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Policies and Operational Guidelines for the Valparaiso
University Storm Intercept Team (Established Fall
1996 )
The Department of Geography and Meteorology, Valparaiso
University
Contributors: David Ahijevych, B.S., Steven Beylon, Roger
Diercks, B.S., Eric Kemp, B.S., and Bart Wolf,
Ph.D.
This manual follows the plan originally outlined by Professor
Greg Tripoli of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It also
incorporates policies instituted during the Verification of the Origins of
Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment as outlined in the VORTEX-95
Operations Plan (published by the National Severe Storms Laboratory,
1995)
Table of
Contents:
The outbreak of severe
weather is the most direct method by which the extreme forces of nature
affect the world around us. These outbreaks pose threats to property and
life, but they also provide opportunities to study these forces first
hand. It is because of our meteorological interest and the learning
possibilities presented by these phenomena that the Valparaiso
University Storm Intercept Team (VUSIT) has been organized. VUSIT is
intended to provide meteorology students with a unique opportunity to
further their education and to better interact with each other and with
faculty members. However, all participants must be aware that storm
interception activities are dangerous and possibly life-threatening
endeavors. The purpose of this manual is to outline the guidelines and
policies that will be instituted during storm intercept operations; all
parties interested in participating are strongly encouraged to study
this work. Any questions about the policies listed herein should be
directed to members of the Storm Intercept Team contact list (see Appendix
A).
The Valparaiso University
Storm Intercept Team is organized and administered by the Department of Geography and
Meteorology. A Meteorology Faculty Advisor and the members of the
VUSIT Operations Committee are specifically charged with monitoring
weather conditions and organizing any operations that may be conducted.
They may be assisted by additional volunteers.
Participation in VUSIT is
restricted to students pursuing a major in Meteorology or Broadcast
Meteorology, and to Department faculty. Members can participate either
in the field as a chaser or at the Weather Center as a
forecasting/nowcasting team member. Field participants will be selected
by the following criteria:
-
Faculty and VUSIT
members will be given priority over non-VUSIT members.
-
All field participants
must have served at least one shift on the Nowcasting team.
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Participants providing
transportation will be given priority over members without
transportation.
-
If necessary,
participants will be ranked by seniority.
Enrollment or credit in
Meteorology 490: Severe Storms Nowcasting is strongly recommended for
field participation. Also, while it is intended that every precaution
will be taken to avoid dangerous situations, it is not possible to
foresee all occurrences. All field participants will therefore be
required to sign an affidavit releasing the organizers and the
University from any liability.
Finally, all participants
are encouraged to read the following articles on responsible storm
chasing:
NOTE: In the event
that a participant behaves recklessly in the field, that person will not
be reassigned in future chases.
The goals pursued by
VUSIT are:
-
to observe and
appreciate the spectacle of convective weather in real-time;
-
to reinforce and build
upon material presented in coursework concerning severe convective
weather; and
-
to serve/assist in
storm spotting and verification activities.
With this in mind, the
primary criteria for mobilization will be the likelihood of tornadic and
non-tornadic supercells within a 300 mile "Chase Zone" surrounding
Valparaiso. Other severe weather situations will be evaluated on a case
by case basis, with the expected amount of convective organization being
a major factor in decision making.
Storm
Chasing Opportunities at Valparaiso University
Official VUSIT operations
will be limited to the academic year, with the authority of commencing
activities restricted to the Meteorology Faculty Advisor and/or the
VUSIT Operations Committee. A Departmental Storm Chase Field Study
(Meteorology 385) is regularly offered for credit at the end of spring
semester; these activities may include VUSIT members, but are solely
organized by the faculty member in charge. Private storm chases may also
be held at any time, but those taking part should not expect support
from nowcasters or use of Departmental equipment.
Vehicles for field teams
may occasionally be provided by the University, but field participants
will be expected to volunteer additional transportation, especially in
promising situations (every attempt will be made to prevent damage to
vehicles, such as by hail or damaging winds). Each field intercept team
will typically consist of 3-5 people, including at least one experienced
chaser or observer. Each member of the team will have at least one
specific responsibility:
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Driver.
Usually the person who owns or is responsible for the vehicle. The
Driver will be expected to obey the rules of the road, and will be
responsible for any moving violations. During severe weather, the
Driver is to keep his/her eyes on the road at all times, in order to
avoid accidents. The Driver should be equipped with proper medical,
liability, collision, and especially comprehensive
insurance.
