Mr Twister
Chaser For Life
Hannah Weddell
Where does this love for weather come from?
Thats always a tough question and I wont state the obvious answers. But to put it simply, weather is a part of me. I love walking outside and seeing what the atmosphere is doing. No matter how many books I read, tv programs I watch and storms I see... it will never be enough. It's a passion and one that drives me further every year.
How did you get into storm chasing?
I have had an avid interest in weather for as long as I can remember. When I was a kid I used to sit up and watch the lightning out of my bedroom window of a night and run outside and play in the rain during the day. I grew up in England so we always had our fair share of crazy weather, including huge snow storms. If it was snowing, there was a guarantee I'd be outside.
When I moved to Australia at 15, I used to climb onto the roof to watch the storms (a little bit crazy now I know the dangers) and then was old enough to drive, I'd follow storms on Perth's BOM radar and drive down to the coast to watch them come over. Some days I used to leave work on my lunch break for an hour just to watch the lightning. I also lived in Dubai and saw some magnificent dust storms there. But it was back in Perth when I was about 24 years old that I saw my first waterspout and decided it was time to take it up a notch and do what i'd always dreamed of... travelling to the US. So I started saving my pennies...
My first trip to the US was on a storm chasing tour. Of course I knew that the only way to learn and see these storms safely, was to do it with professionals. No knowledge of Australian weather was going to prepare me for chasing huge supercells and tornadoes. It was an amazing year and I came home blown away by the sheer power of what i'd seen. 45 tornadoes later and there was definitely no turning back. I was hooked.
2011 saw the creation of our own chase team, The Renegade Chasers. A group of good friends (from the US, Australia and NZ) all with a common interest... to hit the road, see some amazing weather and share it with others. I forecasted based on the knowledge i'd acquired in the US the previous year, as well as past experience and we were very successful in our endeavours. Adding another 12 tornadoes to the tally, seeing some of the most incredible storms and structure imaginable and of course plenty of photos as memories.
When/where was your first chase?
I'd say my first official chase was here in Perth. I was 17 years old and knew storms were coming in off the coast. I kept an eye on radar until it was time then drove down to the beach. When I got there this particular cell came pretty much to a standstill. I saw lighting bolts strike time and time again, about a kilometre off shore. It was incredible. Crowds of people were running in all directions to get away from the water, but I sat there mesmerised for almost an hour. At that time I had a point and shoot camera, had no idea how to take photos of lightning and came home disappointed that I didn't capture anything decent.
Where/when was your favorite chase?
OK well thats difficult to answer but I have to say one of the best chase days I had was on May 30th 2012, Jetmore KS. That was such a tough day! We thought for sure we were going to bust. We were set up in OK, with a 50 50 choice... head a long way south to the isolated cells coming across from Texas or head north in Kansas for what what was sure to be an absolute mess. We finally called it as we had a big distance to drive each way and went north into Kansas based on set up for the following day.
We lost data for a while as we crossed the border, stopped for gas and finally when it was back up and running, I noticed an isolated cell right on the back end of the squall line, so we went for it. When we arrived just south of Jetmore, not only was it discrete cell with magnificent structure, a deep green core and beautiful mammatus, but we were treated to a brief tornado before the cell drove itself into the squall line at high speed. You can only imagine what happened next... a monster guster coming at us, moving at least 80mph! This thing was motoring along, crazy amounts of vorticity on the leading edge and picking up so much dust from the fields that we knew we wouldn't see past the hood if it caught up with us. The photos that came out of this beast were amazing!
We parked up under a car wash to and let it come over us, watching the wind almost tip semi-trailers, hail and rain flood the place out, and then followed it to capture the lightning on the back end.
What is your most important piece of equipment while chasing?
I guess the laptop would be the most important thing for getting data. You need it to forecast, pick a target location and watch radar for storm development.
What is the most dangerous situation you have been in?
