Question 1 of 15
Which agency issues US severe weather outlooks and tornado watches?
Why: The SPC in Norman, Oklahoma issues convective outlooks and all severe thunderstorm and tornado watches.
Question 2 of 15
Which SPC risk category is the highest?
Why: The scale runs Marginal, Slight, Enhanced, Moderate, then High. High risk days are rare and serious.
Question 3 of 15
What does 'core punching' mean?
Why: It is a genuinely dangerous tactic because it puts you in large hail with near-zero visibility.
Question 4 of 15
Where do chasers generally position relative to a classic supercell?
Why: The southeast quadrant offers the best view of the wall cloud while keeping the chaser out of the hail core.
Question 5 of 15
What is the 'bear's cage'?
Why: It is the zone where a rain-wrapped tornado can be nearly invisible until it is far too close.
Question 6 of 15
What does DOW stand for in tornado research?
Why: Mobile Doppler radar trucks drive close to storms to scan tornadoes at very high resolution.
Question 7 of 15
Which 2013 tornado killed veteran researchers Tim Samaras, Paul Samaras, and Carl Young?
Why: The El Reno tornado of May 31, 2013 grew to a record 2.6 miles wide and made erratic, fast turns.
Question 8 of 15
What does a hodograph display?
Why: Chasers read hodograph curvature to judge whether storms will rotate and produce tornadoes.
Question 9 of 15
When is peak chase season on the Great Plains?
Why: Late spring brings the best overlap of moisture, instability, and wind shear across the Plains.
Question 10 of 15
Why is 'chaser convergence' a hazard?
Why: Traffic jams near a tornado are a serious risk, and vehicle accidents injure more chasers than tornadoes do.
Question 11 of 15
Which 1996 film dramatically increased public interest in storm chasing?
Why: Twister inspired a generation of chasers and meteorology students.
Question 12 of 15
What kind of roads should chasers avoid when rain is falling?
Why: Plains dirt roads turn to impassable mud within minutes, trapping vehicles in the storm's path.
Question 13 of 15
What were the VORTEX projects?
Why: VORTEX and VORTEX2 deployed dozens of vehicles and instruments to study supercells and tornadogenesis.
Question 14 of 15
What is the single most important safety rule while chasing?
Why: Experienced chasers plan their exit before they commit to a position, every single time.
Question 15 of 15
Why do responsible chasers report what they see to the NWS?
Why: Spotter reports confirm what radar can only infer, and can directly improve warning lead time.