When:  Monday, Jan. 30, 7:00pm

Where:  136 McBryde Hall, VT Campus

This is a mandatory informational meeting for everyone applying for a position on the 2012 trip (those interested in future trips are welcome to attend as well).  We will cover trip logistics, crew member expectations, and equipment used in the field.   If you are interested in a spot on the trip but have not submitted an application, you may bring it to the meeting.  This meeting will be the final opportunity to join the 2012 trip.  If you have time, we will also meet for a quick dinner (6:00 pm at Souvlaki on College Ave. in downtown Blacksburg) before the meeting.  Past and present chase crew members are welcome!  I’m looking forward to meeting everyone and preparing for our time in the plains this spring!   -Dave

Most of the initial planning is now complete for the 2012 storm chase, and we are ready to accept applications for the trip.  You will find the updated application and trip information in the attachment below.  If you are considering applying for a position with the 2012 chase crew, please keep these things in mind:

a) This trip is NOT for everyone…only those with a true passion for severe thunderstorms and tornadoes should apply.  It is a long and arduous journey, and if you are not committed to the study of severe storms, then you may well feel as if YOU should be “committed” by trip’s end!

b) Keep in mind the nature of the trip:  it is an academic exercise…not a vacation.  Every crew member will serve various duties on the trip, and full cooperation is not only desirable, it is mandatory.  When entering a severe weather set-up, everyone must be “dialed in” for efficiency as well as for the safety of the entire crew.

c) Expect some “down time” between storms.  It is impossible to forecast what type of pattern we may see any given year, but most years we do experience a lull in the action which may last for a day or two…or maybe a week.  Patience is a prerequisite for this trip.

d) If you fear storms, please do not apply, and don’t undertake this trip for therapeutic reasons!  On most chase trips we typically experience “intense” moments to some degree, and you need to be prepared for this potential scenario should it unfold.

So, if  you are certain the storm chase is for you, fill out the application form and either drop it by 101 Major Williams, or send it via e-mail to carrolld@vt.edu.

The actual selection of the 2011 chase crew will be made as soon as the students enrolled in the second semester Severe Weather course are notified (by the end of January).  Applicants will be selected based upon their response to the application question (why do you want to join the chase?), and background coursework in meteorology.  If you lack the background courses, those interested are still encouraged to apply, as the primary prerequisite is a driving passion for severe weather and everyone is given full consideration.

NOTE:  AN INITIAL INFORMATIONAL MEETING WILL TAKE PLACE IN A FEW WEEKS.  THIS WILL BE ANNOUNCED HERE AND ALSO E-MAILED TO ANYONE SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION.  A FINAL MEETING WILL BE SCHEDULED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SECOND SEMESTER.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me carrolld@vt.edu,  or stop by 101 Major Williams,  or call 231-5469.  I look forward to meeting this year’s edition of the VT Storm Chasers!

VT Storm Chase Application

-Dave Carroll

WaKeeney holds so much history for the Hokie Storm Chasers. We were here in 2007, waiting in the parking lot of this very Super 8, before a 5-hour long storm chase that yielded mouth-dropping, mothership supercell structures and a couple of tornadoes in the country north and west. And then there was 2008, when we stayed here 2 nights and witnessed as many as 10 tornadoes close by — one at extremely close range a few miles south of here. We returned from that nerve-wracking storm intercept to find the door of the hotel lobby blown in, the store across the road heavily damaged, a van with windows blown out, and bleeding students from another chase team in the lobby. That trip provided those students a view into the full intensity of Plains severe weather.

But today — much to the relief of many folks here asking us about why we’re here — we’re only passing through WaKeeney, headed west to catch whatever supercells can develop along the terrain features of eastern Colorado and then slide eastward over the open Plains. This is likely to be our last stand for storms on a June 2011 trip that has faced a challenging weather pattern but yielded a few intense intercepts and lots of truly gorgeous scenes amid many hours on the road as a violent spring yields to a hot summer.

– Kevin Myatt