SASKATOON – After 2012’s turbulent storm-packed summer with 33 twisters touching down in Saskatchewan and several reported incidents to Environment Canada this year, storm chasers are coming out in droves.
“For me, I’m looking for a photogenic storm – anything that’s going to produce really interesting lightning or really interesting cloud structure. That’s what I’m into,” said Greg Johnson, Regina-based tornado hunter.
Johnson and his team have chased numerous storms in their heavily armoured truck, equipped with satellite radar. This allows them to understand what’s happening above and around them in real time.
Their travels have taken them across North America, including twister hot-bed, Oklahoma.
“The number of amateur chasers is really incredible. Some storms, you can see upwards of 500, maybe even 600 vehicles,” said Johnson.
While he admits he doesn’t begrudge any of them for being there, he does urge up-and-coming chasers to educate themselves so they can stay safe.
“The more education you have, the better understanding you have about what’s going on inside that storm. Without it, it can be deadly,” said Johnson.
The tornado hunter himself is a Canadian Weather Amateur Radio Network (CANWARN) trained spotter. The Environment Canada program involves an active group of people who spot and report severe weather.
“Severe weather is so small scale and it’s really hard to know where exactly it’s going to form. There are all sorts of aspects you have to look at to be able to figure out not just where the threat area is, but where the storm is going to go,” said John Paul Cragg, meteorologist with Environment Canada.
Though the government branch does not promote storm chasing, it does promote storm spotting, which means observing weather developments from a safe distance.
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