Diary From the Eye of the Storm, the High Tech of Tornado Chasers

by Rob Walker | May 29, 2008 at 10:12 am

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While storm chasers deal with insane winds, debris and hailstorms the size of golf balls, their vehicles and tracking equipment would make even the most ardent nerd salivate.

Using GPS, satellites and more recently the XM satellite radio based system has allowed chasers to see the path of a storm with no blind spots.

However, it is the cell phone that has remained the number one tool of chasers, both for data and communication. While many chasers still use radio for communication with other members or vehicles, they also monitor spotter and public safety communications.

It is not often a seasoned storm chaser will admit to being afraid,but today our tour director Brian Barnes did just that during oursearch for the all-important tornado.
The experience happened just inside the Texan border as we drove right through the middle of a severe storm.

Rain and hail battered the van, while visibility was reduced to just a couple of feet, with our driver Paul often having to turn into the wind in order to keep the vehicle on the road.

Brian may have been nervous, but he didn't show it. It was only after dinner later that evening that we realised how close we had come to being tipped over as a result of the cyclonic activity that you get in the middle of a severe thunderstorm.

A major turning point was the advent of civilian GPS in 1996. At first, GPS units were very costly and only offered basic functions, but that would soon change. Towards the late 1990s the Internet was awash in weather data and free weather software, the first true cellular internet modems for consumer use also emerged providing chasers access to data in the field without having to rely on a nowcaster. The NWS also released the first free, up to date NEXRAD Level 3 radar data. In conjunction with all of this, GPS units now had the ability to connect with computers, allowing greater ease when navigating.

2001 marked the next great technological leap for storm chasers as the first Wi-Fi units began to emerge offering wireless broadband service in many cases for free. In 2002, the first Windows-based package to combine GPS positioning and doppler radar appeared called SWIFT WX. SWIFT WX allowed storm chasers to accurately position themselves relative to tornadic storms while mobile.