Track Tornadoes with Ten Minute Delay

Each year in the United States, thousands of tornadoes touch down causing millions of dollars in damage, injuries and even death to those who are unfortunate enough to be caught in the destructive path of these tornadoes. Tornadoes are one of the most powerful forces of nature. Dr. Perry Samson, a professor in the Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences at The University of Michiganand confirme tornado chaser, has established a new website that offers a real-time picture of where tornadoes have hit.

Track Tornadoes Online
Dr. Samson's website, tornadopaths.org lets users zoom in to specific locations or zoom out and see tornado activity across the entire country with the information updated every 10 minutes throughout the day. By entering a zip code in the field provided, users can see the history of every recorded tornado for their area. By clicking on the tornado icons on the map, users can see the strength and date of each tornado, as well as the distance it traveled before dissipating. Recorded injuries and fatalities are also listed for each tornado.

Although the tornado data at tornadopaths.org is provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) overlaid on satellite maps provided by Google Maps and Google Earth, Dr. Samson also leads University of Michigan meteorology students on a more direct tornado observation. In fact, he has just returned from leading a group of university juniors on a field study of tornadoes.

Chasing Tornadoes
Dr. Samson and his students journeyed to an active tornado region in Kansas to observe and study tornadoes first-hand. Using the best available data from a variety of sources, the students raced to place instruments in the path of tornadoes as they occurred. The students then retreated a safe distance to wait until the tornado has passed to retrieve the instruments and collect the data. Other students followed the tornado and collected information from the back side of the storm. Once back to school, will use the data from the tornadoes as the basis for their senior year research. For Dr. Samson, safety is paramount. Indeed, tornado chasing, he says, "should not be taken lightly or considered a spectator sport," according to the University of Michigan site. Dr. Samson and his students have access to the very best data about the tornadoes as work, helping them to determine which areas are safe and which are not safe to perform their tornado studies.

By studying the winds around tornadoes, Dr. Samson and his students hope to learn more about the way in which tornadoes form. In addition to tornadopaths.org, Dr. Samson presents a podcast, Tornado Chasing, at The University of Michigan website.

Sources:
University of Michigan, Tornado Chasing.
University of Michigan, Web Site Shows Daily Tornadoes Across the Country. Newswise.