Storm Chasing with a Drone
Storm chasers went to new heights while covering a tornado near Sulphur, Oklahoma.
They used a drone.
Brett Adair started recording as the tornado touched down and followed it for over four minutes. Lucky for all, the twister primarily stayed over open fields. It passed over a lake and small road which appeared to affect the circulation and structure of the funnel. A couple of minutes later the tornado weakened and dissipated.
This might be the first tornado video captured with a drone. While still dangerous, this is certainly safer than chasing it with a car on the ground.
Using a drone is not without risk, however. There’s still a chance the storm could shift and track toward the photographer and crew. And there’s the possibility the expensive drone could be damaged. At about :57 you can see what looks like lofted debris.
Brett and his colleagues are used to taking risks. As they say on their website, “We travel the world chasing mother nature’s most extreme. Tornadoes, hurricanes, volcanoes, blizzards, floods or any other type of extremes.”
Tim Heller is an AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist, Talent Coach, and Weather Content Consultant. He helps local TV stations and broadcast meteorologists communicate more effectively on-air, online, and on social media.