REGINA- When a severe weather event, like a tornado, hits most people run for cover. But for storm chasers it’s the opposite.
However it wasn’t the weather that brought storm chasers from across the prairies to Regina on Sunday, but “Canada Chaser Con.”
The one day convention had panel discussions, networking opportunities, and a forum to share ideas on things like safety because you can’t just use a regular car to protect yourself in a mega-storm.
“We’ve got lexon armour, which can take a hail stone up to 100 miles per hour plus, which we’ve put through one or two tests. It’s fairly new hail wire we’ve put on this year,” said Ryan Crouse of Yorktonstormhunter.com.
Other chasers have taken their modifications one step further, including Melville’s Team Dominator with their Ford F-350.
“It’s got ballistic armour on the outside, poly-carbon windows, rides on an air suspension that we can drop down when we get in or near a tornado just to stop any wind from getting under the vehicle and two inch hydraulic spikes we can drive down in the ground to pin it,” said Curtis Brooks, the team’s mechanic.
The convention also explored the power of social media. Over the past few years, hashtags like #skstorm have taken off, as has the live-streaming of severe weather.
Chaser footage is now even being used by experts.
“Environment Canada has told me they watch that so they can compare what they’re seeing. We’re basically on the ground troops for Environment Canada,” explained Crouse.
The government’s weather team also user the video to confirm severe weather they’re detecting on radar maps.
While there is an element of danger to what they do, storm-chasers like Crouse quickly develop respect for mother nature.
“Everyone else is outside playing sports and I’m writing down the weather reports off of the radio. It’s just something I’ve always loved. I got bigger into it in 2009 and it’s progressed to what I have now.”
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