Storm Hunter's chase in Tornado Alley 'not normal'
Digital Reporter
Wednesday, June 1, 2016, 12:34 PM - Weather Network Storm Hunters Mark Robinson and Jaclyn Whittal have returned from one of their most successful and unusual storm chases in Tornado Alley.
"So many tornadoes over just a five day period. That's not normal," Robinson says. "That was one of the most active periods I have ever seen as I chaser and I've been out here doing this for quite a long time."
While the Storm Hunter's latest trip has come to an end, the severe weather season is still extremely active. Whittal says there's so much to take away from this year's chase.
"Every year we go down there we learn so much and every year is different," Whittal says.
Quality vs. Quantity
During a single afternoon, the Storm Hunters captured nine tornadoes off the same supercell. "What I'll take away from this season is the amount of tornadoes that we saw," Whittal says. "I was chasing with people that have been doing this for 20 years and they've never seen this amount of tornadoes in such a short period of time.
People persevere
While the amount of tornadoes were rare this time around, the damage that followed is something that accompanies every tornado season. "What always astounds me though is how people persevere through these storms," Whittal says, while referencing an incident where a lady survived after her home was completely leveled. "We arrived in Chapman, Kansas about an hour after it happened and this lady was on her cell phone, talking to her family and she was okay. What a remarkable story," Whittal recalls.
House destroyed just SW of Chapman. Woman in the house survived here in the basement. @TheWeatherNetUS @jwhittalTWN pic.twitter.com/VJsWBLILfn
— Mark Robinson (@StormhunterTWN) May 26, 2016
Debris strung across demolished farm SW of Chapman, KS. House is levelled home owner is safe. Took cover in basement pic.twitter.com/WhcsqN4fMo
— Jaclyn Whittal (@jwhittalTWN) May 26, 2016
Rear flank downdraft - RFD
An interesting yet dangerous part of storm chasing. "It's a cold air mass that wraps around the mesocyclone, the area that's rotating," Whittal explains. "My girlfriend actually got hit by that RFD and it shook her car, powerlines came down, so it's something that I learned to be extra careful of while chasing."
You can see more of the Storm Hunter's chase experiences by heading to www.theweathernetwork.com/stormhunters.
