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Aggielife
Page 3 • Wednesday, March 24, 1999
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succuMeteorology students give new meaning to the term extracurricular activity
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BY HINA PATEL
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oto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.” Dorothy found
herself in a predicament but members of the student Ameri
can Meteorological Society chapter (TAMSCAMS) know bet-
tei This organization chases tornadoes in College Station and sur
rounding areas.
I Andy Anderson, chief meteorologist for KCEN-TV, said springtime is
when tornadoes are the most frequent.
I “This is when the strongest clash in air occurs, the warm Gulf Coast
Hinds meet the winter winds of north Canada,” he said.
I Leora Casey, a junior meteorology major, said there are many mis
conceptions of tornadoes.
I “Lots of people think chasing tornadoes is like the movie Twister,
■here there are massive outbreaks of tornadoes,” Casey said. “In reali
ty, tornadoes are relatively scarce. They sometimes occur only once a
Hason.”
I Anderson said tornadoes are unpredictable, and the public should
take proper precautions.
I “Tornados can occur in any state, every month of the year, but are
■ost prevalent in Tornado Alley, which include the states of Oklahoma,
K, nsas, Nebraska, Iowa and, of course, Texas,” Anderson said.
“Some of the most severe damage by a tornado occurred two years
^ |r a f° in Jarrell, Texas, where there were 27 lives lost,” he said.
FC'mKB.Texas A&M Mobile Severe Storms Data Acquisition program
wWii (TAMMSSDA) president and senior meteorology major Jason Jordan said
TAMMSSDA allows its members to chase storms.
I “During spring break, another meteorology student and 1 caught up
I -g** yi to a storm that produced tornadoes west of Austin,” Jordan said. “We
I 1 tf didn’t see any tornadoes, so we followed the storm back to College Sta-
' tion. We were on campus and observed the storm as it knocked out pow
er to all of campus. All in all, it was a successful chase.”
fl hohm Jordan said stress, and lots of it, is how he describes the feeling of
U UClUv chasing a storm.
I “I feel elated that all my hard work has led me to a storm,” Jordan
said. “However, it is stressful as we try to keep ourselves in a safe loca
tion.
I “We chase storms so that we can have a better understanding of what
we are learning in class. You can only understand so much from a book,”
Jordan said. “Severe storms are always changing, whereas a picture in a
book is a snapshot in time. Chasing allows us to actually see what we
are learning in class.”
H Casey said getting close to a storm can be both scary and exciting at
irents weremiftije same time.
; so young wilt j Jordan said stormchasing is only dangerous for people who do not
rs picked him 1 know what they are doing.
ust so awful ho* “Not knowing how a severe thunderstorm works puts a person at risk
nrved him." for placing themselves in the wrong position,” Jordan said. “Worst case
i said Wachsbei?
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scenario is when an inexperienced person places themselves in the path
of a tornado.”
Jordan said there are also other risks.
“Large hail is always a danger, and lightning is always a threat,” he
said. “There are also times when the winds can become strong enough
to blow you off the road.
“Most people think we chase to see tornadoes, and tornadoes only.
That is not the case. I am looking for the other kinds of severe weather, such
as hail, high winds and lightning.”
Jordan said he has found himself in some dire situations.
“Once the vehicle that I was in was hit by lightning,” Jordan said. The
only damage was to the paint on top of my vehicle. There was a bright flash
of lightning, but I didn’t think about it. It wasn’t until I washed my car the
next day and saw that there was paint missing on the top of my Blazer. ”
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