Storm chasing in Darwin
It's important to get one aspect clear first; storm chasing is more involved than what some might think! There's about half a dozen different descriptions of storm chasers, some do it for photography, some for a hobby, a select few do it professionally. Some call themselves chasers although they sit on their front porch and take photos from there. Some are researching and some are scientists or meteorologists gathering information. Many people are storm spotters for the weather services. These folk report on any hail, damaging wind etc from their location and report it back to the bureau. Needless to say there are some, unfortunately, who are reckless and make actual 'chasing' a headache simply because they don't care about other drivers, the safety of themselves or others and give actual storm chasers researching a bad name. Real storm chasing is about pre-planning, research, forecasting, initiating, intercepting, *core punching, following up and reporting. Sounds boring, but if you are serious these are the things you need to follow. Without the knowledge you'll be chasing very weak storms and missing the stronger ones and not learning anything and putting yourself and anyone with you in potential danger because you won't know what to look for if the storm gets nasty.
Storm chasing in the early days was done by meteorologists trying to get data on what they were seeing for future reference and forecasting. Today with technology and the internet anyone can call themselves a chaser, but in fact are not. They won't be able to tell you the difference between outflow or inflow, turkey necks or a bear's cage!
Driving 3 kilometres to a storm is not chasing. Driving 500+km that day or even the previous day to intercept an area where you know storms will form is chasing, but then while you're at it, writing down data to pass onto the weather services also is part of it. As a serious chaser you are the eyes for the weather services. You could be a spotter for them which represents a large group of people who don't travel long distances to report on storms, which is their function by the way, or you could be a chaser who does the miles.
I should add that some days especially in Darwin you may not have to drive that far to get to the storm, they normally get organized less than 100km from the city and it's all too easy to wait for them to come to you. I find that actually once I see the storms developing I'll head out to where they are and follow them in, roads permitting. That way you know you reached the right location, you observe the storm, take photos and then experience any microbursts, wind or possible hail, then turn around and follow the storm in outside the rain shaft area if possible.
* Core punching into the 'bear's cage' is highly dangerous. What I mean by this is that there's a bear inside this cage (storm centre) and it will eat you. In the US is should be avoided with supercells simply because if there's a tornado within the area of poor visibility, well you know what I'm on about. It's far too dangerous so avoid doing it. If there is a tornado on the other side it's a death wish. Experienced chasers will sometimes do it just to gather data on hail etc, but the majority of serious chasers will avoid the area considering the hidden dangers. Here in Australia it's much the same especially in New South Wales and Queensland where tornadoes are regular visitors. Here in the Northern Territory it's not a factor, but extremely heavy downpours and flash flooding are serious considerations when thinking about core punching. I don't encourage doing it and I only core punch when I want specific data and photos.
(NSSL photo)
It really depends on what you are after. All thunderstorms normally produce some sort of lightning, some produce more than others. What you might want to do is learn a little about storm structure to determine which storm will produce the most intense weather. Some storms don't even produce lightning but simply look well structured, but in essence are probably weaker cells.You may be after daytime lightning with strong rain shafts, billowing towers and anvils. You may be after shelf clouds accompanying the incoming storm. Lightning at night is probably the favorite simply due to the fact that you can see more and get a real appreciation for the power of these things.
Once you get your bearings there's so much area to cover that the only negative may be the lack of roads to get to where you want to end up...but the positives far out weigh the negatives.
Darwin's location is just about perfect for photography and storm chasing without the endless miles to drive. Because most storms initiate either from the southeast or south of the city and track northwest or northeast it's ideal to get set up and ready to photograph the lightning displays. If they move along the coastal fringes then you're in for some great lightning or structures also.
Vantage points of note around Darwin are along the coastline which is parallel to the city and northern suburbs, there's ample places with parks and gardens to park the car and set up the camera or just sit on the beach or park bench and watch the storms.
There's no hassles with where to park or where to find a vantage point because Darwin actually rests on a sloping rise of topography so when you look south from a high vantage point, even in some spots in the city, you're rewarded with a 180 degree view of the sea or rural area.