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Navigator. The
person who will plot courses aimed at reaching the target area
defined by conversations with the Weather Center personnel, the
Field Coordinator (if applicable) and the Team Leader(s), and by
visual observations and other data. A package of chasing supplies
will be gathered for each vehicle, including local maps and other
supplies for use by the Navigator.
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Communicator.
The person who is responsible for computer data analysis and for
periodically contacting the Weather Center for the latest
information and advice on where to proceed (for multiple teams, this
specific role will probably be performed by the Field Coordinator).
Also keeps contact with other chase vehicles via CB or amateur radio
(if licensed) and monitors the police scanner and weather
radio.
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Record Keeper.
The person who will keep a detailed log of all that transpires
during the chase, including all observations of the general weather
while driving to the site, comments made by the team members
concerning the behavior of the weather and speculation as to why
events are evolving the way they are. It is advantageous to bring a
cassette recorder on which to record observations for later entry
into a written log.
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Photographer.
The person(s) responsible for collecting photographic and/or video
records of events as they unfold. This may actually be every member
of the team.
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Team Leader.
The person responsible for making final decisions for a specific
field team (Team Leaders should not be driving unless it is
unavoidable). The Team Leader should have some previous experience
in intercepting or spotting severe storms, and should consider and
respect the input of other team members. When multiple teams are
deployed, Team Leaders will work with a Field Coordinator, and will
be expected to defer to the decisions made by the FC unless a
Team Leader believes that a decision is too dangerous. Likewise, if
another team member objects to a decision as too dangerous, the Team
Leader should defer to that member and decide on another course of
action.
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Field
Coordinator. When two or more field teams are dispatched, one
Team Leader will be designated as the Field Coordinator (FC) and
will oversee the activities of the teams. The FC should be an
experienced storm chaser and should preferably be a Faculty member,
if available. The FC will be expected to consider and respect the
input of other team members and the nowcasting team to decide how to
conduct the chase. However, once the FC makes a decision, that
decision is expected to be obeyed unless another team member
objects to the decision as too dangerous.
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Forecasting/Nowcasting Teams
A forecasting team will
meet on the morning of the chase to produce an initial forecast, and if
operations are commenced a nowcasting team will then be formed and
remain at the Weather Center. Its task will be to guide the field
team(s) to the severe weather from a safe direction. These teams will
need to focus on the following specialties:
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Map Analysis.
Plot and analyze the hourly SAs/METARs and/or make a current McIDAS
analysis of the local situation.
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Thermodynamic and
Wind Analysis. Plot and analyze temperature and humidity
profiles and wind hodographs. Also keep track of evolving wind
profiler data, surface temperature, humidity, and wind conditions,
estimating how thunderstorm potential is, in fact, evolving with
time.
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Satellite.
Keep abreast of the current trends as revealed by satellite, using
McIDAS and making hard copies of output (if possible) for use in
chase logs.
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Radar. Keep
the radar screen updated and save, videotape or trace the screen for
the base log.
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SPC Products.
Monitor and study Convective Outlooks and Mesoscale Discussions in
order to identify factors and processes that may have been
overlooked. These bulletins can be used for comparisons with the
forecasting/nowcasting team's own analyses and opinions, but should
not be used as substitutes; these bulletins are ultimately the
interpretations of another group of meteorologists, and may not be
precise. Severe Weather Watches and Watch Status Reports should
likewise be monitored once severe convection begins to occur or is
imminent.
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Internet
Resources. World Wide Web pages, Gopher servers, and other
sources of weather data should be consulted if possible to
supplement the resources available at the Weather Center. Examples
include Storm Track Online
and also at Unisys.
The duties of individual
forecasting/nowcasting team members can each be classified in at least
one of the following ways:
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Assistant.
Person(s) responsible for gathering the information listed above and
for assisting the Forecasters or Nowcasters in using the data.
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Forecaster/Nowcaster.
Person(s) responsible for integrating all of the above activities
into morning forecasts and/or subsequent nowcasts for use by the
field teams. A Chief Nowcaster may be designated if two or more
Nowcasters are on duty.
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Discussion
Leader. Person responsible for leading the morning discussion.
The DL will also act as Chief Forecaster for the morning severe
weather forecast.
