I’ve been tempted to take a couple week road trip to the Oklahoma/Kansas area this spring to do some amateur storm chasing. Those that do this sort of thing are always pictured with real time/internet-based radar feeds. Anyone know which sites these are and if they are available without a subscription of sorts?
Some are. I have RadarNow! app on my phone; it’s free.
NOAA site has some live radar, as well.
If you’re close enough, the Tornado Warnings will come in over your car radio.
On Mac, iOS and Android one of the the most popular apps is RadarScope. There is no Windows version of this app. It can use cellular data and the normal version has no subscription fee for radar data. It has an optional $10 per year subscription for lightning data: RadarScope on the App Store
Most professional and serious amateur storm chasers use some version of GRLevelX, which is a Windows app: http://www.grlevelx.com/ It is a paid app but can use free internet-based radar data. If mobile in a vehicle they probably have a cellular/WiFi hotspot set up.
Most of northern Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska have 4G coverage from both Verizon and AT&T, so it’s a matter of setting up a WiFi hotspot in the vehicle for the devices using that radar data.
There are relatively low cost mobile cellular booster systems using external antennas to improve range: https://www.cellularsolutions.com/product/SC-DualM-50-Kit.html
www.weather.gov … click responsibly …
I live in south/central OK, and, boy, OP, you missed a big storm just last night. Whole front measured from around Austin up into Southen Nebraska at one point. All we got here were winds of 70-ish miles/hr (gustnado being the local term for such) and some small hail and big rain. I had TV on weatherman from like 3 PM 'til about 10PM which is when the front passed us, and I really like how well the chasers stay ahead of the really bad stuff but get great live views from various parts of State as things occur. We had some of the really unique clouds often seen just prior to Hell arriving in area, and wish I’d gotten some pics for the heck of it.
One thing that may help out tornado ‘newbies’ is live weatherman from one of several TV stations that stream on 'Net, this being one. You will get the experience and knowledge of where the fronts are and when an area starts to spin up, etc. If you can get that kind of commentary while you are trying to navigate on often tiny backroads, it can really help you understand what you are seeing on radar - things like looking for the hooks in cloud formations that signal probable impending funnel(s). Plus, you’ll get plenty of windspeeds called out which can help you avoid getting caught offguard in a gustnado, or at least time to seek vehicle shelter for a few.
**SD Tim: **if you happen to make it down this way, I’d be happy to fill you in on where stuff typically builds up - definitely a lot of predictability depending on where the front forms-up first. Just lemme know if ya want. I’ve lived in tornado-central about 15 years now, and I’ve learned a lot just from the weather guys who are on non-stop during storms (bless their endurance at these times, it helps VERY much. Don’t forget $/change for the I-44 Turnpike (or others) as you are almost guaranteed to use them to get ‘there’ ASAP. Most tornadic stuff seems to parallel that highway more often than not, and I live maybe a mile from that highway.
A sight I really stress over is when I go into town and see a dozen or more chasers just hanging out waiting for the events to unfold. Its like “no, not another night of watching weather”, LOL.
Assuming you have top-of-the-line equipment and know what you’re doing, how many tornadoes can a storm chaser expect to see in a season?
HeyHomie : I’ve chatted with a few different professional-level chasers over the last few years, and it would seem that its a matter of luck to actually see a funnel on ground in many cases. Often, the funnel itself is surrounded by rain/hail and the funnel is simply not visible within the mass of water surrounding the funnel. Many chasers can get to general area of the circulation/funnel, but visibility sucked so no visual of actual funnel(s). If it is dark outside, you won’t see much besides power-flashes as power lines get destroyed, IME.
As an example, around 1615 yesterday, there was an (up-to) EF-3 funnel onground that passed maybe a mile or so from us. Of course, everyone was in storm shelter by that point. I stood outside the shelters door 'til last minute just to watch the clouds moving so different than usual. We had radio on and cell-phone radar and knew from reports that a tornado was headed straight at us. While I was watching, I saw probably a dozen or more chasers hauling ass east and north out of the way down our county road and get repositioned for a hopeful funnel sighting. When I saw the low-level clouds above us racing towards the ‘center’ from all directions and making a 90-degree turn straight up, I knew it was time to get in shelter myself.
The funnel (mostly unseen due to rain, even for all the chasers around) destroyed some power lines and a few homes/buildings - all maybe a mile or so aways from us. We could hear a low rumble through air-vent, and meant that tornado was VERY close. There were reported sheer winds of about 180 mph (radar measured), but for some reason we never got winds near that speed, but strong enough to keep our ears popping from pressure changes in shelter. Weird feeling. Only got small hail that had melted before we even opened up shelter, but same storm cell had been dropping softball+ sized hail maybe 10-15 miles from us. Serious hail there.
I can’t find images of this particular funnel on any news-sites or popular chasers’ blog sites, so it was ‘invisible’ except to radar. Most reports of the funnel were from locals who were in path of 'nado that verified that there WAS a funnel on-ground. But the clouds were telling of likelihood of funnel despite curtain of rain around it.
The storm produced hailstorms that tuned ground white with large hail. A bad storm, for sure, and first time in quite awhile that we actually had to get underground. But no funnel was seen visually for most persons, just the thick black cloud that was slowly circling and drawing air up very fast near funnel.
Can’t say if that is actually ‘seeing’ a tornado. It was there, for sure (as locals who were under funnel area reported), but not really visible overall except for the cloud activity that is characteristic of a funnel and/or super-strong rotating systems that have not dropped a funnel just yet.
SanDiegoTim : It appears its prime time to chase storms right now. fwiw. Two major tornadic systems in three days, with last one having us sheltering - yeah, sucks to deal with this stuff, but such is Nature 
And here’s a link to local blog with a fair number of pics showing how funnels may not be visible, fwiw. I am in the Ninnekah area just southish of Chickasha, fwiw, so you can see what was bearing down on us, though funnel was basically invisible to most persons. Gotta give kudos to all those who kept us informed!
A little bump to this thread with a plea for storm chasers to stay home.
Did you make it out there and see any?