Further afield 'down the track' is Pine Creek, Jabiru and Katherine. These areas are in fact more likely to produce high lightning charged storms than Darwin. More lightning strikes are recorded to the south and south west of Darwin in these areas. These locations produce very large, long lived storms and if you plan right, leave early enough and wait you can be assured of some great action.
WHEN TO CHASE?
For six months of the 'winter' which is our dry season you will get nothing but blue skies and warm days. Come September to November is the transition period from dry season to wet season or what's commonly known here as the 'build up'. During these months the humidity rises from pre-season averages of + or -30% to an unbearable 80-100%. Add to that sunshine temperatures of around 34C and it's quite sticky! November right through to April is when we get the best storms and January/February/March are the most active storm months - at least they were in 2007!
Planning your chase will be the difference between wasting time and petrol and having a wonderful storm to photograph. Don't necessarily go for the darkest, angriest storm you see. It pays to observe cloud movement, structure, lightning frequency and take all of the meteorological conditions into account. You can get storms for sure, but if you want something that will last you really need to take your time and be patient!
Timing is also crucial. Leave too late and you'll miss the window of opportunity. Leave too early and you might be waiting a long time! This is why it's vital to learn a bit and in time you'll find out which ones are keepers and the ones that die out. The pulse type storms in Darwin have a lifespan of around 40 minutes depending on conditions both before and during maturity stages. Observation and knowing what to look for is the key. Without observation knowledge you might as well stay home because you may be disappointed chasing rubbish !
Storms have a particular maturing stage from start to finish. You may see a wonderfully structured storm, but is it in its infant, adolescent or mature period? Storms are living, breathing machines that can give you clues as to what they are doing or most likely to do. Knowing the latter is what makes you a good or bad at observing and deciding whether to chase..
Timing is also crucial. Leave too late and you'll miss the window of opportunity. Leave too early and you might be waiting a long time! This is why it's vital to learn a bit and in time you'll find out which ones are keepers and the ones that die out. The pulse type storms in Darwin have a lifespan of around 40 minutes depending on conditions both before and during maturity stages. Observation and knowing what to look for is the key. Without observation knowledge you might as well stay home because you may be disappointed chasing rubbish !
Storms have a particular maturing stage from start to finish. You may see a wonderfully structured storm, but is it in its infant, adolescent or mature period? Storms are living, breathing machines that can give you clues as to what they are doing or most likely to do. Knowing the latter is what makes you a good or bad at observing and deciding whether to chase..
AREAS TO CHASE.
For gulf line storms anywhere from Howards Springs, Humpty Doo and Lee Point Beach (bad for mozzies!) These storms swing in from the Gulf to our NE and come into Darwin in an arch to NE/SE to NW.
For afternoon pulse storms and severe storms anywhere south of Darwin right into the CBD and harbour. A lot of the squall lines track from the SE to the NW and Humpty Doo, Noonamah, Berry Springs and Bynoe Harbour receive a fair whack of these systems. Bynoe Harbour does have a sealed road in sections to it and it's really a destination if you're staying there overnight or longer. Bynoe Harbour is within two hours drive from Darwin, but flooded creeks may be encountered and could leave you stranded. All other destinations are within half an hour with fantastic open views for miles. Closer to the city is either the 'duck pond' - a wharf area for trawlers and gives spectacular views across the bay, the suburbs, city and rural areas - or the actual wharf area where the eatery is located.
In reality chasing for good storms is easy in Darwin as they virtually come to you. If you don't want to chase them as they move in, just stay where you are and pick a vantage point and wait. You won't be disappointed. On the other hand if you want to get the bigger storms with more substance, then watch the satellite photo loops, study the radar, check the soundings, GFS models and head for that area - it might only be 40 km down the track or it may be 400km, but you'll beat everyone else to the lightning or cloud structure formations. You can't photograph something if it's not happening now can you!
(map courtesy of Mymapshop.com)
For nighttime lightning shows you can't beat these areas: Darwin Harbour and wharf areas, Mindil Beach opposite the Skycity casino, Vestey's Beach, East Point Road and reserves, Nightcliff and Casuarina beach cliffs and Lee Point Beach areas. For storms over the rural area for some depth use the Duck Pond, East Arm area. These two places offer uninterrupted views and you can capture the scope of the storms better with back-lit lighting in the foreground or background from industrial and street lighting. There are a few areas down the track - like 200-300km down the track - that I have found some excellent vantage points, unfortunately I'm not giving them away!
