"If severe convective storms are in your realm of interest, then I highly recommend the Storm Chasing Handbook, whether you intend to chase or not. The pages on severe thunderstorms and their forecasting are well worth the book's modest price."
--
Storm Chasing Handbook review
Keith Heidorn, The Weather Doctor
Keith Heidorn, The Weather Doctor
"Storm Chasing Handbook occupies a special niche in my book case here in Honolulu. It was acquired at the "Severe Weather Workshop" last March in Midwest City. I've mentioned it to all my Ham friends who participate in Skywarn as the 'Storm Chasers Bible'!."
-- Thomas A. Seale, Honolulu
"I really enjoyed reading the "Storm Chaser Handbook", an excellent book! Never before have I seen a book so informative, chock full of photos and anecdotes, yet condensed into easy-reading material!"
-- Eric van Lochem, Dundas, Ontario, Canada
The Storm Chasing Handbook is the definitive bible on storm chasing, packed with nearly 300 pages of storm chase history, philosophy, technique, and travel information. Using key findings from the past four decades of scientific literature, readers learn the inner workings of severe weather and dabble with the fundamentals of forecasting techniques, blended with wisdom from the author’s own experiences. Many skilled chasers contribute their own wisdom in the form of anecdotes, tales, and funny stories. From target area and storm type prediction to successful, safe navigation, the Storm Chasing Handbook has it covered. A large appendix features a Great Plains travel guide covering local history, culture, meteorology, and geology for nearly 100 chase routes, as well as broadcast radio and NOAA weather maps, a summary of past chase years, and much more!
Includes nearly a dozen illustrations and cartoons by pioneer and storm artist David Hoadley, some of which were commissioned especially for this book. Contains great photographs by Roger Hill, Gene Rhoden, Karen Leszke, Roger Edwards, and the author himself.
Perfect for new chasers looking for a good start, seasoned veterans looking for travel information, chase tour customers, weather hobbyists, and anyone who deals with severe weather on a regular basis.
|
Contents
CHAPTER ONE -- STORM CHASING 2 The history of chasing 5 What is a chaser? 8 Philosophy and objectives 11 Ethics 13 The yahoo 14 How to start chasing CHAPTER TWO -- EQUIPMENT 18 Camcorders 23 Digital cameras 26 Film cameras 27 Camera film 28 Photographic accessories 29 Weather stations 32 Navigation aids 33 GPS navigation devices 35 Cellular phones 39 Mobile Internet 43 Data broadcast receivers 45 Radio 50 Television 51 Electrical power 52 Vehicles 54 Odds and ends 56 Chase partners CHAPTER THREE -- THE THUNDERSTORM 59 Thunderstorm basics 60 Thunderstorm ingredients 66 Storm type 69 Supercell types 75 Thunderstorm phenomena CHAPTER FOUR -- FORECASTING 87 The ingredient-based approach 88 Analysis 92 Diagnosis 93 Forecasting 94 Instability 96 Moisture 102 Lift 105 Shear 111 Dryline 113 Front 113 Orientation of boundaries 115 Terrain 116 Numerical models 121 Long range chase forecasting 125 Internet data sources |
CHAPTER FIVE -- STRATEGY 129 Chase area targeting 131 Approaching the storm 132 Underneath the storm 136 Reporting severe weather 138 Nighttime CHAPTER SIX --SAFETY 141 Safety in numbers 143 Driving 147 Navigation 148 Weather safety 149 Health considerations 151 Environmental safety CHAPTER SEVEN -- TRAVEL GUIDE 158 West Texas 172 North Texas 184 Panhandle Region 198 Oklahoma 212 Eastern Kansas 224 Colorado & West Kansas 236 High Plains 248 Northern Prairies 260 Canada APPENDIX 264 Great Plains dining 271 Travel time map 272 NWS telephone numbers 274 NOAA Weather Radio 278 AM/FM radio chase maps 282 Annual chase digest 288 Top ten mistakes 289 Hail size 290 Fujita damage (F) scale 291 Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale 292 Named storms and tornadoes 293 Storm troubleshooter 294 Chase tours 295 References 300 Glossary 304 / Index |