STORMS , FOR REAL!

The storm season is officially in high gear, and things are starting to get crazy. I was supposed to work with Chase on finishing up some of the equipment today, but there’s just been no time. I woke this morning to the sound of sirens – a storm system that was supposed to be No Big Deal ended up gaining some serious momentum, by the time it reached us it was pretty fierce. It seems a little strange that we’d be caught off guard by such a big storm, but with some of the equipment problems we’ve been having this week – I guess it’s not that surprising.

Chasing down storms is one thing, but waking up to find yourself in the middle of huge storm is something else. It’s actually really really scary – the best way to keep yourself safe in a storm is to have enough information to anticipate what’s going to happen next. When you don’t have any information though, that’s when it gets scary. You don’t know if you should run, or seek shelter…you don’t know if you have time to get out and warn everyone else. I guess that’s why we’re here chasing down these storms.

Scott always likes to remind us that we’re not here for fun, we’re here to find a way to give people the advance notice they need to stay safe when dangerous storms sweep across the state. This morning, sitting down in the shelter as the storm raged outside, was a pretty good reminder of how dangerous things can be. When the storm blew past we surveyed the damage. There weren’t any confirmed touchdowns from the system, but the wind damage and the lightning strikes really battered the homestead and the town.

Scott says that over the next few days we’re in for a run of the most severe storms that he’s ever tracked. I hope I’m ready. With all of the running around, and preparation, and goofing off, it’s easy to forget that this is some dangerous work.
Wish me luck this weekend, I’ll let you know what happens.

Stay Twisty!