Since allergist William "Bill" Hark's home state of
Virginia offers
few storm-chasing opportunities, he spends summer vacations
in – you guessed it – Tornado Alley. Stretching
from central Texas
to Nebraska and
Iowa, Tornado Alley
is where tornadoes occur most frequently. Twisters
are spawned from the massive rotating thunderstorms
(supercells) created when warm, humid air from the
Gulf of Mexico meets the drier air coming from the
north and west.
Despite close calls, Hark says he has never felt that
he was in any real danger while chasing storms. Continuous
storm data is readily available on the internet, along
with computer models, satellite, and radar images.
Hark and fellow chasers pool their information, interpret
the data, and use forecasting skills honed from years
of chasing.
Armed only with cameras, Hark gets up closer than
most people to terrifying weather extremes. The payback?
Footage of ominous supercells, tornadoes, and unusual
cloud formations, some of which he sells to TV stations.
For all their destructive power, severe storms can
produce images of remarkable beauty. Declares Hark,
"Facing what Mother Nature can dish out is a rush."
Many of these photos can be seen on
his website.
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Article published on Aug 5 04
12:59AM.
Originally published in the
Spring 2003 issue of MedHunters Magazine.
