Many Meteorologists and proclaimed weather geeks originally became attracted to weather because of its shear power and the challenge of predicting when/where severe weather may occur.  I actually spent two weeks during college chasing storms in the Great Plains where I understood the importance of advanced notice for severe storms and more specifically tornadoes.   Furthermore, I got to see first hand the effects of those who were directly impacted by these powerful and sometimes devastating forces of nature. 

     This is where the importance of the Vortex 2 research team comes in to play. 

     Consisting of over 100 scientists and 40 support chase vehicles they have been in the mid-west for several weeks and will continue to chase until June 13th of this year.  They will again head out to hunt during 1 May - 15 June 2010.  The goal to answer these hard to answer questions...

• How, when, and why do tornadoes form? Why some are violent and long lasting while others are weak and short lived?
• What is the structure of tornadoes? How strong are the winds near the ground? How exactly do they do damage?
• How can we learn to forecast tornadoes better? Current warnings have an only 13 minute average lead time and a 70% false alarm rate. Can we make warnings more accurate? Can we warn 30, 45, 60 minutes ahead?

     Here is a link to the a website that has more in-depth information, pictures, and news regarding this project.  CLICK HERE!

     Also, the Weather Channels Mike Bettes is with the chase team and provides daily updates and more.   CLICK HERE for more information. 

~ Meteorologist Chris Naille