Storm Chasing: Misinformation Abounds

I can't believe it. I got yet another message contending that storm chasers do not send reports in from the field. Wish I knew where all of this was coming from.

Apparently, my word and the words of many other chasers isn't good enough. So, I just did a quick look through my photos and here is proof:

That is storm chaser Katie Bay. The two of us were chasing when a funnel developed north of Cheney Lake, Kansas. We both called the report in (me to AccuWeather).

Here is my essay on the subject from the New York Times online last week. Click here to read it.

What does the National Weather Service say about chaser reports? Here is a comment from the Science Operations Officer at a NWS officer smack in Tornado Alley:

  On the chaser information, I'd say we get a medium amount. Primarily, we get their report through one of the media outlets they report to. It is not often that we get a call from a chaser.  For that reason, we keep some TVs on at the office to see what the mets are broadcasting and what reports they are receiving. 
 
  Also, we see them on a PC application that shows their location and sometimes their phone number.  I've called some of them before and they have been very willing to tell me what they are seeing and invite me to call them back.

You can choose to like, dislike, or be neutral toward storm chasing. That is opinion. But this nonsense that "chasers don't call in reports" is factually inaccurate. 

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