Last year we were chasing some cells rolling into Kansas from Colorado. We'd stopped at one point to photograph a particular cell due to its beautiful mammatus display, when the outflow starting picking up mass amounts of dirt from the fields again. Being so dry last year, the dust was extremely thick. We got in the vehicles to get out the way, but were met by several semi-trailers travelling on the same road. Next thing you know we had extremely strong crosswinds shaking/tipping the vehicle, visibility was down to absolute zero and we couldn't drive anywhere. It was nerve-racking trying to get off the road into a safe position so a truck didn't drive into the back of us. We lost radar and only found out a little while later that these cells were putting down tornadoes a little further North. It just goes to show that not only can the storm be dangerous... but the driving conditions are too. You have to be so careful and it was a big lesson learnt.
What do your wife/friends/family think about you doing this?
My family are very supportive of me. They know I don't go into things not knowing the risks involved. My partner Alex is in fact coming to the US with me this year to get in on the action, as well as 4 other friends from Australia and New Zealand.
What is the most frustrating aspect of chasing?
That has got to be sitting at your target area and waiting. Is it going to happen? Is it not? Sometimes storm development is delayed and you start doubting yourself as to whether you are in the right position. Countless times I have driven up and down the same road, not knowing if I made the right choice. You know some days busts happen, but you have to be in it to win it.
Do you have a day job? If so, does it hinder your chasing?
Yeah like I said I am a flight attendant. I work shift work at all hours of the day and unfortunately its not easy to get off a plane when you know storms are firing up somewhere. So chasing at home in Australia can be tough. I have missed so many big storms because I have flown out to another city and hour before, or landed an hour too late. In saying that though, if it wasn't for this job, I wouldn't have as much holiday leave and good deals on flights to be able to travel to the US every year.
What lessons have you learned from storm chasing that bring you back to other aspects of your life?
Patience and perseverance are my biggest lessons. You can't just expect things to happen for you. This is the same for all aspects of life. Some days are great, some days are not. But you have to at least put in the effort and be patient for the results.
What advise would you give to a new stormchaser?
Study the subject. Don't start your storm chasing career thinking you can just head out on the open road, follow a radar and sit under these storms. Mother Nature will always do what she wants, but there is a way to try to understand her and the dangers associated with chasing. There are so many books and research papers available as well as copious amounts of resources on the internet, not to mention television programs and dvds. There are also experienced chasers that are willing to help you learn. I am still new to chasing. I am going to need many more years under my belt, to get to the level of understanding that I would like. Every time I chase I learn something new and I also talk to others about that experience and ways that I can improve. You must understand storms, their lifecycle and what and what they are capable of before you put yourself out there. So many times I have seen Mum and Dad with kids in the back following chasers around the Plains, in what could be life threatening conditions. Its not worth the risk. Knowledge is everything.
How do you think the 2013 chase season will turn out?
Hmmm let me see. Look 2012 was a tough year. There was a severe lack of moisture due to drought conditions and when storms did fire they had some very unusual set ups, that even experienced chasers struggled with. The start of 2013 has been interesting though. We've already had a few outbreaks, as well as a lot of intense winter set ups moving through. Unfortunately, I don't have the in depth meteorological knowledge for long term forecasting and to be able to say, yes this is going to make a difference, but I feel the spring set up will be better this year with the return of moisture to the plains. The question is...will it be enough? Nevertheless, I will be out there chasing from late April to find out.
Will you ever stop chasing?
I hope that I will see many more years of chasing ahead. I guess you never know what life is going to throw at you and it is a very expensive hobby :) But so long as I have the passion and drive to do so... I will be out there whenever I have the opportunity.
Where can we find your pictures and video?
You can find them here:
Chase page: RENEGADE CHASERS www.facebook.com/RCHomepage
Photography page: www.facebook.com/hannahweddellphotography
and my website which will be up and running very soon www.hannahweddellphotography.com
