Tornado Scientists Butt Heads With Storm Chasers 402
An anonymous reader writes "Tornado researchers say amateurs — inspired by movies like Twister and shows like Storm Chasers — are getting in their way, hampering science and creating hazards. 'Hundreds of camera-toting amateurs in cars ended up chasing the same storms as a fleet of scientific vehicles during the high-profile research project, called Vortex2, which wrapped up data collection this week. At times the line of traffic caused the Midwestern roads to look like the freeways of Los Angeles, said Roger Wakimoto, director of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, during a briefing for reporters this week. "I worry about this as a safety hazard," Mr. Wakimoto said. "These people were blocking our escape routes because of the sheer number of cars."' Storm chasers say they have as much right to watch storms as Ph.D.s."
It's a whirlwind... (Score:1, Funny)
...of controversy.
Freudian Slip? (Score:1, Funny)
For some reason I misread the title as Tornado Scientists Butthurt About Storm Chasers. I can't imagine why.
Bullshit! (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Big fucking deal. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Big fucking deal. (Score:5, Funny)
The problem is not the chaser chasers... (Score:5, Funny)
It's Oklahoma (Score:4, Funny)
They're pretty sure all that science stuff is an elitist, commie, atheist plot to steal their vital bodily fluids and turn them all gay.
Re:Idiots (Score:1, Funny)
dey took errr steerrrrmssss!!!!!
Re:Big fucking deal. (Score:5, Funny)
Missing punctuation (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Storm chasers say they have as much right to wa (Score:3, Funny)
I'm amazed we haven't had a fail of epic proportions yet where a storm changes directions and sucks up a bunch of them.
Now that would be some good TV!
In Soviet Russia, storm chases you
New Front-Bumper Sticker (reversed mirror text) (Score:1, Funny)
"...is it ethical or even morally right to get in the way of real scientists?"
That inspires me. I'm putting a new, giant mirror-reversed-text bumper sticker on the front of my storm chasing vehicle: "Get Out of My Way--I'm a Scientist!"
Re:Big fucking deal. (Score:3, Funny)
How much torque can you get from a state-of-the-art rank armature?
Re:Big fucking deal. (Score:3, Funny)
From the news reports, it is clear that tornadoes actually swerve towards trailer parks... I'm still waiting for the scientists to explain this phenomenom.
When large numbers of beer bellies accumulate in a relatively small area, their sheer mass induces a gravitational anomaly that attracts inclement weather.
Re:Storm chasers say they have as much right to wa (Score:3, Funny)
Even if it does get them killed, every last one of the bunch stuck in traffic went there knowing they could get blocked in by other people. Who says the PhD types couldn't contribute to some amateurs getting killed? There's a storm that can put a toothpick through an oak tree: everyone running towards it is responsible for their own consequences.
Well, clearly the PHD's just need to call "dibs" on the tornados, blocking the "amateurs" from chasing.
They should call "shotgun". And if the amateurs get in the way, they can always use that shotgun.