**Long post:** I'm back from storm chasing vacation :) Tons of mixed emotions and new perspectives gained from this trip that I will hold with me for the rest of my life. Below are 4 video still frames (lower quality, sorry) of the EF3 tornado I captured close-range on May 26th in Mountain View, MO—my best & favorite chase of the trip.
- From here on, you'll see me in any stream we do this year. I followed along with all streams Ryan did while I was out and I know there was a lot more I could've contributed; but, all the same, I am proud of the growth of Ryan's confidence, analysis skill and capability to maintain the utility of his broadcast by distributing lifesaving information with the resources available to him. I tried to assist in several manners during the important streams between May 21–26, including forwarding radar analysis to Elijah on the 21st; radioing in plans during my chases on the 25th and 26th; and being the first to report an ongoing tornado to the NWS and Ryan in a radar hole in southern Missouri—really important information.
- Some statistics: In all, I personally forecasted, traveled to and visually observed 9 tornadoes in the one week period May 19–26: 4 in Oklahoma, 2 in Iowa and 3 in Missouri. The strongest of these was the Greenfield, IA EF4, followed by the Carbon, IA EF3 and the Mountain View, MO EF3. I was within range of a total of 16 tornadoes as confirm-warned and surveyed by the NWS. I was in three particularly dangerous situation (PDS) tornado watches, one PDS severe thunderstorm watch, four PDS tornado warnings and one tornado emergency warning. I also picked up tennis ball-sized hail, new largest hailstone for me!
- The most important part of the trip for me was in Greenfield, Iowa—deploying in the disaster relief body you guys know as the Y'all Squad 501(c)(3). I have never been a part of something so direct and down-to-earth as that Y'all Squad mission, but I decided to help out as much as I could because I arrived in Greenfield 20 minutes after the tornado tore through the southern to eastern side of the town, and witnessed for two hours the humanity of the situation. My chase partner Hunter (@hunterhurleywx) delivered search & rescue for that two hour period while I remained in the car and tried to help out with Ryan's stream. For reference, I am physically disabled, so I knew I would be a liability if I attempted to walk through the debris to get to people in need. I observed injured individuals being taken on stretchers, children running down streets without shoes on, and incredibly thick natural gas odor.
Thereafter, Hunter and I teamed up with Caleb (@calebbeachamwx) the following two days to serve over 1,300 meals in the town to residents and responders. In that time, I talked to numerous people who stopped by our tent. I ended up asking one family how they were doing, and in that moment I met Lisa, whose house was destroyed along SE 2nd St. I personally had the privilege to hear her story and have a conversation with her about the entire scenario, as well as ask if she was ok with an interview the following morning. Because I went up and talked to Lisa, and asked her that first question about how she was doing, we were able to donate $30,000 from the Y'all Squad to her recovery efforts. I will never forget her and her family.
I also got to meet quite a few people who were familiar with Ryan! That was heartwarming, and some of them even knew me too. I'm ever grateful that I bore the pain to work for 12+ hours on my feet to meet and serve the town of Greenfield.
- Severe burnout after a week-long continuous effort like that is real, but I'm ok. I have not stopped talking about all of the things I saw and learned, and that has greatly helped me avoid any negative emotional response to everything I witnessed.
It's easier for anyone to watch ten thousand tornadoes occur over years of radar analysis than it is to observe the destruction firsthand as it happens of just one strong tornado; so, even though I felt upset that I was not able to help strengthen Ryan's coverage of these storms as much as I would've been able to at home, I have found that absorbing this new point of view through personal experience will reinforce all of my future missions in covering severe weather live for y'all.
Meteorologist Andy Hill
**Long post:** I'm back from storm chasing vacation :) Tons of mixed emotions and new perspectives gained from this trip that I will hold with me for the rest of my life. Below are 4 video still frames (lower quality, sorry) of the EF3 tornado I captured close-range on May 26th in Mountain View, MO—my best & favorite chase of the trip.
- From here on, you'll see me in any stream we do this year. I followed along with all streams Ryan did while I was out and I know there was a lot more I could've contributed; but, all the same, I am proud of the growth of Ryan's confidence, analysis skill and capability to maintain the utility of his broadcast by distributing lifesaving information with the resources available to him. I tried to assist in several manners during the important streams between May 21–26, including forwarding radar analysis to Elijah on the 21st; radioing in plans during my chases on the 25th and 26th; and being the first to report an ongoing tornado to the NWS and Ryan in a radar hole in southern Missouri—really important information.
- Some statistics: In all, I personally forecasted, traveled to and visually observed 9 tornadoes in the one week period May 19–26: 4 in Oklahoma, 2 in Iowa and 3 in Missouri. The strongest of these was the Greenfield, IA EF4, followed by the Carbon, IA EF3 and the Mountain View, MO EF3. I was within range of a total of 16 tornadoes as confirm-warned and surveyed by the NWS. I was in three particularly dangerous situation (PDS) tornado watches, one PDS severe thunderstorm watch, four PDS tornado warnings and one tornado emergency warning. I also picked up tennis ball-sized hail, new largest hailstone for me!
- The most important part of the trip for me was in Greenfield, Iowa—deploying in the disaster relief body you guys know as the Y'all Squad 501(c)(3). I have never been a part of something so direct and down-to-earth as that Y'all Squad mission, but I decided to help out as much as I could because I arrived in Greenfield 20 minutes after the tornado tore through the southern to eastern side of the town, and witnessed for two hours the humanity of the situation. My chase partner Hunter (@hunterhurleywx) delivered search & rescue for that two hour period while I remained in the car and tried to help out with Ryan's stream. For reference, I am physically disabled, so I knew I would be a liability if I attempted to walk through the debris to get to people in need. I observed injured individuals being taken on stretchers, children running down streets without shoes on, and incredibly thick natural gas odor.
Thereafter, Hunter and I teamed up with Caleb (@calebbeachamwx) the following two days to serve over 1,300 meals in the town to residents and responders. In that time, I talked to numerous people who stopped by our tent. I ended up asking one family how they were doing, and in that moment I met Lisa, whose house was destroyed along SE 2nd St. I personally had the privilege to hear her story and have a conversation with her about the entire scenario, as well as ask if she was ok with an interview the following morning. Because I went up and talked to Lisa, and asked her that first question about how she was doing, we were able to donate $30,000 from the Y'all Squad to her recovery efforts. I will never forget her and her family.
I also got to meet quite a few people who were familiar with Ryan! That was heartwarming, and some of them even knew me too. I'm ever grateful that I bore the pain to work for 12+ hours on my feet to meet and serve the town of Greenfield.
- Severe burnout after a week-long continuous effort like that is real, but I'm ok. I have not stopped talking about all of the things I saw and learned, and that has greatly helped me avoid any negative emotional response to everything I witnessed.
It's easier for anyone to watch ten thousand tornadoes occur over years of radar analysis than it is to observe the destruction firsthand as it happens of just one strong tornado; so, even though I felt upset that I was not able to help strengthen Ryan's coverage of these storms as much as I would've been able to at home, I have found that absorbing this new point of view through personal experience will reinforce all of my future missions in covering severe weather live for y'all.
1 year ago | [YT] | 3,719