A Free Thunderstorm/Tornado/Storm Chasing Guide

[Jeremy Den Hartog]

Hello,
Being that I'm new here, I figured I'd make my first post useful (hopefully at least) ;). A couple years ago I made a basic guide for thunderstorms, tornadoes, and storm chasing that originally I was going to sell to help fund my storm chasing expeditions - but I never really did. Please note, this is a basic guide geared towards newer people to the world of storm chasing, etc. Also, I should mention, since the guide is a couple years old, the Fujita scale information has since changed and has not been updated to the new 'enhanced' scale in the guide and some of the other info may be a bit dated now too.

Anyhow, here is the guide:
http://www.mankatoforum.com/ultimate_weather_guide.pdf

[Jason Harris]

Nice presentation Jeremy: great pics, diagrams, and some facts I hadn't heard before like the tornado 45 minutes in the SD cornfield, the "rings" inside hail, but isn't the claim that "no wind instrument" has taken a direct hit something that should be updated also besides the EF scale? I've read that account before and always found it fascinating-of the farmer "Will Keller" looking up seeing the lightning criss-crossing the tornado and wonder if there were external observations of this tornado as well as his "internal" one and which tornado this was historically? Sounds like a multi-vortex eh? P. 22 needs spelling changed from "loose" to "lose" (their lives.). I wonder how many people have violated the "never chase alone" rule you mention? :) (I have for one, though not in tornado alley, only in MI/FL, and usually I've been lucky enough to communicate with someone reliable on the phone for tips with radar updates etc. since I still don't have a cell plan for chasing).

Seems like that pdf is something that maybe your skywarn group or other spotter-related groups would appreciate?

[Damon Poole]

Excellent Job! That's one of the best guides I've seen in quite a while. Two Thumbs Up!

[Jeremy Den Hartog]

Thaanks guys - glad you liked it

[Darrin Rasberry]

Good primer! Might want to update it to the EF-scale, though, and I'm not exactly sure whether those F-ratings on "tornado types" are entirely accurate.

[Jeremy Den Hartog]

Good primer! Might want to update it to the EF-scale, though, and I'm not exactly sure whether those F-ratings on "tornado types" are entirely accurate.

Thanks, and yes you are right - they probably aren't to accurate. I considered removing them or should at least have mentioned they are just 'guesstimates' and that any size tornado can cause any level of damage.

[Darren Addy]

Nice work! I wasn't expecting such a professional looking layout/graphic design.

[Scott Nelson]

Great job Jeremy!!! Very professional. Looking forward to my son reading this as well.

[Larry J. Kosch]

Great job on the primer!! I'm adding my two-bits to those that mentioned updating the EF tornado scale. You may want to add a section on how Doppler Radar has progressed over the years (DOW trucks, etc>). I have seen that series "Storm Chasers" on the Discovery Channel. I'm curious as to whether that film-maker guy ever got that "money shot"? LJK.

[MatthewCarman]

Great job on the primer!! I'm adding my two-bits to those that mentioned updating the EF tornado scale. You may want to add a section on how Doppler Radar has progressed over the years (DOW trucks, etc>). I have seen that series "Storm Chasers" on the Discovery Channel. I'm curious as to whether that film-maker guy ever got that "money shot"? LJK.

Not yet. Sean Casey will have to try again this year.

Keep up the good work Jeremy.

[Scott Bilyou]

I'm new to this, so this will be a help to me. Thank you for making this available.:)

[Jeremy Den Hartog]

Thanks for the kind words and suggestions - I'm seriously considering updating and adding content and then given it away for free again here. Anyone interested in helping out?

[Greg Blumberg]

I really enjoyed your guide. It's basic and is very, very understandable which is awesome. Occasionally guides go way over people's heads when they read them. For me communication is key, and you have got that. Another thunderstorm ingredient you might want to add is shear, however that can get complex when determining types of thunderstorms.

BTW, where did you get that large picture of the supercell from the side? That's absolutely beautiful. Do you have a copy for backgrounds?

[Chris Kennedy]

Excellent Work!!! More reading material I love it!

[J West]

That's a good document...excellent format. Update it a bit and turn it lose again.

[Neil Robinson]

Great piece of work and useful for a learner driver like me.
I'll print it out for some night-time reading (this year's read through of Lord of The Rings has finished early LOL)

[Ryan Wichman]

2 Thumbs up, I was surprised how professional and informative this was....good job!

[Uday Verma]

Thanks Jeremy.:)I had to wait for my account to become active to say thanks

[Jeremy Den Hartog]

Thanks for the kind words everyone :)

[joel ewing]

I have chased solo many, many times...and I assure you....I will do it again in the future.

[Toni Scholz]

Jeremy,

This is something that middle and high school science teachers could use to increase interest in meteorology studies. You mentioned that you could use a hand in working on it; I'm pretty good at editing copy and technical writing. Let me know!

[Connor McCrorey]

This looks excellent. Great job!

(Although I'm not sure I would go so far as to say there are "hundreds of thousands" of storm chasers ;) )

[Jeremy Den Hartog]

I have chased solo many, many times...and I assure you....I will do it again in the future.

Okay, but does that mean you SHOULD do it? Realistically, I know there are a lot of people who chase alone (I've done it myself too). However, it still is not really a good idea to do it - driving and not paying attention to the road is not the safest thing to do to say the least...

This looks excellent. Great job!

