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Storm chasers
Scientists, nature freaks, or daredevils?
Pre-reading
Name 10 kinds of weather conditions or weather phenomena.
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Have you ever experienced an extreme weather event? If so, describe it.
Reading text
1 We have all seen the pictures on the news: crumpled trailers, flattened houses, uprooted
trees, overturned cars, shattered glass, twisted metal, downed power lines, toppled
telephone poles, collapsed bridges, flooded fields and neighborhoods, debris and
wreckage scattered for miles in the wake of a raging tornado or hurricane. Losing a loved
one, or everything one owns, to a natural disaster is everyone’s worst nightmare. So, why
would anyone in his right mind want to risk his life chasing after the kind of weather most
people pray will never come their way?
2 There have always been people who like to observe and track the weather, but the
pastime or passion of storm chasing got its start in the mid-1950s, when researchers
and government employees went out into the field to gather scientific information about
severe weather events. In order to improve weather forecasting and safety, the National
Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) was set up in 1964 in Oklahoma, part of Tornado
Alley, where 90 percent of all tornadoes in the United States touch down. In 1972, the
University of Oklahoma developed the Tornado Intercept Project and engaged
meteorology students to intercept, film, and photograph tornadoes. By the 1990s,
Doppler radar and advanced weather tracking technology had enabled researchers to
collect data, and government-sponsored programs like VORTEX (Verification of Origins
of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment) improved understanding of how tornadoes
develop, as well as the ability to forecast when and where they would strike.
3 Although tornadoes in the United States begin with a gentle southern breeze coming off
the Gulf of Mexico, the forces of nature can turn them into devils. As warm moist air
flows toward the Great Plains, it mixes with hot dry air from the American South and cold
air moving down from the Canadian Arctic. Together, the hot air and cold air force the
tropical air to rise rapidly, creating an updraft that sucks condensation into the
atmosphere. This moisture climbs tens of thousands of feet, forming a huge
cumulonimbus cloud. At the base of the cloud, winds blow from different directions at
varying speeds and elevations, and exert forces on the saturated air inside the cloud
until the air begins to spin in a clockwise direction. At the top of the cloud, cooling
moisture turns to ice crystals, and the entire structure—called a supercell thunderstorm—
lets loose with thunder, lightning, torrential rain, and, at times, hailstones as big as
baseballs.
4 Tornadoes are unpredictable in size, shape, and behavior. They can be 300 feet to two
miles wide, spin at 261 to 381 miles per hour, and last for minutes or hours. Heads of
tornadoes can be shaped like pancakes, anvils, or wedges with long, straight or bent tails
that resemble ropes, drill bits, stovepipes, elephant trunks, or cones. They can be black or
white, or take on the color of the soil that whirls up off the ground. They can occur singly
or in deadly sequence. They can turn cars into missiles and other objects into projectiles.
They can injure, maim, and kill. They can wipe an entire town off the map and cause
billions of dollars of damage. In Tornado Alley, tornado season lasts from early spring to
fall, with a brief pause in late spring and early summer.
5 Whereas tornadoes form over land, hurricanes are born over water. From summer to
fall, hurricanes—also called typhoons or tropical cyclones—form when hot air, often
from the Sahara Desert, races over the Atlantic Ocean. As these columns of hot air spin,
they pick up moisture and attract strong winds that bend as the storm travels. At the center
of the rotating storm is the eye, a deceptively calm area of low pressure that can stretch
from two to 200 miles in diameter. Encircling the eye is the eye wall, the most intense part
of the storm. Most hurricanes die at sea, but if sufficiently fueled with moisture and driven
by tremendous winds, all hell breaks loose when they hit land. In August 2005, Hurricane
Katrina, the worst Atlantic hurricane on record, roared from the Bahamas toward
Louisiana with winds up to 175 miles per hour and laid waste to the city of New Orleans.
More than 1,800 people were killed, and property damage was estimated at more than $81
billion.
