Preparations for the 2015 chase

On this beautiful first Saturday of February my thoughts are already turning toward the upcoming chase trips to the Great Plains.  Dave will be getting more information out as the time draws nearer but I wanted to jump in here and promote the Google Hangouts (recorded on YouTube) regarding several previous Hokie Stormchase trips. Check out one or more of these Hangouts (full disclosure: they are posted on my YouTube page) if you want to hear about

– What a trip is like from the students’ perspective or

– Favorite websites that prior student chasers have used in forecasting storms or

– How the trip leaders view events of the 2013 second trip.

And as a BTW we may be conducting a Google Hangout before each of this year’s trips to go over some of the expectations and details. (More to follow on that later in the semester.)

Meanwhile the clock is ticking….

Chris White

Welcome 2015 Field Crew Members!

As we are currently watching the nor’easter blow by and feeling the strong northwest winds wrapping around the cyclone, we need to remember it won’t be long before we have our sights set on a storm of a different nature.  Take it from past crew members:  once you return from break in early March, departure for the trip seems to arrive very quickly!  In the meantime, look for e-mails, announcements and other postings as we head toward May and our time in the field.  Welcome aboard!  -Dave

2015 Virginia Tech Severe Storms Field Course

Applications for the 2015 Virginia Tech Severe Storms Field Course are now available!  If you are interested in joining the crew in the Great Plains for 2015, please read the information below and on the application very carefully!

The time is now upon us to begin planning for the 2015 course, and we hope to have the crew finalized by the end of November this year.  Our emphasis on safety and education will continue unabated. and once again we will roll westward in search of severe storms.  The tentative window(s) for the 2015 trip will range from May 17 – June 12.  Depending upon the mix and number of applicants, we may run two trips.  The storms dictate the trip, and if a favorable weather pattern is occurring, we may extend a trip to take advantage of it.  Flexibility is key, therefore each applicant must have this entire window of time available!

You will find the updated application and trip information in the attachment below.  If you are considering applying for a position with the 2015 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.  Forecasting and intercepting storms can be a frustrating affair:  busted forecasts, unfavorable terrain, unreachable storms, or dangerous locations can all play a role in whether we can safely reach a storm.  Be prepared for adjustments on the fly that are dictated by conditions in the field.

d) If you fear storms, please do not apply, and don’t undertake this trip for therapeutic reasons!  The near-storm environment is a volatile place, and most crews have to weather some intense or occasionally even frightening moments during their shifts out there.

So, if  you are certain this field course 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.

We hope to complete the selection of the 2014 field crew before the end of the semester.  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 (the plan is to keep an “at-large” space or two open for non-majors).

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’ll answer any questions you have to the best of my ability

VT Storm Chase Application 2015
The crew members will be selected by the end of November.  If you are interested in the 2015 trip, be sure to submit your application no later than November 24.

Cheers,

-Dave Carroll

Looking back at 2014 Hokie Storm Chase

A supercell approaches our position near Sterling City, Texas, on Memorial Day.

We’ve been back nearly 2 weeks now, settling back into life in Virginia, and even seeing some local storms of note.  In the meantime, co-leader Chris White has put together some narratives with photos of our chase trip on Facebook, linked below.

Hokie Storm Chase 2014, Part 1

Hokie Storm Chase 2014, Part 2

Hokie Storm Chase 2014, Part 3

Hokie Storm Chase 2014, Part 4

The trip was a challenge without our long-time leader, VT meteorology instructor Dave Carroll, who was unable to travel due to last-minute contingencies. But it was successful, with more supercell intercepts (7) all but 1 or 2  of our trips in the last decade, and at least 1 confirmed tornado. We didn’t see that one obvious backlit “Wizard of Oz” type tornado but saw plenty of storm structure to amaze us in completely open terrain far from populated areas.

My thanks to all for the success of 2014 Storm Chase. Looking forward to 2015

— Kevin Myatt

 

 

Back home

The Hokie Storm Chasers arrived back in Virginia after traveling 5,500 miles through 15 states, tracking 7 supercells, seeing at least 1 confirmed tornado (Wyoming) plus 2 or 3 other possible tornadoes. There will be more photos and review of the trip in the days ahead, but now we take a respite after an amazing trip!

Tripleheader on Memorial day

We were close to three different supercells on Memorial Day in west Texas. The storms fired along the outflow boundary of a morning cluster of storms farther north. When storms’ downdraft winds hit the surface, they fan outward, and the edge of where this outflow reaches is often conducive to developing spin in the atmosphere which can be ingested into a storm’s updraft and make it rotate. We followed one storm northwest and north of Big Spring, Texas, then dropped down to another to the south near Sterling City, Texas, then waited south of there for a third to pass by just before sunset. There were reports of brief tornadoes within the supercells,b ut we did not see them from our viewing points.

A few Internet issues are keeping me from posting many photos this mhttp://wordpress.com/post/orning in Rankin, Texas (you’ll have to Google it, it’s a tiny town southwest of San Angelo, right in the middle of an oil/gas boom). Will hope to get some up in the next day or two. Until then, be sure and check @hokiestorm on Twitter.

– Kevin Myatt

Patience, persistence pay off in SE New Mexico

On Friday we rested, and on Saturday we busted. It was beginning to look like Sunday would be another bust. We had watched towers climb repeatedly west of Lovington, New Mexico, until what we thought was the last one poofed out, exporting another saucer-like “orphaned anvil” toward Texas.

So gave up on that location and drove toward storms 80 miles away at Roswell. On the way to Roswell, we got distracted by growing cumulonimbus clouds just north of the road. With the Roswell storm wavering a bit, we headed north on paved roads through open rangeland — carefully watching for numerous cows on the road — toward the new cell. It showed promise for a bit, but began to waver, and the paved roads began to bend away from the storm. But then, we got a glimpse of a tower growing about 60 miles to our southwest, east of Carlsbad, N.M. We had seen the echo on radar, but it took a good look at the storm from a distance to know this was THE STORM we needed to go after, even if daylight was beginning to run out on us. We raced south, back toward Lovington, and then southwest and south, diving in front of the storm’s path just ahead of the precipitation core. During several quick stops in front of the storm and longer ones once we were south of it, we were treated to spectacular supercell structure backlit by the sinking late-day sun.

The funny thing is that we caught the supercell right back where we had been searching the sky earlier, west of Lovington, N.M., driving through a blacktop road through a Chevron oil field with more free-range cattle to make our dramatic intercept. A day that could have easily been among our most frustrating turned into one of our most exhilarating.