Speaker 1: 0:00

Hi, this is meteorologist Steve Pelletier and I am the weatherman. Happy 4th of July everyone. It's Independence Day, Friday. Weather situation across the northeast is turning out quite nice, from the mid-Atlantic all the way up into New England. As big area high pressure starts to build southward from the central northern Great Lakes, it's still a lot of heat and humidity across the southern states in the developing area of low pressure and possibility of some tropical disturbance around central and south Florida. We'll be watching that over the next several days as well.

Speaker 1: 0:28

Some locally severe thunderstorms work on through the region during the latter portion of Wednesday and Wednesday evening and also on Thursday evening as well. Some of those thunderstorms moving across northeastern Pennsylvania, the Poconos, northwestern New Jersey and New York, Fast moving and some locally heavy downpours. But they were extremely isolated and at this point it looks like we are getting into an improved weather situation that will last through a good balance of the next several days. Now a lot of folks you know when you have this severe weather. This is the time of severe weather across the nation in the central and western plain states. A lot of folks are always wary of severe thunderstorms because of the potential of tornadoes and straight-line winds along with some locally severe thunderstorms and fronts. A lot of folks have been doing a lot of research into that and I have information, or at least a little tidbit of information, that comes from a good friend, Jeff Morrison, who has been following weather for many, many years and also has been writing about weather and the people who investigate and also talk about weather for the last several days, and he's big as far as climatology is concerned. He really is quite interested in the trends of weather as well. But this is from Jeff Morrison and I asked him if I could share it with you and he wholeheartedly believed. Hopefully we can get him back on here on theweathermanpodcom sometime in the future. Jeff writes you have likely read about or seen video of storm chasers, those individuals who deliberately pursue severe weather phenomena, most often tornadoes and, of course, one of those straight line winds that I mentioned. Storm chasing is definitely phenomena, most often tornadoes and, of course, one of those straight line winds that I mentioned. Storm chasing is definitely not for the faint of heart and it is dangerous.

Speaker 1: 2:11

Now, why do people want to chase storms? Motives vary. Some do it for the real scientific investigation or for news or for media coverage. Others are in it for the adventure or just plain curiosity? In the mid-1950s, the first person to gain public recognition as a storm chaser was a gentleman named David Hoadley, who started chasing storms across North Dakota in 1956 and is considered the modern-day pioneer storm chaser. In fact, he was the editor of StormTrack magazine For the 25 years it was published, until 2002. Needless to say, Sports Illustrated did not have to worry about storm track competing for circulation. For a number of years I used to subscribe to another monthly classic storm data produced by the National Weather Service. Now most of that is online, so you can get a lot of that information online, but Jeff Morrison continues to write.

Speaker 1: 3:00

Before David Holey took up the chase, a small group of brave individuals in the 19th century set out to chase storms in a slightly different fashion than today. The group were generally naturalists and scientists and adventurers who pursued severe weather with their notebooks, barometers and, eventually, photography. One of the earliest and most notable of this group was William Charles Redfield, a self-caught meteorologist from New York. After the devastating Great September Gale of 1821, Redfield observed that trees along the storm's path had fallen in different directions. From this he made the groundbreaking insight that hurricanes were not straight, linear blasts of wind, but rather rotating cyclones. His method of examining damaged paths and gathering eyewitness accounts laid the foundation for later storm researchers. Now Jeff continues to write that by the mid-1800s, photography had become a viable but cumbersome tool.

Speaker 1: 3:56

Storm chasers began to document the aftermath of tornadoes and hurricanes with large cameras, glass plates, negatives and long exposure times. The photos, often taken hours or days after a storm, became essential in understanding storm structure, storm path and the resulting damage that occurred. One of the most striking examples was the February 1884 Enigma tornado outbreak an estimated 60 storms across 10 states, and this is back in 1884. A few surviving photograph images showed splintered trees, destroyed homes and twisted rails, conveying the destructive power of tornadoes in ways words could not convey Along. The earliest and most iconic tornado photographs is one taken of Garnet, Kansas, on April 26th 1884 by fruit farmer Albert Adams. The image is is shot from 14 miles away and is considered to be one of the first verifiable photographs of an active tornado. The image shows a slender, dark funnel snaking down from the clouds and it demonstrates the risk and dedication of these early storm chasers. Now, if you want to see that photograph, here's the link it's wwwkansasmemorygov. Forward slash, item forward slash 23681. Now it's https. Colon forward slash forward slash wwwkansasmemorygov. Forward slash. Item item slash 23681.

Speaker 1: 5:32

As more and more of these visual documentations became available, storm research began to take on a structured approach, thanks to people like John Park Finley, a signal corpse officer, who became the US Army's first tornado specialist. He tracked and analyzed tornado reports from across the country and created maps, organized field surveys to gather data, including eyewitness accounts and photographs. His landmark 1887 book, Tornadoes what they Are and how to Observe them, became the fundamental text at the time for the field of severe weather forecasting. Now you can get a reprint of this book. It's actually available on Amazon and again, the name is Tornadoes what they Are and how to Observe them, and the book is from 1887. You can get it on Amazon.

Speaker 1: 6:17

As mentioned, the legacy of these early storm chasers is significant. Their observations and photographs provide key data that challenge and then improve severe storm knowledge, along with offering visual narratives that captured the public's attention. While these 19th century storm chasers did not have today's technology or even motor vehicles and these horses and wagons, their commitment made them true pioneers, inspiring future generations of meteorologists, local emergency planners and, eventually, today's storm chasers who follow tornadoes across the Great Plains. Thanks so much, Jeff, for that information that a very, very striking story about how storm chasers actually started and go back into the 1800s and some good information for us to follow up on. Other things we can follow up on is the good weather for today, especially in the northeast, as high temperatures reach the mid 80s. Tonight is going to be fair and dry, for the Rockets red glare and it looks like great weather once again during the daytime on Saturday, but warmer, upper 80s and near 90 degrees on Sunday. I'm meteorologist Steve Pelletieri. Hope you have a great 4th of July. Talk to you first thing on Saturday. Take care.