Storm-chasing KU doctoral student spends spare time tracking tornadoes

LAWRENCE -- Chances are, Jay Antle has witnessed the tornado long before the sirens are sounded.

Antle, a doctoral student in environmental history at the University of Kansas and assistant professor of history at Johnson County Community College, spends his spare time chasing storms from Texas to the Dakotas. He'll continue chasing storms throughout the Midwest with four colleagues until the tornado season ends in July.

Most people think storm chasers such as Antle are crazy for putting themselves in harm's way, but he insists there is a method behind the madness.

"We often notify the National Weather Service about a storm or tornado before they know about it," he said. "If I have a sense that no one is out there watching the storm, then I'll give them a call."

According to the National Weather Service, an average of 800 to 1,000 tornadoes are reported each year. Those numbers keep increasing, not necessarily because there is more storm activity but because more and more people are becoming storm spotters and chasers.

While Antle said he wouldn't deny anyone the experience of chasing a storm, he also wants beginning chasers to realize there is more to the job than just jumping in a car and following dark clouds.

"If you don't know about storms and storm structure, you shouldn't become a chaser -- all you are going to do is endanger yourself and others," he said.

Instead, Antle recommends that anyone interested in chasing storms start off at the county level as a storm spotter trained by local officials.

Beyond that, he suggests that people interested in chasing storms take advantage of the many resources available to them online to help sharpen their weather forecasting skills.

Indeed, Antle said he spends far more time predicting and tracking storms than he does actually chasing them.

"The movies would suggest it's all action all the time, but that certainly is not the case," he said. "You get to know certain truck stops really well."

Unfortunately, many of the people trying their hand at storm chasing may be in it for the wrong reasons -- big storms can translate into big bucks. Network news programs sometimes pay out hundreds of dollars for dramatic video footage of a tornado.

Antle's motivations for storm chasing, however, don't include the money, he said. Instead, he uses storm chasing as an opportunity to meet people and see the plains.

When he does encounter a tornado, he's often too busy filming to even wonder whether the footage will fetch a high sum.

"You're on autopilot," he said. "You know how to react and stay safe, but at the back of your mind you're saying: 'I don't believe this.' You're fixed on getting the best shot, you're hoping that someone is calling it into the National Weather Service and that no one is being hurt by it.œ

The most powerful tornado he has witnessed was in central Nebraska. That tornado was an F-4 on the Fujita Tornado Damage scale, which means it had winds up to 260 mph.

"It destroyed a farm house, but thankfully the family was in the basement and no one was hurt," he said.

Antle has been chasing storms for seven years now, but his passion for tracking and forecasting severe weather started when he was just a little boy.

"My father was a meteorologist in the Navy, so I inherited some of that 'family sickness' from my dad," he said.

While other fathers and sons were out playing catch, Antle and his dad were busy comparing notes on weather patterns.

Although he is not a meteorologist by trade, Antle has managed to incorporate his passion for severe weather with his studies at KU. His doctoral research focuses on how severe weather has shaped the plains identity, ranging from the mention of tornadoes in folklore to their popularity as mascots for high school teams.

What he is discovering is that there is a rich tradition in this area of people who are fascinated and mesmerized by the destructive force of nature.

And somehow, through the hail storms, sirens, strong winds and ominous skies, Antle remains in awe of the natural beauty that can be found even in something as devastating as a tornado.

"There's something comforting -- at least to me -- about being in the presence of raw, violent nature and coming face to face with something humans will never be able to tame," he said. "It just puts things in perspective."