Discovery Channel: Storm Chasers

Greetings from IMAX Filmmaker Sean Casey!

I'm licking my wounds from a this last chase season, and it's going to take a good amount of licking.

I'm in the process of fixing TIV2 with a fellow who builds class one vehicles for the Baja 1000.  We are also going to be building a TIV3. Yeah, I know, just when you thought the world didn't need another TIV.
I'd put a picture up of TIV3 but it's top secret right now,  I don't know why it's "top secret", but it sounds good.  TOP SECRET! Sounds like we know more than we actually do.  Guess that's why the Government has so many top secret programs.

Also trying to get funding for the Imax film. It's hard for me to ask "Hi. I need a million dollars, can I have it and give you 20% of an Imax film?" I want  to be finished in a year from now and then start a tornado
intercept tour company. Maybe I should auction a seat in the TIVs for next year on Ebay.  But then we'd have to deal with a client and I don't know think our SOP is in line with someone who is adverse to peeing in a water bottle.  And that client is probable going to be older and have some money, with my luck it'll be John McCain.  He'll get excited and have a heart attack and then we'll be faced with the question, "Do we stop the chase?"  The answer will be "no" and then we'll have some explaining to do a week latter when we drop off our client at the local morgue. Maybe we'll just sell TIV t-shirts

Besides all that, getting a little tired of Los Angeles, time I think to move a bit north...have gone on three fishing trips since chasing.  Caught 5 Yellow Tail, 4 Yellow Fin Tuna, and an assortment of Skip Jack, Sierra, Cabrillo, and Trigger fish.

I'm making fish tonight for friends and hoping I don't poison anyone.

Besides all that, I'm raising my beautiful family and trying to figure out what is eating all of my tomatoes.

Sean Casey

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Sean is making appearance on Extra today (Thursday!) and will be on a few other programs like Insider so keep a look out!

B

Remember, Storm Chasers at 10pm on Discovery Channel this Sunday!
tellallyourfriends.

Message from Ronan, TIV Driver

This past season was quite a ride. We had our share of problems, but in the end, I had a complete blast. Added almost 18,000 miles to my chase mileage. Saw more than my average number of tornadoes, yet my total number is still a guess.

Besides the actual chase action, I had the opportunity to meet and speak with so many people. Driving around in a street legal tank is one way to get a conversation started! Everyone asks if I ever get sick of people asking about it, and the honest answer is no. I love the interaction, and when we actually have time to stop and talk, I get to learn about more than the weather.

There were many memorable moments, like getting over taken by a tornado, at night, with winds higher than our official rating! (You may wonder what committee rates TIV's, well, with the help of a debris cannon, we have come up with a certain threshold.)

For me, the most frightening moment did not involve chasing. On a ferry day, an older couple, going the wrong way on the highway, caused a head on collision that occurred right next to us. The sound of two vehicles crushing next to you is something that will send a chill up your spine! Josh did come research for me and found that everyone survived!

Whenever I start the season, I think it will last forever, but in the end, it flies by. When it's over, I start counting the days until the next season begins, but at least for a moment, I get to enjoy staying in one place for longer than a night! Honestly, I love the nomadic life style chasing affords me, but after 2 months, it's nice to sit still for more than one day straight.

Back in New York, I continue my work as a producer, looking for new TV shows and working on a variety of projects on any given day. Once in a while, I go check out the series while it's in post and watch an occasional edit . But for the most part, once the production wraps, I don't start working one the show again until the next season gets closer. Making this show was an idea I had from the first year I went out, 2000, as I always thought there would be an audience. I hope everyone enjoys it!

I cannot wait to see the series start, giving me a chance to re-live some of the moments we experienced!

Ronan
TIV Driver
KC2LHD

Show Poster!

Hello again!

Byron here. It feels like forever since the last chase, and yet, when watching the commercials or seeing pictures of billboards in NY or hearing about movie trailers(!?!?) starring TIV2 all those memories rush back as if they happened yesterday.

It's that time of the year again. That time when I get random text messages from friends, "I just saw you in a commercial with that tank!" Then of course, while working at home I keep the TV tuned to Discovery Channel to see how many times I can catch our commercial, and to catch the split second of face time I get.

I try to enjoy this part, I admit it. Part of it is because I never planned on being in front of the camera, but the bigger part is that I am really excited about this season. Lot's of crazy stuff happened and a lot of very hard working people were involved in front and behind the cameras. Imagine that term paper you stayed up for a whole week writing being read to the whole class and everyone telling you how cool that tank was afterwards. I mean term paper. So, I am very eager to see the show and enjoy all the excitement of the chase season from the safety of my living room.

If you haven't seen the updated main page, GO LOOK AT IT NOW. Link is somewhere on the right side of this blog. Amazing new stuff, a cool chase game, pictures, and MORE.

Reflecting back, this year was a tough one all around. When things were not going well it was really tough, and when things were going well it was a lot of work to keep up with the weather. I had a weekend of relaxation after returning home before my body gave out. Viral throat infection, in non-doctor-speak, and it put me down for a whole week. I have since recovered and spent time with family and friends whom I missed while away, and resumed work freelancing. I've also picked up ice hockey again and am trying to talk someone into putting clips of me scoring goals into the show. I know at least one person who may or may not be writing this blog that would love to see that.

Watching the new episodes of Storm Chasers is likely going to bring back a lot of memories. I may take to driving around town wearing my helmet and wake up in the middle of the night yelling, "CLAWS GOING DOWN!" You know, nothing unusual just a few little quirks to work out again.

So, the new season of Storm Chasers airs October 19th (a Sunday) at 10PM. Between then and now I will have a couple of Team TIV return blogs from Ronan and Sean so keep checking back. For now, here's a list of chaser terms from Scout Navigator and ace meteorologist Danny Cheresnick. They'll help those of you unfamiliar understand a little more of the chaos of the chase.

Supercell - A rotating thunderstorm.  Supercells are the type of storm which most commonly produces tornados.

 

Mesocyclone - A rotation within the updraft of a thunderstorm.  It is a broad rotation from which a more intense local rotation develops, which is where a tornado can form.

 

Wall Cloud - An area of the cloud base which is lower than the rest of the base.  Wall clouds can be rotating or non-rotating. Non-rotating wall clouds can be a sign of outflow.  A rotating wall cloud is an area of a contracted rotation connected to a mesocyclone. It can be a precursor to a funnel cloud or tornado.

 

Tornado - A tight rotation connecting between the base of a cloud and the groun.  It is not always visible with condensation or dust and a debris.  The side of the tornado is also not clear just by looking at a tornado.  The core flow of the winds can be wider or narrower than the width of the condensation funnel or debris cloud.

 

Rear flank downdraft (RFD) - A region of dry descending air on the back side of a supercell.  Its also known as a clear slot because of the appearance, commonly a clear erosion into the base of the supercell.  The development of an RFD frequently occurs before the development of a wall cloud and possible tornado.

Core - The area of a storm with the heaviest precipitation, and where the largest hail is located.  typically to the northeast of the area where a tornado could be.  Not a good location to see anything, hard to drive in, and frequently in the path of the tornado.

 

EF-Scale - The Enhanced Fujita Scale is a method for rating the strength of tornadoes.  It is based upon the damage done by a tornado, and the expected wind speed to cause this damage.  Full details can be found here: http://www.spc.noaa.gov/efscale/

Thanks for reading! Oct 19th!

B

coming soon...

With the new season of Storm Chasers premiering Oct 19th at 10pm on the Discovery Channel, expect a little hello from the TIV guys, Sean Ronan and me, Byron. I'll be posting periodically so check back this week for something exciting!

B