Good crowd attends first storm spotters meeting
Every time Chance Hayes conducts a storm spotter meeting one question inevitable comes up:
What kind of year is it going to be for tornadoes?
This year, the warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Wichita thinks it is going to be a busy year.
"Last year 43 tornadoes were reported in our warning area alone," Hayes said, noting the Wichita branch of the NWS covers 26 counties.
"But if you've got one big one that's what everybody is going to remember," he said. "I feel we're due. I don't know when or where it's going to hit."
Hayes visited with approximately 65 Marion County law enforcement officers, firefighters, storm spotters, other emergency workers and interested county residents during storm spotter training Monday night in the Hillsboro City Building.
Hayes used a powerpoint presentation of video clips and slides showing the gamut of foul weather which attacks Kansas in a single spring and summer storm season.
"Communication is the key," Hayes said, noting trained weather spotter reports were important in the timely issuing of warnings.
Hayes said people should take reports of Doppler radar indicated storms seriously, whether they come from the NWS or from TV reports. But the most accurate information comes from trained weather spotters.
"The radar we have is much stronger than what the TV guys have," Hayes said. "But if you hear a trained spotter reports 'a tornado on the ground five miles southwest of Hillsboro heading northeast,' you're going to take action."
Hayes said radar doesn't see individual tornadoes, the radar can only see huge cells known as mesocyclones. The weather service relies on spotters to determine when a funnel or tornado is developing from a mesocyclone.
"The radar may not show anything is happening, but the environment and the spotter might see something," he said.
Hayes said the reports of "trained" weather spotters were important for the accuracy of warnings. Of the 43 tornadoes reported in the coverage area of the Wichita NWS only one was an F1, capable of causing significant damage.
"The other 42 were F zeros, which makes me wonder if they were really tornadoes or not," Hayes said. "It was a dry year last year. I wonder if a lot of that wasn't blowing dust rather than actual tornadoes.
Hayes said that number seemed "awfully high" considering the lack of damage.
That same situation may have occurred statewide, Hayes said, since 90 tornadoes were reported overall.
"Usually we have around 55," he said.
Hayes told those attending their jobs were to report what they see, not chase. He noted the public desire to sightsee during tornado warnings could lead to disaster.
The meteorologist noted that last year he was scheduled to conduct a storm spotter meeting in McPherson county, but it was cancelled due to severe storms. Hearing that storms were moving into Marion County, Hayes said he decided to go out as a storm spotter and followed U.S.-56 into Marion County.
"Along the side of the highway there was 50 or so cars parked with people sitting on the hoods watching the storm," Hayes said.
Not only were those sightseers at risk of getting hit by lightning, they were also at risk of being struck by driver's who are "rubbernecking." In other words, watching the sky, rather than watching the road.
For those interested in monitoring the weather on a daily basis, the Wichita NWS has a web site which shows current watches or warnings. The web site is www.crh.noaa.gov/ict.
During a break in Hayes' presentation, Ken Armbrust of McPherson, disaster chairman with the Sunflower Chapter of the American Red Cross, talked about being prepared in case of disaster.
Armbrust said people tend to believe they will be able to get to the grocery store or whereever even in the event of a disaster. However, the Hoisington tornado several years ago was a good example of why it's important to stock supplies — and have them readily accessible — before the storm.
