Meteorologist Speaks About Dangers of Storm Chasing
More and more people are becoming amateur storm chasers. But, in light of the tragic death of veteran storm chaser Tim Samaras and two others, questions were raised about the dangers behind the thrill of the chase.
"It is a little bit of a thrill, but also, in the back of your mind, you know the risk that you're taking on," Andrew Arnold, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Midland, said.
Arnold said one of the reasons he got into the field was because of his fascination with tornadoes.
"Just trying to figure out why tornadoes form, why they're this strong or why they're not as strong," he said.
Last Friday, Oklahoma got pounded, again, with storms. A lot of storm chasers tried to get as close as possible, and it was a fatal end for Samaras, his son Paul and his chase partner Carl Young.
"Storm chasing now is becoming a spectacle. It's getting to the point now where people don't know how dangerous it can be. With recent events, people need to understand these are very dangerous phenomenon," Arnold told NewsWest 9.
Before coming to work in Midland, Arnold was doing research and found himself up close and personal with some severe storms.
"We would go out and deploy mobile instruments in front of tornadoes or in hurricanes; any sort of severe weather," he said.
Since now anyone with a camera can become a storm chaser, Arnold said they need to practice common sense.
"No matter how thrilling it is, it's not worth a life to try to get the best video or the best data set. It's not worth a life," he said.