Whatever you choose to photograph, whether it be storm clouds, rainbows, rain storms or lightning once you've moved around in Darwin for a few days you'll see where to point the camera, it's that simple. Question is, will you have enough space on your memory card? Enjoy.
STORM CHASING /LIGHTNING SAFETY
People may be of the view that storm chasing is like the movie 'Twister'. IT IS NOT! While some aspects of it are true, serious chasers don't go around carving through people's yards or making a nuisance of themselves. There are many dangers associated with storms such as lightning, severe winds, flash flooding so it pays to have that in the back of your mind when you go out. Determine which storm(s) you will chase, that way you'll know
Storm chasing sometimes isn't even going after big thunder / lightning ridden monsters either, even a weak thunderstorm can produce great structure, especially if its lit by evening sunsets or the sun's rays poking through displaying ice crystals. The storm may just be photogenic, so it's not always wham, bam and then moving on. You'll learn with experience and observation the great things about chasing and in time appreciate the time spent doing a bit of research, by doing this you'll get more satisfaction when you get to that 'right' spot and know you're in for a great show by knowing you've done the homework.
Personally , I love it when I get home and download the photos and congratulate myself on a job well done! It's all about satisfaction!
LIGHTNING CAN TRAVEL MANY MILES AND AVOID BEING IN THE AREAS CLOSE TO THE MAIN RAIN SHAFT AND UNDER THE ANVIL STAGE. BEING NEAR THE RAIN SHAFT IS THE AREA MOST PRONE FOR CG'S OR CLOUD TO GROUND STRIKES. MOVE TO ANOTHER AREA OR POSITION YOURSELF EITHER SIDE OF THE STORM AND NOT IN ITS PATH. ANVIL CRAWLER LIGHTNING WHILST SPECTACULAR IS PROBABLY THE WORST AREA TO BE IN, IF THE ANVIL IS OVER YOU, MOVE!
Don't think lightning will hit you under a tree? Standing under anything taller than yourself is akin to a magnet for lightning - there's no guarantee that you'll be a target, but you can bet that whatever is next to you is! Trees have a nasty habit of exploding due to the sap being flammable and because we're 80+% water, there's no guesses as to where the lightning will want to travel - once it's gone through the tree and looking for other avenues to ground itself. Here's the proof ! (photo by Johnny Autery)
Is lightning more dangerous if you are dry or wet clothed, rubber soled or barefoot?
Myth: Wearing rubber soled shoes lessens your chances of being killed or saved if struck.
TRUTH: Lightning can blow your shoes off you if the exit point is your feet and will leave a hole in your heel.
MYTH: Lightning still travels through you if you are wet clothed.
TRUTH: Lightning does and will pass over the outside of your body if you are wet. It's called flash-over. It has been tested and actually documented from a person struck by lightning who thought the strike passed through him, in reality only 5% of it did, the rest ran along the outside of him. (more on 'him' later!)
TRUTH If you are dry clothed the strike WILL pass through your body from head to toe.
The 30-30 Rule
Use the "30-30 Rule" to determine if there is a hazard of lightning in your vicinity.
30 Seconds
Count the seconds between seeing the lightning and hearing the thunder. If this time is 30 seconds or less, then the lightning is close enough to be a hazard. Seek shelter immediately.
30 Minutes
After seeing the last lightning flash (or hearing loud thunder), wait 30 minutes before leaving your shelter. More than one-half of lightning deaths occur after the thunderstorm has passed. Lightning is the first thunderstorm hazard to arrive and the last to leave an area.
More myths & truths!
MYTH: Cars are safe because the rubber tires insulate them from the ground.
MYTH: Cars are safe because the rubber tires insulate them from the ground.
(noaa photo)
TRUTH: Rubber tires provide no protection from lightning. Cars are safe because of their metal shell and steel frame. Convertibles are not safe.
MYTH: Lightning-strike victims are electrified and should not be touched.
TRUTH: Lightning-strike victims carry no residual electrical charge. It is perfectly safe to touch a lightning victim to give them first aid.
MYTH: If it is not raining, then there is no danger from lightning.
