Storm hunters face 'scary' parameters for Tuesday's chase in Tornado Alley
Digital Reporter
Tuesday, June 3, 2014, 8:47 AM - Weather Network storm chasers Mark Robinson and Jaclyn Whittal have spent the past several weeks in Tornado Alley.
Despite some frightening moments, including a damaging hail storm in Texas, this year's storm chase has played out dramatically different than the one in 2013.
DAMAGING STORM: Tennis ball-sized hail smashes storm chasers windshield in Texas .
The risk for severe storms has been there, but has remained much more isolated than last year's deadly tornado outbreak.
"Could June 3 be the date I always remember when thinking of 2014?," says Whittal. "Possibly. All models are still suggesting that parameters are "scary."'
According to weather.com, a significant outbreak of severe weather is expected Tuesday and Wednesday across a broad swath of the Midwest.
"Over 35 million Americans are in the risk zone," says weather.com. "While only a tiny fraction of those 35 million people will experience a tornado, a much larger number of people may experience the effects of damaging winds."
There's a risk for tornadoes across parts of the Central Plains Tuesday, "and conditions are looking favorable for the potential development of a derecho -- a long-lived squall line with widespread damaging winds covering a path of several hundred miles -- Tuesday night or Wednesday, or potentially both," adds weather.com.
According to Whittal, every decision counts on a storm chasing day like this.
"Storms can initiate early and happen fast before we get to "real" full day time heating (that's not a great situation), also they could become blob-like merging together and become major rain makers, but not stay isolated," Whittal says. "For spinny storms you need discreet supercells to get rotation."
TUNE IN: Be sure to tune into The Weather Network on TV Tuesday as Robinson and Whittal track these dangerous storms.
STORMCHASERS: Please be responsible out there tomorrow and we will be also. Getting the perfect shot of a tornado is not worth your life!
— Jaclyn Whittal (@jwhittalTWN) June 3, 2014
