Cool tornady video from Ellis Co. shot Friday, 5/4/07

[Okla-homey]

the chasers were so excited they just about threw a clot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNL7ASvl4k4&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Ftornadovideos%2Enet%2F

[afs]

there is such a thing as too close to a tornado, and for me, that is too close

[BajaOklahoma]

Wow!
And you have to wonder how many idiots, with no understanding of what they are doing, will now be inspired to get similar video?

[SoonerStormchaser]

There goes Reed Timmer...one of these days, he is going to DIE from getting too close to those things...and I seriously will laugh!

[leavingthezoo]

Wow!
And you have to wonder how many idiots, with no understanding of what they are doing, will now be inspired to get similar video?

well, i'm getting my camera ready right now!! :D

[StoopTroup]

Dear Allstate...

[achiro]

There goes Reed Timmer...one of these days, he is going to DIE from getting too close to those things...and I seriously will laugh!
I was watching David Payne last night and kept thinking the same thing. He was chasing one in the dark, was sitting in a spot and based on only the wind decided he better back up. Went back a few minutes later and the tornado had gone through right were he had been sitting.
I guess as our understanding improves, these folks become more and more confident that the specific path will stay that way. I'm just not so sure that mother nature is always quite that specific.:(

[Okla-homey]

I was watching David Payne last night and kept thinking the same thing. He was chasing one in the dark, was sitting in a spot and based on only the wind decided he better back up. Went back a few minutes later and the tornado had gone through right were he had been sitting.
I guess as our understanding improves, these folks become more and more confident that the specific path will stay that way. I'm just not so sure that mother nature is always quite that specific.:(

Seems to me winds aloft would have a lot to do with ground track. Unless you know what they are, how can you really know where they're headed with any degree of precision?

Please enlighten us resident met people.

[Sooner98]

It would seem to me that a knowledge of all the roads in the area is critical in chasing storms like this. It appears that these guys were on a north/south road, facing south. Knowing that the tornado was moving toward the northeast (as they could see, using the road as a reference point), they simply had to make sure that they got far enough north to be clear of the tornado's path, once it crossed the road. Tornadoes very rarely switch directions from moving northeast, to moving northwest, that's why you hear him say "We're okay" at one point.

(I'm no meteorologist, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night :D ).

[SoonerStormchaser]

Seems to me winds aloft would have a lot to do with ground track. Unless you know what they are, how can you really know where they're headed with any degree of precision?

Please enlighten us resident met people.



BINGO!!! And since we can't yet perfectly forecast wind (both speed and direction)...