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Communicator.
Person(s) responsible for actively advising the field teams over the
telephone or (during a multi-day chase) for preparing e-mail
outlooks for later use.
The following equipment
should be carried with each chase team:
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35mm camera with
telephoto lens if possible. A tripod is very useful if you have time
to set up, but this is often not the case. It is useful to have one
along anyway. Carry at least 200 (or higher) speed and preferable
slide film, which has higher resolution. One should carry at least
enough film for 50 pictures. A view of a tornado can be a
once-in-a-lifetime experience. Don't blow it away by not having enough
film and never be conservative taking pictures of any tornado. Always
take several duplicates (perhaps some at slightly different f-stops)
of the "big event."
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Video Camera. Carry at
least 2 hours of tape and an extra charged battery if possible.
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Detailed navigational
aids (i.e., maps, compass).
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List of phone numbers,
especially those of the Weather Center and emergency contacts.
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Spare tire, jack and
board to put jack on for muddy roads. You may be caught in the middle
of nowhere.
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Cassette recorder for
verbal log and notebook for written logs.
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Thermometer,
psychrometer, and hand-held anemometer, if possible.
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Communications
equipment, including scanner, ham radio and CB radio. The scanner is
useful for picking up local emergency government and police activity
with regard to storms.
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Weather radio.
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First aid kit and
flashlight.
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Personal gear (rain
jacket, change of clothes medication, driver's license, water bottles,
cash, etc.)
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Supplemental checklists
("Communications", "Intercept Safety Rules", etc.)
The Faculty Advisor and
the Operations Committee will be monitoring weather outlooks and model
data in order to anticipate possible severe weather outbreaks at least
a day in advance. If conditions appear favorable, a Code Yellow
will be declared. The likely timing of a Code Yellow is one day
before a possible chase, and will probably be declared following the
issuance of a favorable Day 2 Convective Outlook. However, the actual
timing may vary, and a Code Yellow may be declared the morning
of the chase, or several days beforehand.
Regardless of the
timing, once a Code Yellow is declared, the Operations
Committee will begin attempts to notify VUSIT members via telephone,
phone mail, and e-mail. If time permits, the Committee will also post
Activation Messages before each Meteorology class in regards to the
possible storm chase. While a good faith effort will be put forth
by the Operations Committee, it is ultimately the responsibility of
the individual VUSIT members to check their e-mail and phone mail
accounts often enough to receive Activation Messages and any
subsequent Status Reports. It is through good communications that a
well organized storm chase can be conducted.
On the morning of the
possible chase, the Faculty Advisor and/or all available Operations
Committee members, as well as volunteers (all VUSIT members are urged
to assist!) will meet at the Weather Center by 7:30 AM. A Discussion
Leader and forecasting/discussion team will be designated, and an
assessment of the likelihood of severe weather within the Chase Zone
will be conducted. The discussion team will be expected to prepare a
composite diagram, soundings, hodographs, and McIDAS displays. The DL
will make a recommendation whether the status is "GO", "NO GO", or
"STAND BY" for chasing. A Status Report will then be sent to the other
members, with a brief discussion of the weather situation. If the
status is "STAND BY", a time will be designated for a final decision
to be made. If the day is determined to be a "GO", then the DL will
make a recommendation for the likely time chase teams should plan to
leave and where they will be most likely be sent. The group will then
move to a Level 2 (Code Red) response.
If a Code Red is
declared, it has been deemed that conditions are favorable for severe
weather in the Chase Zone. The DL will lead a weather discussion
starting at 10:00 AM unless otherwise rescheduled. Field team(s) and
the nowcasting team will then be formed (if fewer than five interested
persons commit, the chase may have to be scrapped). The situation will
be monitored closely by the nowcasting team. When and if the time(s)
seem appropriate, the field team(s) will be dispatched to strategic
locations agreed upon by the group.
Here, the field team(s)
will be deploying and the nowcasting team will remain at the Weather
Center for field support to monitor the situation. The teams will call
in to the Weather Center as required to be updated or to call in
observations to the base station. Normally, these calls are made
within 5 minutes of the quarter hour (i.e., 00-05, 15-20, 30-35, and
45-50 minutes after the hour).
