of the two vehicles owned by professional meteorologists and storm chasers. It's extremely sad but also extremely important that people understand. I hope that this opens up a lot of eyes, especially to all the young storm chasers out there who don't know what they're doing. This could've been any or even all of them.
Warning: Graphic damage to vehicles. No human blood or even any signs of people in the images at all, but this was the truck of Tim Samaras and crew: https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hpho.....29864708_n.jpg
And this was The Weather Channel's SUV that got picked up and tossed:
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d.....with-video.jpg
We will forever remember the brave work these guys did to save thousands or maybe even millions of lives. Storm chasing won't ever be the same without them.
Not sure if you wrote the above yourself or it is a copy paste. Things to note:
This storm caught many unaware acting much more unpredictable in its path than many storms n tornadoes.
Could this have been prevented? Sure, they could stay home and we lose more people. Samaras was one of the leading researchers out there he was not a chaser like Timmer and Casey. The data he was collecting gave more insight into tornadoes and thus into prediction thereof. His crew (at least in the series) was not using armored chase vehicles, so much more susceptible to debris and wind.
The buildings/houses in Tornado alley could greatly benefit from FL building codes. But greed takes effect, and so simple wood houses are built and many dont even have a storm shelter it seems.
I have nothing against newbie storm chasers. My boyfriend is one, getting his feet wet as he learns to read radar and goes out to watch lightning storms from a distance. I've got a few friends who are a step above, who understand the detailed radar data and track the more severe storms and warn others about it. But there's a time and place for them to be, and being out on the road with a dangerous unpredictable storm isn't the best place.
I feel like they (Tim and his crew) should've had an armored vehicle themselves, but I can understand why they never got one. Tim never intended to intercept tornadoes in his vehicle. He was always careful about safety and the well being of his crew. When Reed's windows got blown out one season, he was there after to make sure they were okay.
I'm just sad that it had to happen this way.
Personally, I would not storm chase without some armoring of the vehicle to not only increase weight (thus less likely to be lifted) but also provide protection from debris even if its just a major roll cage with lexan AP windows.
Timmer has just got huge cojones, and dam lucky that was only a graze from that twister that blew the windows. At least he armored up the vehicle for the next season.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd......70856572_n.jpg
Look at them all lined up on the only road that seems to be a clear escape. A lot of them didn't even realize it changed directions.
All professionals start out as newbies, but these professionals also have either a degree in meteorology or they bring a meteorologist with them. They have that knowledge and they know how to read the radar, and they know when they're in the outer or inner circulation meaning they're too close. These professionals are also not doing it for the thrill, they're doing it for research.
TWC got too close and they knew it. In their video they were saying 'We have 30 seconds!' and then they were freaking out trying to race the tornado. They hung around too long trying to get a good video. Reed has done that before and gotten caught in a storm, but he has the Dominator as protection. TWC didn't have an armored vehicle, or hydraulics to drop them down to the ground at the least- so they got picked up and thrown. They were being stupid trying to outrun it after they knew they went too close.
Seven of those nine people (I keep hearing different counts- 9, 11, 14? don't know yet) died in cars. If Mike Morgan didn't tell people to evacuate the roads wouldn't have been gridlocked like a hurricane evaluation. Especially after the NWS told people to stay off the road!
Also, I misread something. The tornado did cross the interstate but not at full strength. It lifted mostly. TWC and Tim were hit back in El Reno when it made the sudden path change. That was before it hit the OKC area.
It's all just...unbelievable. A lot of it could've been avoided. When you are dealing with a multiple vortex monster 3/4 of a mile wide there is no room for error. Those winds can extend well outside the main funnel. A lot of these chasers didn't realize this, but hopefully they do now.
ANY experienced spotter worth half his weight is going to advise not to core-drive at all. (2 inch+ hail, downbursts, flash floods, lightning, straight level winds etc). It isn't just the funnel or Tornado elements that cause fatalities and going in means your taking your life into your hands.
As soon as I saw the wrecked car -- like some kind of extreme sport's entertainment prop (TWC is not exactly credible for anything TBH, nor are any commercialized crews) you kinda know already their going to try to poke the bear cage even if it costs them their lives. It really masks how dangerous such things can be like that stupid highway overpass video.
In fact Im surprised we haven't had a mass fatality yet from people triing that and similar stunts. Especially with all these newsreels gridlocked cars with the tornadoes in the background.
However sad that people are going to lose their lives on these things the silver lining is that people may finally learn how truly dangerous and unpredictable these storms can be and that you should keep your friggen distance (unless you wanna die). Hopefully entrants learn to be safer.
(I am also a trained spotter -- however, in Canada to do it "officially" requires a HAM licence as our network is through Short Wave.)
You said it perfectly, nothing more can really be said. Also completely agreed TWC is pretty much useless. KFOR is really being hit hard now too after their dumb advice.
This could've easily turned into a mass fatality of both 'chasers' and citizens. So far the only deaths I've heard of have been from being in a vehicle, or from trying to hide in a storm drain. (I don't know what gives people the idea to do that, common sense says that rain fall will accumulate easily and drowning is very likely..)
I too hope that this teaches people to be safer. Stay out of the way, get your shots from afar and don't put yourself in danger. I've learned a lot by watching the discovery series, but I'm still learning outside of it too. I wouldn't ever want to chase storms, however I do take an interest in storm spotting- mostly around here in Florida with our hurricanes and thunderstorms. We don't get anything nearly as severe most of the time.
I feel like we need some sort of licensing too. Too many newbies not knowing what they're doing.
Most people are told to stay in place in a strong structure but with EF4/EF5's you can be seriously injured with doing that as well. In fact, I remember reading an article a while back where a human sized return got cut in half by debris in an an EF4 tornado (high resolution Differential Reflectivity radar loops) after their house was lifted. Seeing that REALLY sobers you up as to how dangerous those storms are.
But with that kinda crowd (turning it into a spectator sport), well I think its a chicken or egg syndrome. Everyone was faaarrr too forward of the storm's mean motion to begin with so it was an unsafe situation regardless of advice. No one should have been forward, or that close to the hook echo. Plus other then for ratings on a "definite" touchdown High Precipitation Super-Cells are not good targets to begin with. The rain free base is just to small most times.
Stupid mistakes right from the getgo -.-
I don't know if the discovery series actually gets into some of the technical details that go into basic weather spotting (and chase planning) but there are sooo many things you have to cover that wouldn't make for good TV. No one likes sitting through the NWS curriculum on how to interpret radar echos (15-25 hours of the most boring science and math you can think of, especially with the new dual-pulse radar algorithms) and looking at photos (that do nothing for when you hit the big time) of storms to determine the parts (like rear flank downdrafts anvil/cloud deck height, speed, and distance estimates and terminology (Beaufort wind scale for example).
Weather spotters ARE trained and tracked by both Environment Canada and The National Weather Service and there are certification courses available (that you can take from your local NWS office, though they may have finished already. You even get your own private site and log in for "official NWS reports") but that wouldn't stop people from being stupid or trying to get "the big one". I doubt fines would either. Besides a "trained" weather spotter who isn't going to be a daredevil will almost ALWAYS put themselves before their spotting.
(like me on Thursday avoiding a microburst that made a mess about half a mile to the southwest of me -- LOL.)
But your also assuming to lay blame, where none is needed. Tim was doing what he loved and was finally caught by the unpredictable nature of tornadoes. His cautious nature proves just how erratic and wild this system was.
Look at the traffic...How does anyone escape a tornado with roads like that?