Becoming a Storm Chaser- Chris Caldwell Interview

How can I become a storm chaser? is one of the most frequent questions I get asked. Last year, I reported on the National Weather Festival and a new event called the Storm Chaser Car Show. This year, I had the opportunity to complete an interview with one of the participants in the show. His name is Chris Caldwell and he works for KOCO TV 5 in Oklahoma as a professional storm chaser. He is a member of the F.A.S.T. Team (First Alert Storm Team) and even runs is own website Ponca City Weather. Catch his video in the KOCO TV blog about building a chase car! Anyone can join in on the celebration on Saturday, October 20th, 2007. The events are part of the National Weather Festival which includes tours of the National Weather Center, vendors, amateur radio demonstrations, and fun weather-related kids activities. As for the cars of storm chasing, awards are given out in the following categories Most Hail DamageMost Working SensorsMost UniqueMost Cutting EdgeBest LookingMeatwagon Award If you have a car that meets any of the above requirements, you can register for the show for free! This year, there will be two separate categories for personal and sponsored vehicles. How Did You Get Started in Storm Chasing? When I started storm chasing there werent many people chasing at that time. I had done it as a hobby and anytime a storm would be within 25 miles I would go chase it! That was back in 1991. I got me interested in chasing when an F5 tornado passed right in front of me across highway 177 just south of Ponca City as I was on my way to Tulsa. At the time, I was driving a UPS truck. I was headed to the airport with next-day-air packages and as I got south of town I could see this massive mile wide tornado coming from the west. I was trying to hurry to beat it so I didnt have to wait for it to cross the road. I didnt quite make it and instead I sat and watched it hit a mobile home and it picked up a 24 foot stock trailer that was attached to a dual-wheel pickup loaded with cattle. I never did see where it landed. The mobile home itself just disintegrated. This storm actually had just hit the area that I had grown up in but I couldnt stay to make sure everyone was okay. I continued on to Tulsa and on the way I saw numerous funnels, at least 30, and as I approached the Hallet area I came across a 2nd tornado. By then it was dark. All the way over I had to slow down and stop since we were coming across power lines down all over the place. I was able to see the tornado near the Hallet exit only from the lightning illuminating it. I got out of the vehicle and a trooper was there getting everyone under the overpass bridge. But Overpasses are NOT Considered Safe You are right. Overpasses as tornado shelters are not considered safe. Little did we know back then that that was the wrong thing to do but we all managed to live even though the tornado went right over the top of us. I got away from there and headed into Tulsa. I kept seeing ambulance after ambulance heading west and then I saw why†¦There were people searching for survivors out in a field near a housing edition on the west side of the Tulsa Metro area. I made it to the airport some 2 hours late but they held the plane and I turned around and headed back home and saw even more rescue people heading west. I had heard there was several killed in that housing plan but never did hear a final count. It was this one night of tornadoes that got me even more interested in chasing. From then on, I started going to classes put on by the National Weather Service and I started reading all the books I could find on weather. What Kinds of Classes Were Available? There is no course you go and take to become a storm chaser. Most of it is learned by going out and chasing. I now chase for KOCO TV 5 in Oklahoma City and to chase for them you have to have some experience. They dont just throw people out that say ‘I want to chase.’ In fact all of their chasers have extensive chase time before they started chasing for them. My experience lasted from 1991 until 2002 before I started chasing for them. What is Your Favorite Part of Storm Chasing? Once a storm has shot up and it classified as severe, the chase is on. This is the part that I enjoy the most. Getting yourself in position can be hectic since we have roads to follow but the tornado itself has no highways or roads it has to stay on. I always try and get to the part of the storm that allows me the best photo opportunity as well as allows me to report back on what the storm is doing and where it is heading. I guess warning the public and letting people know its coming their way is the reason we are out there and indeed it is what I enjoy most. What is Your Least Favorite Part of Storm Chasing? My all means that would be night-time chasing. I have had...Continued on Page 2. What is Your Least Favorite Part of Storm Chasing? What is the Greatest Storm You Ever Chased? What About Close Calls? How Long Does it Take to Build a Chase Car? How About Storm Chase Vacations? What Do You Think of These? †chasecation† Anything Else You Would Like to Add? By the way, every year I attend several classes put on by the National Weather Service. One of these classes is done in an evening and then there are the more advanced ones that are 3 days long. This year I will also be attending the storm chaser convention since they have started doing seminars at it as well.