Strange Clouds WX

Let’s learn more about the weather, together.

This ain’t your grandma’s weather report

Join me on social media for a breakdown of past weather events. My goal is to change the minds of anyone who says weather is boring small talk, because it’s not!

By the time a tornado siren sounds, residents in the area have approximately 10 minutes or less to get to a safe space. So, what is the best use of that time? What does it mean when a tornado is “radar indicated” versus “confirmed”? Why do people even live in an area where an average of 1500 violent, convective monsters cut paths through each spring? What happens when warnings cease to be issued?

I aim to answer all of these questions and more. Have a tornado question? Submit it via the contact form.

As destructive as they are mesmorizing

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Read through some of my latest musings

Does Passion Need a PhD?

Storm Chaser Tim Samaras sprints back to his minivan after deploying a FITPR probe directly in the path of a tornado near Woonsocket, S.D. (photo by Carsten Peter of National Geographic) I am both an avid reader and a first-time college student at the age of 33 (currently 34). As my Spring semester has wound…
How The Limitations of Modern Technology Contribute To Tornado Death Tolls

It’s no secret that tornadoes are deadly. Between collapsing structures and flying debris, it can feel like a miracle that anyone could survive such a violent force of nature. But, what if the winds aren’t the only element to blame? Sure, even soil can be thrown with enough intensity to sandblast the hide off of…
What the hell happened near Hollister, Oklahoma on 4/30/24?

You don’t have to know a ton about tornadoes to know that the radar images from last night’s thankfully-very-rural tornado near Hollister, Oklahoma are unusual. I have seen a lot of mentions of this storm online from other weather nerds but, unfortunately, they all look similar to this: While this is great information, I don’t…
What is the cost of chasing storms?

Humans tend to have a strange fascination with things that scare us. Think about the traffic backed up on the interstate because everyone is slowing down and craning their necks to see the accident on the side of the road, or the thousands of daily visitors to subreddits like r/crazyvideos. We love to watch our…
What is a “discrete” storm and why do they matter?

If you’ve ever been watching the weather during a period of current or upcoming severe weather, you’ve likely heard your local meterologist use the phrase “discrete super cell,” so what does it mean? Can storms practice discretion? Should I go outside and whisper secrets to it? Most definitely not. My uneducated (ok, slightly educated due…
April 26th, 2024 – Midwest Tornado Outbreak

I’ll be adding more information to this soon but I wanted to make sure I had a place for these incredible hook echos that were seen on radar during the outbreak.