Finally got why you should never chase a storm cell for photos

I spent 4 years chasing every big thunderhead I saw until last June when I parked right under a supercell near Omaha, Nebraska and got nothing but whiteout rain for 20 minutes. My buddy stayed 5 miles back and got the whole structure with clear shelf clouds. Anyone else learn the hard way that distance makes the cloud shot better?

2 comments

2 Comments

aaron_flores841d ago

Oh come on, you really think it's that deep? I mean yeah, getting too close to a storm is dumb, but acting like you spent 4 years learning a life lesson is a bit dramatic. You could've just asked a weather nerd or looked at a radar app once. That whiteout rain thing happens all the time when you're under the core, it's not exactly rocket science. Your buddy got lucky with the shelf clouds, but he probably would've gotten a decent shot from 2 miles back too. Seems like you just made a rookie mistake and now you're acting like it's some profound secret.

aaron1971d ago

And @aaron_flores84 is right about one thing, you don't need four years to figure out not to park under the rain core. But I think the real story here isn't about the lesson, it's about how easy it is to get tunnel vision when you're chasing and the adrenaline kicks in. That whiteout rain can creep up on you faster than a radar app can warn you, and a lot of people learn that the hard way.