6 Over the past 20 years, extreme weather has become a media spectacle. In 1992,
Senator Al Gore (later vice president of the United States) introduced the concept of
global warming1 in Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit. Gore’s book
echoed professors, NASA scientists, and meteorological researchers who had already
warned of climate change and predicted more frequent and disastrous hurricanes,
drought, and floods in the future. In the 1990s, weather was making the news on the
Weather Channel, and by 2001, 80 million US households were tuning in to watch
dramatic footage of weather-related catastrophes. When Twister, the second-highest
grossing film of 1996, featured a glamorous team of researchers competing to deploy a
data-gathering device inside a tornado, a new breed of weather fanatics, nature freaks,
entrepreneurs, and adrenaline addicts with laptops and cell phones hit the road in hot
pursuit. By selling live footage to sensation-hungry television stations, a daring storm
chaser could make a name for himself and money to finance the next chase. Videos were
popping up on YouTube, and in October 2007, the Discovery Channel premiered Storm
Chasers, a popular documentary reality series that ran until January 2012.
7 Storm chasing is not for the faint of heart. For serious storm chasers, getting up close
and personal with an F4 tornado on the Fujita Scale2 is about science and safety. For
newcomers, it’s the thrill of the hunt, and for journalists and videographers, it’s about
being the first to capture the event on camera. Without the proper equipment, knowledge,
and experience, every storm chaser, whether motivated by science or adventure, is at the
mercy of Mother Nature. So far, no deaths have been reported among storm chasers, but
some have been struck by lightning, and many have been scared out of their wits. Despite
the risks, the number of storm chasers is growing. In 2011, there were 1,690 tornadoes in
the United States and a record 350 storm chasers registered for Chaser Con, the National
Storm Chaser Convention in Denver, Colorado.
8 According to a 2010 World Meteorological Organization study, one-third fewer
hurricanes have been predicted. However, their wind speeds are expected to increase by
100 percent and cause 60 percent more damage. As the climate warms, convective storms
will intensify, which translates into mightier Hurricane Katrinas. So, the next time you
hear of a storm coming, you can grab your camera, hop in the car, and hit the gas—or
more wisely, run for cover and hope the storm won’t be as bad as the weather forecaster
says.
Vocabulary
6·1EXERCISE
Organizing vocabulary List the words and phrases from the reading text that relate to the
following headings. Add the part of speech or grammatical element (n., v., adj., or id. for idiom)
for each word or phrase. An example has been provided for each heading.
6·2EXERCISE
Understanding and using vocabulary Complete the following chart with the correct forms of the wo
EXERCIS 6·3
Understanding and using vocabulary For each of the following statements, choose the
appropriate word or phrase from the chart in Exercise 6-2 as a replacement for the
underlined word or phrase. Be sure to use the correct form of each verb and to pluralize
nouns, if necessary.
1. The weatherman has predicted scattered thunderstorms for the weekend.
The weatherman has forecast scattered thunderstorms for the weekend
2. The mass media has the power to strengthen debate on controversial issues.
The mass media has the power to fuel debate on controversial issues.
3. When we got caught in the rainstorm, our clothes got completely soaked with water.
When we got caught in the rainstorm, our clothes got saturated
4. Before the police could enter the building, they had to apply a lot of force to break
down the door.
Before the police could enter the building, they had to exert a lot of force to break
down the door.
5. After Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, the city and the misery of its victims
became a media show of enormous proportions.
After Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, the city and the misery of its victims
became a media spectable
6. After the tsunami, all that was left of the houses lining the shore was scattered
fragments.
After the tsunami, all that was left of the houses lining the shore was debris
7. Meteorologists use Doppler radar to follow the movement of approaching storms.
Meteorologists use Doppler radar to track approaching storms.
8. The rock star was surrounded by fans before he could enter the stadium.
The rock star was encircled by fans before he could enter the stadium.
9. In this photograph, I look like my mother when she was my age.
In this photograph, I resemble my mother when she was my age.
10. When the weather is cold, steam from boiling water in the kitchen forms water
droplets that collect on the inside of the windows.
When the weather is cold, steam from boiling water in the kitchen forms
consdensation that collect on the inside of the windows.
11. A salesman can be misleadingly friendly to people when he wants to sell them
something they don’t need.
A salesman can be deceptively friendly to people when he wants to sell them
something they don’t need.
12. The weather on the West Coast can be difficult to estimate in advance. One minute, it’s
nice and sunny, and the next, it can start to rain.
The weather on the West Coast can be difficult to predict. One minute, it’s nice and
sunny, and the next, it can start to rain.
