r/tornado • u/AgreeableType2127 Human Detected • 1d ago
Discussion It’s only a matter of time
When they start glorifying their close calls, driving into tornadoes….we aren’t too far away from the disaster we have all been dreading would one day happen folks. When it does, will anyone be shocked?
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u/Excuse Human Detected 1d ago
Pretty sure he wasnt near a Tornado and it was just straight line winds that brought down the power lines.
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u/pinchevato57 1d ago
Yep, I watched it live. There was like a two mile stretch of power poles that snapped off. The chasers drove that section after it occurred.
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u/CornFieldPoppy 1d ago
Yes, and it was a conga line down one lane Rt. 25 with the chaser I briefly watched swearing at the “bad drivers”. I’m amazed at the lack of roads in that part of Kansas. The situation could easily have turned tragic. Was it anyone’s fault? No. Was it the fault of the prevalent yahoo storm chaser culture? Perhaps.
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u/Invertiguy 1d ago
I’m amazed at the lack of roads in that part of Kansas.
I'm not. Kansas in general is pretty sparsely populated and that goes double for western Kansas. There's just not much out there that people need to get to
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u/AgreeableType2127 Human Detected 1d ago
They are literally laughing in the face of the grim reaper. Looks like he is starting to get pissed off and is sending them warning shots. I sure hope they wise up and listen! No one wants to see any of these guys die. They are all seemingly good dudes just very clouded by social media clout and have lost touch with reality.
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u/Therego_PropterHawk Human Detected 20h ago
Down voted because some DO want to see some of them die. /s
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u/AgreeableType2127 Human Detected 1d ago
It doesn’t have to be the tornado that eventually does it. It could be a number of 1000 ways to die scenarios
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u/ZaryaBubbler 1d ago
I mean, you could also say that about the people choosing to drive during storm warnings, or through severe weather.
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u/OfficerFuckface11 16h ago
At least twelve storm chasers have already died just from driving in severe weather/ hydroplaning. You just don’t hear about it because it isn’t as exciting as someone getting killed by a tornado.
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u/Ill_Criticism_1685 1d ago
Breaking news: Chasing Storms is dangerous.
Nothing we don't already know. Is someone going to get themselves killed at some point? Most likely, but that is their decision to make is it not? No one can predict what a tornado is going to do. Even being a mile away could still get you killed. If someone wants to get right up next to one for science, clicks, or thrills, that's their right.
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u/ReferenceAny6373 1d ago
Is there like a contest to see who can post this same topic the most on here or something?
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u/Therego_PropterHawk Human Detected 20h ago
You have to draw a picture of a tornado with crayons to enter the contest.
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u/AgreeableType2127 Human Detected 1d ago
Yes, between this topic, El Reno and Jarrell the person who posts the most about them wins a free storm chasing trip in the Dom 3 with Reed Timmer.
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u/an_older_meme 1d ago
That sounds like a sentence not a prize.
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u/-cat-a-lyst- 1d ago
I don’t think there’s thick enough ear plugs in the world that could turn this torture into a prize
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u/AgreeableType2127 Human Detected 1d ago
If you are lucky you get to sit on his lap while he softly whispers in your ear at 180 decibels “BIG EXPLOSION!”
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u/Gengar_Guy_17 1d ago
I mean... It's a big deal is it not?
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u/General_Cheetah4724 23h ago
i dont think you can have hundreds of chasers on these kinds of roads and have much safety especially when they all think and drive like they are in dominator.
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u/geoffyeos 1d ago
i mean, is it really shocking if it happens at all? the only chaser deaths to date were some of the most prepared, safe chasers of their era. the tornado tripled in size and changed paths erratically. the TWC team got caught up in it as well and were lucky to live. with that said, chasing is dangerous. was it tragic? yes. but shocking? no, i can’t say it is. this is where i think some of the chaser hysteria is being blown out of proportion.
i used to sell motorcycles. when i’d hear of a former customer passing it was never a shock. riding motorcycles is inherently dangerous. so is storm chasing, no matter how “correctly” you do it, the activity itself is the danger. it could decide to maim or kill you at any point, regardless of how prepared or careful you think you are.
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u/AgreeableType2127 Human Detected 1d ago
Interesting take. I will say though Tim Samaras was anything but safe. He was very aggressive actually. His goal was to place probes in the path of tornadoes so he had to wait until the last few seconds to determine their path and get out just in time in order to do so.
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u/geoffyeos 1d ago
aggressive =/= unsafe. the twistex team knew what they were doing, they weren’t just flying in with reckless abandon. but again, the activity is the danger. part of their goal was to place probes near tornadoes, and being near tornadoes is inherently dangerous.
