Floris GiermanPodcast Host, Author, Running Coach, Co-Founder Path Projects

Storm Chasing in Tornado Alley - EF-2 Tornadoes in Colorado

Name: Storm Chasing in Tornado Alley - EF-2 Tornadoes in Colorado
Uploaded: 2011-02-09T08:12:38+00:00
Duration: 3 min 17 s
Channel: Floris Gierman
Description: The video captures a live storm‑chasing mission in the southwest corner of Kansas during a severe thunderstorm outbreak. It opens with an official severe…

9 Feb 2011 · 3 min

Watch on YouTube

3:17

The video captures a live storm‑chasing mission in the southwest corner of Kansas during a severe thunderstorm outbreak. It opens with an official severe thunderstorm warning and safety instructions, then follows the chase team as they race toward a rotating isolated supercell that has issued a tornado warning. The crew narrates the sighting of funnel clouds, a tornado (referred to as "Tornado number 2"), and massive baseball‑sized hail. The tornado approaches the vehicle, prompting frantic commands to maneuver and protect the crew. The chase concludes with a detailed damage assessment of their armored van: multiple windshield punctures from hail, dents to the fender and tail, a shattered TV antenna, and a busted rotator. Despite the damage, the team declares the day a success, reflecting on the excitement and the effectiveness of their armored vehicle.

Chapters

Severe thunderstorms produce damaging wind in excess of 60 miles per hour, destructive hail, deadly lightning, and very heavy rain. For your protection, move to an interior room on the lowest floor of your home or business. Heavy rain squall drones quickly, so do not drive into areas where water covers the road. Repeating, a severe thunderstorm warning has been issued. We're heading to, um, southwest corner of Kansas. There's a rotating isolated supercell, tornado warning with metzo. We're trying to get there as fast as we can. Rotating funnel cloud, funnel cloud, funnel cloud coming down. Holy shit! On the ground, put it He is beautiful. Let's go, fire! Let's get closer to this bad boy. That was fucking bright as shit, man. Look at that! Coming straight at us. Tornado number 2! Easy, cows, watch out, tornado coming your way. Hell is bigger than baseballs now. Big time. Slow her down, slow her down, slow her down! Stop! Stop! Windshield down, windshield down! Oh my God, you're right in the same spot. I'm talking about facing that way because— Okay, do that, do that, do that! Hurry, hurry, hurry! Just take a And it's right on top of us. We gotta get the fuck out of here. Storm. Whoa, it's gonna get dirty. Whoa, that was right there. Damage today is the parts of the van that are unprotected by the armor, namely the windshield. The windshield sustained probably 7 or 8 direct hits from baseball hail. We have an actual puncture to the— a really big, big dent here in the fender. Several dents right here. Puncture to the tail. The baseball-sized hailstone hole right there. The TV antenna shattered. Rotator busted. That's about it. A lot of damage. We did it. It was a good day. Very good day. And the truck's armored enough to where we survived. We'll give it a shot. Oh, we're halfway there. Oh, friends to new friends. New friends.