About me / Contact infomation.

A little about me:

My name is Rebecca,  I'm 27 and an avid severe weather enthusiast, and  have an enormous passion for meteorology. But I love anything that has to do with science or math.

I saw my first tornado when I was five or six... that's all it took to hook me...I had the severe weather bug.. since then I've read everything I could get my hands on about the subject of weather and tornadoes (books and papers).   

In college I worked with professors, students, and meteorologist  in the field. where I was able experience what the science of meteorology is all about; this  taught me invaluable forecasting techniques, about atmospheric dynamics, and how to read the sky.

 

 I've chased hundreds of storms across the Plains, Midwest, Ohio Valley, and Dixie Alley. I've been asked why do I chase tornadoes and severe weather. The answer I gave was: when you can experience a severe weather event up close and personal, there are no words that can describe the feeling of exuberance and ecstasy on one hand, or the feeling of insignificance and smallness on the other hand.    Being close to a tornado is one of the most extraordinary transitory moments a person can experience in this lifetime.  No matter how many times I've seen one;  I've never lost the wonder of it all, it often takes a few moments to take in.  The sight, sound, vibration under your feet , and smell in the air is something  I will never forget.  Each storm/tornado has a personally that is one of a kind....   

 But storm chasing is not for the uneducated... Anyone reading this I strongly encourage you to contact your local National Weather Service field office and schedule and go through a spotter training class, where you will learn the basics of what storms look like. Besides that learn everything you can about reading storm structure is very important.

Life on the road is not like what the movies portray; it's a lot of hard work, long hours, and lack of sleep.

your day starts out looking at models, soundings, and other weather data....then you drive a long ways to get to where you hope the storms will be (If your forecasting was very good and nature is being very kind, you may see something)....then you go to a motel,  grab something to eat., then look over weather data again, then go to bed.... Only to do it all over again the next day.  

Storm chasing isn't just about tornadoes, it's about hail, wind, cloud formations, working with a small team, and seeing and talking to fascinating people in the areas you pass though.

The reason I started this page was because I saw people needed to be educated about the world of weather going on around them all the time..... People are the weak link in the weather warning process. This page and my companion face book weather page are here to provide information and a little education to make everyone more weather-aware. with this knowledge they will have the knowledge to make better informed decisions, that will take them and their loved ones out of harm's way.

 

You can contact me at rladd25@gmail.com