TRUTH: Lightning often strikes outside of the rain area to as much as 20 miles (even greater distances in exceptional situations).
MYTH: Heat lightning occurs after very hot summer days and poses no hazard.
TRUTH: Heat lightning is a term used to describe lightning from a thunderstorm too far away for the thunder to be heard. The lightning hazard increases as you move toward the storm and eventually the thunder will also be heard.
Some Lightning Facts
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- The air in a lightning strike is heated to 50,000 degrees F. It is this rapid heating of the air that produces the shock wave that results in thunder.
- A ground stroke can produce somewhere between 100 million to a 1 billion volts of electricity.
- The average peak current in a cloud-to-ground lightning stroke is 100,000 amperes.
- The estimated diameter of a lightning channel is about 1 inch.
- The length of an average cloud-to-ground channel can range from 2 to 10 miles.
- You can tell how far away a lightning stroke is by counting the seconds between seeing the lightning flash and hearing the thunder. Five (5) seconds approximates one (1) mile of distance.
- If you see a flash and instantly hear the thunder, the lightning stroke was very close. Take shelter immediately.
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For Outdoors
Appoint someone to watch the skies during your outdoor work or recreation. Check the latest thunderstorm forecast and monitor the NOAA /(Bureau of Meteorology website for Australian residents) Weather Radio.
Employ the 30-30 Rule.
When lightning is in your vicinity, go quickly inside a completely closed building. Do not consider carports, open garages, covered patios, or pavilions as adequate shelter.
If no closed building is convenient, get inside a hard-topped all-metal vehicle.
Do not take shelter under a tree, especially if it is tall and isolated.
If caught unprepared and away from adequate shelter, avoid being the tallest object in your immediate area. Do this quickly, especially if you feel your skin begin to tingle or your hair stand up on end. Crouch down on the balls of your feet out in the open (keeping twice as far away from the tallest object as it is high). Avoid crouching in groups; spread out several yards from one another.
Get out of the water. This includes pools, lakes, rivers, oceans, water rides, and even puddled water. Get off the beach.
Put down metal objects such as fishing poles, golf clubs, tennis rackets, tools. etc.
Dismount from tractors and heavy construction equipment. Do not seek shelter under the equipment.
Move away from metal objects such as metal fences, metal sheds, telephone and power lines, pipelines, etc.
If caught unprepared and away from adequate shelter, avoid being the tallest object in your immediate area. Do this quickly, especially if you feel your skin begin to tingle or your hair stand up on end. Crouch down on the balls of your feet out in the open (keeping twice as far away from the tallest object as it is high). Avoid crouching in groups; spread out several yards from one another.
Get out of the water. This includes pools, lakes, rivers, oceans, water rides, and even puddled water. Get off the beach.
Put down metal objects such as fishing poles, golf clubs, tennis rackets, tools. etc.
Dismount from tractors and heavy construction equipment. Do not seek shelter under the equipment.
Move away from metal objects such as metal fences, metal sheds, telephone and power lines, pipelines, etc.
For Indoors
Avoid contact with corded phones.
Avoid contact with electrical equipment or cords. If you plan to unplug any electrical equipment, do so before the storm arrives.
Avoid contact with plumbing. When thunderstorms are occurring, do not take a shower or bath, wash dishes, or do the laundry. Wait until after the storm.
Move away from windows and doors. Do not stay on the porch.
Lightning Strike Victims
Have someone call 000 in Australia or 911 in the USA immediately; get professional help on the way.
Determine if the victim is unconscious. Call out their name or gently shake them. If there is no response, check to see if they are breathing. Gently roll the victim onto their back.
If the victim is not breathing, you will need to perform CPR until the paramedics arrive. Use the American Heart Association's "ABCs of CPR" to guide you through the process.
1. Airway: clear obstructed airways.
2. Breathing: perform mouth-to-mouth.
3. Circulation: start chest compressions.
The above information courtesy of http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mlb/ghwo/lightning_rules.html#3030
The photo above was taken near my home in 2005/6 wet season and is a single pulse storm. Whilst it looks menacing, it produced no lightning at all! It displays a moderate updraft but is weak in structure shown by the anvil edges being 'fluffy' and not thick and crisp. You can see in the lower LH corner another storm)
WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN OBSERVING THUNDERSTORMS:
For an in-depth guide to thunderstorm and cloud observation go to http://www.australiasevereweather.com/techniques/index.html from experienced storm chaser Jimmy Deguara but my terms are pretty basic and simple!