The nowcasting team
will "steer" the field team(s) to the expected location(s) of the most
interesting convection. It is desirable that the teams attempt
approach and interception about 90-120 degrees to the right of storm
movement. Hence for storms moving toward the northeast, one would try
to come in from the south-southeast to south- southwest; for storms
moving toward the southeast, approach form the southwest to west. This
is recommended for three reasons. First, interesting weather tends to
be obscured by the rain and hail curtain if one is to the left or rear
of the storm. Second, if a field team gets caught to the rear of the
storm, they will have to outrun and "punch" through the rain/hail
shaft and possibly tornadoes to get to the viewing area. This activity
should be avoided since core punching is not only undesirable, but can
be very dangerous. Third, tornadoes tend to move with the storm. Field
teams want to chase the tornado and not vise versa. A map of the
target area(s) will be erected for Weather Center personnel to keep
track of the location and destination of each field team.
After intercept
operations conclude (the storms having moved on, the sun having set,
etc.), the field team(s) will be called in and the nowcasting team
will be relieved. Depending on how far the field team(s) travels and
whether they stop somewhere for dinner, they may take an additional
2-4 hours (or more) to arrive back at Valparaiso. Hence one should
realize that it may be near or after midnight until everyone will get
back. Those participating should be aware of this before leaving and
bring enough money for meals, telephone calls, and so on. A Post-Chase
briefing summarizing the event will be prepared at a designated later
time.
Ownership of Photos and Videos
The pictures
and videos taken can become valuable and even publishable materials. It
must be recognized that the rights to the pictures taken during chases
are the property of the member whose equipment was used to produce them
unless the chase was sponsored by the University. Under these
circumstances, they may become the property of the University. If some
photographs are of sufficient quality, we may want to copyright the
pictures (or video) and publish them somewhere recognizing the
photographer and the participating teams. The nowcasting teams will have
no opportunity to snap a picture but will be at least as responsible for
the fruits of these expeditions as the field teams themselves! The owner
of the camera must make available negatives for reproduction to anyone
in the group wishing a copy of a photograph taken on these chases.
Appendix
A: Storm Intercept Team Contact List
Christine
Standohar
Derek Stratman
Meteorology Faculty Advisor
Professor of Geography and Meteorolog
Bart
J. Wolf
Appendix
B: Intercept Safety Rules
Appendix
C: Communications
In earlier storm chases,
problems in communications occasionally cropped up and resulted in
confusion amongst the participants and in several cases led to field
teams becoming separated at inopportune times. As a result, the
following guidelines will be instituted in operations conducted by
VUSIT:
(Note: These guidelines
are not intended to be rigorously enforced throughout the entirety of a
storm chase. CB radio traffic between different field teams can be an
effective way to relieve boredom during the several hours of driving
time it may take to arrive in a target area. Instead, these guidelines
are intended to be used as convection is occurring and interception is
taking place, in order to better coordinate activities.)
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Radio traffic should be
reduced and focussed on the chase itself. Try to watch your language
and contain your ecstacy. Talk professionally. Lighthearted giddiness
can reduce tension, but it can also make a bad impression.
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When contacting another
field team, follow the following protocol: "FC, TOTO." or "FC, this is
TOTO."
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When contacted by
another field team, the proper response is: "TOTO, (this is) FC, go
ahead." or "TOTO, (this is) FC, stand by."
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After a message or
instruction is received by a field team, the field team should
acknowledge in the following manner: "FC, (this is) TOTO, copy." or
"FC, (this is) TOTO, please repeat." Also, a field team may repeat
part or all of a message in its acknowledgment: e.g. "FC, (this is)
TOTO, switching to Channel 3."
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If the FC sends out a
message to two or more field teams, those teams should acknowledge in
alphabetical order (e.g. CYCLONE responds, then HELICITY, then TOTO).
NOTE: it is not necessary for the FC to wait for all teams to respond
before sending the message; instead, the Field Coordinator should say
"All teams, FC" and then send the message. It is, however, important
for all the teams to acknowledge the message after it is sent, so as
to make sure that all the teams actually received it.
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When transmitting over
the CB, make sure that the microphone is not continuously keyed.
Otherwise, other teams will be prevented from cutting in during
emergencies.
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A note on team
designations: the team that the Field Coordinator is with should be
called "FC". Other teams may choose their names, but they should
preferably exclude words that may cause confusion during a chase (e.g.
CUMULUS, TWISTER, HAIL, etc.)
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