Storm-Chasing Tours Become Big—and Risky—Business

Wall Street Journal ^ | 5/18/2018 | Jim Carlton

[simpson96]

HAMMON, Okla.—When residents of this remote rural area were warned to take cover from an approaching severe storm, tour director Bill Reid aimed his vanload of six giddy passengers into its path.

“It’s going to get crazy,” said Mr. Reid of Tempest Tours, which takes visitors on excursions into some of the wildest weather on the continent, amid reports of torrential rain, baseball-sized hail and possible tornadic activity.

As the U.S.’s tornado season kicks into high gear, so does the booming-but-risky business of taking paying passengers on storm-chasing tours in the nation’s tornado alley.

The 1996 movie, “Twister,” and the 2007-2011 Discovery Channel reality TV series, “Storm Chasers” have helped to fuel the growing popularity of the tours—in a trend that worries some safety experts.

Although the storm tour companies offer no guarantees, spotting—and taking photos of—twisters is the Holy Grail for storm chasers and tourists alike. With only about half the normal number of twisters so far this year, the tornado season has gotten off to its slowest start in years.

But that hasn’t stopped Tempest Tours, among others, from selling out its storm-chase tours, which can last from a day to 11 days and run $300 to $3,850. The company started in 2000 with 20 tourists now hosts about 200 passengers a season who come from around the country and world, said founder Martin Lisius.

[askrenr]

"I’d like to see a tornado."

---

Been involved with two of the damn things, don't care to ever see or hear another one for as long as I am alowed to live.

[DugwayDuke]

$1.5 would have been pretty good pay then. I sacked groceries for about the same wage. We probably ran across each other. I graduated Aerospace in 1970.

[pfflier]

We may have met. I switched to mechanical engineering from aerospace because my faculty advisor said it had no future.

Then I went in the USAF 1971 and from there worked aerospace (Martin Marietta then GD Convair) from 1980 through 2001 in quality assurance engineering.

[The Great RJ]

Tornadoes are very unpredictable and few years ago some very experienced and cautious professional storm trackers were killed when the tornado they were following unexpectedly turned back and hit their vehicle. In addition to the hazards from the storm, the crowds of gawkers driving like bats out of hell to catch a glimpse of the tornado could easily cause serious traffic accidents. These tornado safaris are in my opinion hugely dangerous. I have personally seen two tornadoes without deliberately seeking them and have no desire to see any more up close. When tornado warnings are given, take shelter.

[minnesota_bound]

What they may see on the tour....
https://ncache.ilbe.com/files/attach/new/20160724/377678/5499768063/8482159870/fe0bcc47ba54413909c8e46a8d3234b9.gif

[minnesota_bound]

There goes the house....
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/53f4e093e4b085e4457080e1/t/573231f640261d67c7183afd/1462907390213/

[penguinhunter]

Good to know you are alright.
I was on Route 7 going north just before the exit to the old four corners in Brookfield when it came through. Very scary. Definitely do not want to see that again.

[ops33]

“...the tornado season has gotten off to its slowest start in years.”

For those of us who actually live in tornado alley this is not such a bad thing.