You'll save a lot of time by observing the skies during the lead-up times before the storms mature. Once you do this you will know in which direction to go. Use radar as a tool also.
Check GFS models, upper and lower atmosphere temps, winds and strengths. A bit of shear is always welcome as it will help the storm move and not sit in its own mess thus helping it find 'clean' air. Sat pics are great which will enable you to 'predict' where the most likely storms will form. Look for convergence lines in the area you want to chase, storms will form on them as a matter of conditions helpful to their development.
You want to see which cloud groups are gathering together and look for one or two large cells (storms) that are organised. If you take the time to observe them and not rush out as soon as you see something it can mean the difference between a 'bust' or a great storm. If the radar signatures look promising which display no break up or gust front signature too early and show a gradual increase in size and colour from blue to orange to red then that shows precipitation increasing then look around that storm for others growing.
The problem with radar as is explained in the meteoroligcal page is that there's a delay in what you actually see on radar so you have to be thinking ahead to where the storm actually is and what you eyes tell you. Whispy white half circles on radar in front of any storm show the gust front or cold pooling. Now this is not always bad with big lines of storms, but single ones it can be as this is actually colder air being pushed outward by the downdraught in front of the storms's path. This acts as a barrier for the storm to suck in the warm air it needs to grow and cold pooling as it's known will kill the storm off very quickly unless it finds another source of fuel. There are of course exceptions with long squall lines and multicell systems which actually use this to their advantage to create new cells. Storms need unstable air and not stable air for fuel!
If there are storms in the area they can actually help weaker storms and the most dominant one will quickly take fuel from another storm if it can. You have positive and negative pressure areas around the storm and the outflow and inflow has pressure areas. If theses areas aren't inhibited too much then the process of sustaining some sort of fuel source can be enhanced with other storms around.
You may think that a storm just sucks air in and pushes air out, whilst that's the basics, there are hundreds of things happening with the wind around and inside the storm that dictate if the storm will be weak or strong. Air can circulate horizontally adjacent the storm both clockwise and anticlockwise, come out of the storm and rotate clockwise and suck in upper wamer air and also recycle the cold pooled air! You can as much as four to six pressure areas around a storm's inflow/outflow section and pressure areas behind, above and in front of a storm. They even sometimes exhaust colder air from within the core of the storm out the tops like a vacuum cleaner. Supercells are masters of this process. Thunderstorms are not things, they have a process that is functional, recyclable and productive in terms of cooling the atmosphere, dissipating aerosoles, moisture in the way of rain and lightning is actually good for the atmosphere and the ground itself as it charges the soil with ionized energy.
The photo above shows the anvil starting tot he right hand side, but the updraught is strong enough to keep pushing it further up.
Storm towers that show rain coming from either the sides or the top are weak as they show you weak updraught strength because the rain as fallen back into the shaft and kills all the warmer air being sucked into the storm, this won't help with anything and the storm will soon dissipate. Strong updraughts are indicated by fast upward cauliflower caps with pileus waves above them and with a crisp anvil. Any bubbling above the anvil is called an overshooting top, which means the updraught has enough strength to go beyond the level at which the 'capping layer' or convective inhibition layer lies. This is great because if you see this it indicates the storm is strong.
Another sign is a backsheared anvil. This is when the anvil spreads out upwind of the prevailing higher wind speed aloft which indicates the updraught is strong. So long as the anvil doesn't appear whispy and maintains nice crisp lines all the better. Any 'knuckles' that form around the main tower or below the anvil indicate more updraught convection. The more the better.
Photo below is of the same storm roughly an hour later - and shows mammatus cloud to the left hand side of the storm under the anvil which is a sign of instability. The storm did not produce a lot of lightning, but for observation is was very
'text book'
You want to look at the storms around you and decide which one you want to go for. Remember to keep out of the rain shaft area as you won't be able to take shots with rain pelting down on you! Keep to the sides or in front of the storms and you should be treated to some lightning from a safe distance.
