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Chasing Twisters

Meet two people whose job is to get up close to nature’s most violent storms.

October 14, 2024
By Nicole Tocco

As You Read, Think About: Why might someone decide to become a storm chaser?

As Val Castor drove through the thunderstorm, he and his wife, Amy, kept their eyes on the road ahead. Rain pounded their truck, making it difficult to see through the windshield. 

Winds of more than 80 miles per hour rocked the truck as they drove through Arnett, Oklahoma, last May. Dirt, branches torn from trees, and other debris began swirling through the air. Suddenly, an uprooted tree flew across the road.

This was no longer just a thunderstorm. A massive tornado had touched down just a few hundred yards away. But instead of driving away from the spinning storm, Val started following it.

It’s all in a day’s work for the Castors. They’re storm trackers for News 9, a TV station in Oklahoma City. They live stream twisters and provide up-to-the-minute reports to viewers at home.

“It’s a responsibility we don’t take lightly,” Amy says.

Val Castor drove through the thunderstorm. He and his wife, Amy, kept their eyes on the road ahead. Rain pounded their truck. It was difficult to see through the windshield.  

They were driving through Arnett, Oklahoma, last May. Winds of more than 80 miles per hour rocked their truck. Dirt, branches torn from trees, and other debris began swirling through the air. Suddenly, an uprooted tree flew across the road.

This was no longer just a thunderstorm. A massive tornado had touched down. It was just a few hundred yards away. But Val didn't drive away from the spinning storm. He started following it.

It’s all in a day’s work for the Castors. They’re storm trackers for News 9. That’s a TV station in Oklahoma City. They live stream twisters and provide up-to-the-minute reports to viewers at home.

“It’s a responsibility we don’t take lightly,” Amy says.

Courtesy of Amy & Val Castor

Amy and Val Castor

Danger Zones

Tornadoes are some of the most destructive forces of nature. These spinning columns of air produce winds that can reach more than 250 miles per hour. They can demolish homes, schools, and anything else in their paths. 

More twisters occur in the United States than anywhere else on Earth. On average, about 1,200 twisters touch down in the U.S. each year.

Part of what makes tornadoes so dangerous is that they’re unpredictable. At the National Weather Service, meteorologists track severe storms and then issue warnings to people in areas that are in danger. However, meteorologists can’t predict exactly when and where a twister will form or what path it will take.

Tornadoes are some of the most destructive forces of nature. These spinning columns of air produce strong winds. The winds can reach more than 250 miles per hour. They can demolish homes, schools, and anything else in their paths. 

More twisters occur in the United States than anywhere else on Earth. On average, about 1,200 twisters touch down in the U.S. each year.

Part of what makes tornadoes so dangerous is that they’re unpredictable. At the National Weather Service, meteorologists track severe storms. Then they issue warnings to people in areas that are in danger. However, meteorologists can’t predict exactly when and where a twister will form or what path it will take.

The Chase Is On

Courtesy of Amy & Val Castor

Amy and Val's storm tracker truck

That’s where storm chasers like the Castors come in. News 9 sends them to areas where tornadoes are likely to spin into action. As Val drives, Amy operates their video cameras. Their truck is equipped with radar, so they can closely track the storm’s wind speed and direction. If Val and Amy spot a tornado forming, they call in to the station to give its exact location. Then they make real-time reports about the twister’s strength and path so people in the area can quickly take shelter.

“It’s not very smart to try to get close to a tornado,” Amy says. “But in order to track it and know exactly where it’s headed, you need to.”

That’s where storm chasers like the Castors come in. News 9 sends them to areas where tornadoes are likely to spin into action. As Val drives, Amy operates their video cameras. Their truck is equipped with radar. They use it to closely track the storm’s wind speed and direction. If Val and Amy spot a tornado forming, they call in to the station to give its exact location. Then they make real-time reports about the twister’s strength and path. This helps people in the area quickly take shelter.

“It’s not very smart to try to get close to a tornado,” Amy says. “But in order to track it and know exactly where it’s headed, you need to.”

Risky Business

The Castors estimate that they’ve chased close to 1,000 tornadoes since 1998. Over the years, they’ve learned to take precautions and avoid taking unnecessary risks. They try to keep a safe distance from a twister and know when to drive away. That’s often tricky, since tornadoes can shift direction without a moment’s notice.

“I usually have a couple of escape routes in mind,” Val says.

Strong winds and flying debris aren’t all the Castors have to worry about. They also need to watch out for downed power lines and drive through pounding hailstorms. Last year, Val and Amy had to replace their windshield three times after it was smashed during hailstorms. 

They also sometimes follow twisters at night, when they have to rely on lightning flashes to see the storms.

Despite the dangers, the Castors drive about 50,000 miles each year chasing storms. 

“We love what we do, and we’re helping people make lifesaving decisions about what to do in extreme weather,” says Val.

The Castors estimate that they’ve chased close to 1,000 tornadoes since 1998. Over the years, they’ve learned to take precautions. They also avoid taking unnecessary risks. They try to keep a safe distance from a twister and know when to drive away. That’s often tricky, since tornadoes can shift direction without a moment’s notice.

“I usually have a couple of escape routes in mind,” Val says.

Strong winds and flying debris aren’t all the Castors have to worry about. They also need to watch out for downed power lines. Plus, they have to drive through pounding hailstorms. Last year, Val and Amy had to replace their windshield three times. It had been smashed during hailstorms. 

They also sometimes follow twisters at night. They have to rely on lightning flashes to see the storms.

Despite the dangers, the Castors drive about 50,000 miles each year chasing storms. 

“We love what we do, and we’re helping people make lifesaving decisions about what to do in extreme weather,” says Val.

How a Tornado Forms

Here’s how huge rotating thunderstorms, called supercells, can spawn tornadoes.

Here’s how huge rotating thunderstorms, called supercells, can spawn tornadoes.

Shutterstock.com

1. Supercells form when cool, dry air mixes with warm, moist air. 

2. As the warm and cool air move in different directions, the winds collide. This creates a column of rotating wind called a mesocyclone.

3. When the funnel-shaped cloud hits the ground, it’s considered a tornado.

1. Supercells form when cool, dry air mixes with warm, moist air. 

2. As the warm and cool air move in different directions, the winds collide. This creates a column of rotating wind called a mesocyclone.

3. When the funnel-shaped cloud hits the ground, it’s considered a tornado.

1. How do storm trackers like the Castors help people who live in tornado-prone areas?

2. What details in the article best support the idea that tracking tornadoes is “risky business”?

3. What are three facts you can learn from the sidebar, “How a Tornado Forms”?

1. How do storm trackers like the Castors help people who live in tornado-prone areas?

2. What details in the article best support the idea that tracking tornadoes is “risky business”?

3. What are three facts you can learn from the sidebar, “How a Tornado Forms”?

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