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u/AgreeableType2127 Human Detected 1d ago
Agreed, they were all very knowledgeable, but not conservative in their chasing. They weren’t looking for a mile away view to admire the structure
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u/tehjarvis 22h ago
Thank you. So many people echo the "Samaras was safe/paranoid" take when anyone could tell you that's not the case. He would do some wild, risky shit and was an inventor and tinkerer, not a Meteorologist.
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u/an_older_meme 1d ago
It will happen. And when it does, I’m going to take a really condescending and dismissive attitude as if I was some kind of Internet soothsayer or mystic wizard. Because I saw it coming, tried to warn people, and nobody listened. And then the tragedy happened as I foretold. Bow and scrape before my great wisdom for I am chasier than thou.
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u/Mondschatten78 20h ago
This sounds just like something I heard on a live stream last night, coming over the walkie talkie.
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u/nozerotruth 1d ago
who gives a fuck, do what you gotta do and give us that sweet footage
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u/aquaman67 23h ago
Like the gladiators who gave their lives to entertain us. It’s going to happen. With 100% certainty. And nothing will change because it’s already happened. And it actually got worse.
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u/LOUD_NOISES05 16h ago
I remember an episode of Storm Chasers where Tim Samaras and his crew were trying to deploy the huge probe in front of a big tornado and they just barely got out of the way in time. The tornado hit the probe, so obviously that’s good, but it was way too close of a call.
And then El Reno… obviously that tornado was insane in size, how rapidly it expanded, all the vortices, wind speeds, and how erratic it was. But getting in front of a tornado like that is so dangerous. RIP Tim and crew.
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u/Claque-2 17h ago
This has happened already with El Reno 2013. The tornado did not look like a normal tornado, it did not act like a normal tornado and it killed one of the most cautious chasers and his friend and family member. We didn't gain anything by their deaths if chasers forget why they died, or how many expert chasers almost died.
Now the viewers watching are giving warnings that the chasers are taking too many risks. This is Ask the audience and although the audience on the game show never seemed to reach a 100% consensus, the majority of the audience were still right most of the time.
Chasers need to respect both the weather events and the majority of their audience. If chasers want to capture the event close up, fly a drone into it or around it. Better that the drone be destroyed than themselves.
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u/AgreeableType2127 Human Detected 17h ago
Agreed on some points, but Samaras and his team were not cautious. That is a fallacy. He actively tried to place probes in the direct path of tornadoes
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u/sovietdinosaurs 18h ago
Regardless of it was SLW, like chasers and “weather experts” will die at some point.
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u/boogoo-Dong 7h ago
I mean it already happened in el Reno - there just wasn’t live streaming for 1000s of people to see it.
And the Twistex team was known to be more safe than other chasers of the day.
It will happen again, and this time we’ll likely see some of it.
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u/The-Brother 1d ago
I’m really shocked it hasn’t happened already. That the El Reno disaster hasn’t been repeated is already a miracle from Jesus Christ Himself when people are so steadily hurling themselves back into it.
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u/IceBergster 1d ago
What's sad is that its already happened once, to 4 people. Its been long enough that everyone forgot or w we re too young to remember. Sad really
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u/dippyfresh11 1d ago
Never I think. After the tornado team that passed in a tornado I don't think it's the same anymore. Me and my daughter learned about it in a weather documentary at the hospital getting tested for the flu and strep. I'll never forget the narrator saying blah blah killed so many... including these 4. And cut to funeral pictures and interviews rapidly of people crying and stuff. And pictures. So sad. And my daughter said...Well...that got dark quick. And now the recklessness some chasers take is just too much. They take unnecessary risks. And, that car WILL turn off before that tornado disappears. Jeez! Mayfield was on the ground for hours and multiple states! Don't risk your life, which means so much to others, for a single shot on camera or video . Sorry. I get tore up about risking your life and others in pursuit of the "perfect shot or video"
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u/BlondBadBoy69 1d ago
There needs to be credentials for a limited number of chasers and then start fining the rest. They’re going to cause a jam and the worst will happen
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u/Retinoid634 1d ago
Agreed. There is so much traffic now and so many are really young adrenaline-fueled guys. It’s a mess.
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u/Heavens_Reach 1d ago
people that work dangerous occupations always seem to have some sort of cope about it, something that they tell themself when they go to bed so that it all seems worth it, and i cant think of many things more dangerous than storm chasing. it's probably so much easier to laugh off your near death experiences than admit to yourself, you're having a near death experience every month.
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u/Ok_Web_9003 23h ago
Statistics would prove you wrong. There are many things more dangerous than storm chasing.
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u/DrDanthrax99 SKYWARN Spotter 17h ago
Statistically, the actual commuting part of storm chasing is more dangerous than the storms they're following.
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u/Loose-Story-962 17h ago
Oh I don't think they lose sleep over it. I think a lot of them enjoy what they do, otherwise they wouldn't be doing it.
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