Storm chasing is broadly defined as the deliberate pursuit of any severe weather phenomenon, regardless of motive, but most commonly for curiosity, adventure, scientific investigation, or for news or media coverage. A person who chases storms is known as a storm chaser or simply a chaser.
NSSL mobile mesonet vehicles on the first VORTEX project (which operated in the seasons of 1994 – 1995), equipped with surface measurement equipment.
Top of a NSSL chase vehicle showing air conditioning unit, compass, and Global Positioning System.
An armored "Tornado Intercept Vehicle" used to film inside a tornado with an IMAX camera, and featured in the Discovery Channel series, Storm Chasers.
An SRV, a.k.a. "The Dominator", featured in the Discovery Channel series, Storm Chasers.
Severe weather is any dangerous meteorological phenomenon with the potential to cause damage, serious social disruption, or loss of human life. Types of severe weather phenomena vary, depending on the latitude, altitude, topography, and atmospheric conditions. High winds, hail, excessive precipitation, and wildfires are forms and effects of severe weather, as are thunderstorms, downbursts, tornadoes, waterspouts, tropical cyclones, and extratropical cyclones. Regional and seasonal severe weather phenomena include blizzards (snowstorms), ice storms, and duststorms.
Various forms of severe weather
Panorama of a strong shelf cloud, which can precede the onset of high winds
The F5 tornado that struck Elie, Manitoba, Canada, in 2007
Formation of numerous waterspouts in the Great Lakes region