13. Two policemen blocked and seized the robbers as they fled from the jewelry store.
Two policemen intercepted the robbers as they fled from the jewelry store.
14. Just before the airplane hit the water, the pilot brought into service the emergency
landing gear.
Just before the airplane hit the water, the pilot deployed the emergency landing
gear.
15. When mountain climbers reach higher heights above sea level, they have difficulty
breathing because of the decreased oxygen in the air.
When mountain climbers reach higher elevations, they have difficulty breathing
because of the decreased oxygen in the air.
EXERCIS 6·4
Understanding and using vocabulary For each of the following statements, choose the
answer that is closer in meaning to the underlined idiom.
1. “So, why would anyone in his right mind want to risk his life chasing after the kind of
weather most people pray will never come their way?”
a. sane
b. correct
2. “Most hurricanes die at sea, but if sufficiently fueled with moisture and driven by
tremendous winds, all hell breaks loose when they hit land.”
a. hurricanes break up
b. hurricanes become very destructive
3. “Storm chasing is not for the faint of heart.”
a. not for people with heart disease
b. not for people who become easily afraid
4. “For serious storm chasers, getting up close and personal with an F4 tornado on the
Fujita Scale is about science and safety.”
a. making very close contact
b. making friends
5. “Without the proper equipment, knowledge, and experience, every storm chaser,
whether motivated by science or adventure, is at the mercy of Mother Nature.”
a. is completely dependent on nature
b. is grateful to nature
Reading comprehension
6·5EXERCISE
Reading for main ideas One way to determine the main idea in a piece of text is to find the topic sen
Paragraph 1 Losing a loved one, or everything one owns, to a natural disaster everyone’s worst nightma
Paragraph 2 Storm chasing got its start in the mid-1950s, when researchers and government
employees went out into the field to gather scientific information about severe weather events.
Paragraph 3 Although tornadoes in the United States begin with a gentle southern breeze
coming off the Gulf of Mexico, the forces of nature can turn them into devils
Paragraph 4 Tornadoes are unpredictable in size, shape, and behavior.
Paragraph 5 Whereas tornadoes form over land, hurricanes are born over water.
Paragraph 6 Over the past 20 years, extreme weather has become a media spectacle.
Paragraph 7 Storm chasing is not for the faint of heart
Paragraph 8 As the climate warms, convective storms will intensify, which translates into
mightier Hurricane Katrinas.
6·6EXERCISE
Reading for details Add details from the reading text to the following outline about tornadoes.
Size
Shape
Head
Tail
3. Color
4. Frequency
5. Speed of travel
6. Tornado season
7. Effects on humans and property
8. Formation of tornadoes
Moist air
The hot and cold air
Condensation
Winds
Moisture at the top
The result
9. Difference between a tornado and a hurricane
6·7EXERCISE
Reading for facts and figures Complete the following sentences with dates and figures from the reading
1. In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina destroyed most of the city of New Orleans, killed 1.800 people, an
damage estimated at more than $81 billion.
Ninety percent of all storms in the United States occur in the area known as Tornado Alley.
By 2001, 80 million households in the United States were watching the Weather Channel.
In 2011, there were 1.690 tornadoes in the United States.
A World Meteorological Organization study in 2010 predicted that hurricanes will decrease in numbe
The eye of a hurricane can measure two to 200 miles in diameter.
The NSSL (National Severe Storms Laboratory) was established in 1964.
EXERCIS 6·8
Reading for meaning Using information from the reading text, indicate which of the
following actions people should, and should not, do when they chase storms.
1. Make an exit plan; know how to get to safety.
2. Drive into the storm and get as close as you can to the eye.
3. Respect the privacy of victims and their property.
4. Be prepared; make sure your car has a full tank of gas, and assemble food, water, a
first-aid kit, and emergency equipment and supplies.
5. Position yourself on a hill or overpass so that you can get a better view of the storm.
6. Respect nature.
7. Educate yourself about extreme weather events and the dangers involved.
8. Take close-up pictures or videos of victims and sell them to the highest bidder or
publish them on Facebook without the victims’ knowledge or permission.
9. Race to the scene; do whatever it takes to get there before anyone else.
10. Obey driving laws and rules of the road.
11. In all situations, use common sense.
12. Stop or leave your car in the middle of the road to take a picture or video.