(Although I'm not sure I would go so far as to say there are "hundreds of thousands" of storm chasers )

Thanks Connor. I suppose that all depends on who would be considered 'storm chasers'. I would say there are two basic 'classes' of storm chasers - those who travel great distances to chase storms and those who are 'locals' and are curious to see whats going on so they get in their vehicle and drive around looking for the 'action'...and by doing so are themselves technically 'storm chasers'...this is how I factored my guesstimate of the number of storm chasers out there.

[Jeremy Den Hartog]

Jeremy,

This is something that middle and high school science teachers could use to increase interest in meteorology studies. You mentioned that you could use a hand in working on it; I'm pretty good at editing copy and technical writing. Let me know!

Sounds good Toni and thanks for the suggestion...

[Bob Hartig]

Okay, but does that mean you SHOULD do it? Realistically, I know there are a lot of people who chase alone (I've done it myself too). However, it still is not really a good idea to do it - driving and not paying attention to the road is not the safest thing to do to say the least...

So David Hoadley got it wrong, then?

Chasing alone isn't a bad idea, just a different set of pros and cons and a matter of how one goes about it--in my opinion, anyway. But then, that's really what we're dealing with: opinions.

Don't mind me, though. I'm just giving you a hard time because it's my nature to do so when it comes to written material. :) Overall, I think you've done a great job, Jeremy, and rendered a palpable service to people interested in learning about storm chasing. Applause! [Thumbs-up icon would be inserted here if one were available.]

[john.sibley]

I am always looking for good testimonials to be used on my website. If you would like to leave a testimonial for my book, please call (214) 615-6044 ext 9451 to leave your message. The call is free but long distance fees may apply. Thanks!
You should call him. It's apparent he does not want to call you.

[Robert Dewey]

Well... it was a nice guide while it lasted. I checked it out, and have to say good work Jeremy. On the copyright issue, I'll just say "no comment" lol.

[Jeremy Den Hartog]

Well... it was a nice guide while it lasted. I checked it out, and have to say good work Jeremy. On the copyright issue, I'll just say "no comment" lol.

Thanks Robert, was really just trying to help people out by giving them a free resource to learn from. Guess it kind of bit me in the backside though :(

[Scott Weberpal]

Wikipedia's image use policy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Image_use_policy

If an image is listed as "free use" it can be used for non-profit or educational purposes without seeking permission.

Concerning the stock photos, I'll let you and the stock company (and Lanny) sort that out. If you purchased them legally and used them within the guidelines of the purchase, you're in the clear; if not, expect trouble.

[MatthewCarman]

Jeremy, maybe you can just use pictures from Wikipedia and the NOAA photography library? There is no reason to take your guide down forever when people may use it. I too have no comment on the other issue and I hope you get this resolved so your guide can be put back on the net.

[MatthewCarman]

I am wondering can the photographs from the NOAA library be used for free or are they copyrighted too?

[Jeremy Den Hartog]

Wikipedia's image use policy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Image_use_policy

If an image is listed as "free use" it can be used for non-profit or educational purposes without seeking permission.

Concerning the stock photos, I'll let you and the stock company (and Lanny) sort that out. If you purchased them legally and used them within the guidelines of the purchase, you're in the clear; if not, expect trouble.

This is from the stock photo website that I got them from:

General Rule of Thumb regarding Usage:

OK: These uses are normally fine: advertisement, printed not-for-sale promotion materials, presentations, product packaging, invitation, book cover, set design, trade show signage, film, video, scholastic material, newsletter, brochure, webpage design, web design template, PowerPoint template.

Not OK: These uses are normally NOT allowed without a BigStockPhoto special license: poster, art print, postcard, clothing (t-shirt, hat, etc.), mug. Using the photo as a definitive, main focal part of your poster, art print, postcard, clothing (t-shirt, hat, etc), mug, canvas painting or print or similar uses is normally not allowed.

Tests to see if your usage is OK:

* If any of these conditions apply, you probaby need a BigStockPhoto special license:

Is the image or photo a MAIN, DEFINITIVE and IMPORTANT part of your product/project that you intend to sell or distribute?

Do you plan on posting the images online for others to use or download in any way?

Does the image make up 50% or more of your product, it's design, or it's page layout?

I think that I used the images within the guidelines of the purchase. The only one I question is the second to bottom one. However, I think this refers to if you are posting the image online where someone could just download the image by itself. In other words, not in a pdf guide like it was.

[Jeremy Den Hartog]

Jeremy, maybe you can just use pictures from Wikipedia and the NOAA photography library? There is no reason to take your guide down forever when people may use it. I too have no comment on the other issue and I hope you get this resolved so your guide can be put back on the net.

I would but at this point I have no idea which pictures he is referring to and I wrote the book a couple years ago so I don't remember off hand which images were from the stock photo company and which images were from wikipedia.

[MatthewCarman]

I would but at this point I have no idea which pictures he is referring to and I wrote the book a couple years ago so I don't remember off hand which images were from the stock photo company and which images were from wikipedia.

You could remove all images and readd images that you know are free to use.

[Robert Dewey]

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[Jason Boggs]

For those of you that are wanting a similar online guide, here is a great spotter video guide that's put together very well. Some of you newer folks should learn a lot from this one.

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/ind/INDSpotter/player.html

[Chris Nuttall]

MOD NOTE: Posts regarding copyright issues have been moved to the "Copyright Infringement Reports" thread (http://stormtrack.org/forum/showthread.php?goto=newpost&t=6946). Please continue discussion there.