Return to Table of Contents This is the unofficial, WWW version of the VORTEX-95 Operations Plan. It may differ from the published operations plan which is available by 15 March from the National Severe Storms Laboratory.
Under the best of circumstances, the crews should not have to deal with rain, hail, and wet roads. However, the reality of storm intercept operations almost certainly will require the field teams to operate under less than ideal road conditions. Hydroplaning is a major item of concern, and if there is any doubt about the situation, the first response should be to slow down and exercise good judgment. Water on the roads deep enough to cause hydroplaning may not be obviously visible, so caution must be exercised on any wet roads. In fact, loss of control of the vehicle on wet roads is possible even when hydroplaning is not involved, if the vehicle is moving too fast for the conditions. If rain it is raining driving conditions can and do change suddenly, and so the drivers of the vehicles need to be alert to the possibility of changing road conditions at all times. Generally, unpaved roads are not recommended after they have been rained upon; many become extremely slick well before they become impassable due to mud. You must judge whether you have time to get back to a paved road before it starts raining. The FC should be able to provide guidance on the quality of unpaved roads; consult him before using them. Many roads in Oklahoma (and elsewhere) do not have good shoulders to forgive any problems that might arise; often a deep, muddy bar ditch awaits any careless maneuver.
In a related area, the so-called " core punch" tactic, in which a team drives through the storm core to reach the wall cloud and tornado region, is not an acceptable intercept strategy. The FC should never ask a field team to engage in a core punch, but it might happen inadvertently. If it should appear that the FC is asking a team to do a core punch, they should inform him immediately of what he appears to be asking them to do. Get a clarification on the assignment, and remember that the field teams have the right to refuse to engage in what they consider to be unsafe activities. If we are to err, it always should be on the side of safety!
High winds also can pose problems, especially when accompanied by hail and/or heavy rain. Potentially damaging objects can be carried by the wind, wind-borne dust can reduce visibility to near zero, and vehicles literally can be blown off the road. It is inevitable that the VORTEX field teams will encounter strong winds during the missions, but the teams need to be alert to the potential for serious damage if the winds rise too high. It often appears that seeking shelter from the wind in the lee of a building is a good strategy, but it can backfire if the building is a flimsy one; pieces of the building may fly off and strike a vehicle parked nearby, so if seeking shelter from the wind, be sure the shelter is not going to be a potential problem. In strong winds, be very careful when opening your car door... the wind can rip the door from your grasp and spring the hinges, damaging the vehicle and potentially injuring someone standing nearby.
Vehicle drivers are admonished to keep their attention on driving at all times when the vehicle is moving. Driving is a full-time job and this is no time for rubber-necking at the storms. At no time should the drivers be responsible for anything other than driving while the vehicle is moving, so field team leaders should not expect anything else from their drivers.
Another major danger in field operations is lightning. Some supercells are highly electrified and produce copious cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning. These storms are obviously dangerous. However, it only takes one CG to cause a disaster, so every storm should be treated as a lightning hazard. Stay away from fencelines and overhead lines: lightning can strike relatively far away and travel along the lines. If the time interval between observing the lightning and hearing the thunder is less than five seconds (lightning within one mile), you\qre in danger and should seek shelter by getting into the vehicle. Remember that the best viewing is often at the top of a hill, often near a fenceline, and the teams will have all sorts of metal tripods and equipment around them. There are no scientific data worth risking your life for, so use considerable caution. If lightning is a hazard to the assigned task, return to your vehicle and inform the Field Coordinator. It appears that CG strikes often occur in regions where precipitation shafts are just opening up, and can occur well away from the precipitation, either in the downstream anvil or upstream of the updraft by several miles. Ideally, everyone in a field crew should know CPR: lightning often causes stoppage of breathing and even heartbeat, but CPR can revive such victims successfully in many cases. It is in everyone\qs best interest to know CPR.
Although there is a certain amount of danger in field operations around tornadoes, the danger can be minimized if a few simple rules are followed. Everyone should have a clear picture of the tornado\qs movement. There is no one who should be stationary in the projected path of the tornado, except the turtle deployment teams. No team should ever stop their engines during intercept operations except to refuel. No team should ever knowingly position themselves in the projected path of a tornado. Further, it is not uncommon for other tornadoes to form nearby an existing tornado. Therefore, if the field teams are working one tornado, they should remain alert to the possible development of other tornadoes nearby, and be prepared to leave the scene immediately if another tornado develops in a threatening location. Make sure that someone regularly scans the sky, including overhead, for threatening developments.
The following are some suggestions for the field crews to make this experience as painless as possible. First of all, everyone should be prepared for the conditions they may well encounter. It makes sense to have some sort of rain gear, preferably a rain suit rather than a poncho, which the wind can blow about and render it ineffective against the rain. A change of shoes and socks might be useful (muddy, water-filled ditches!). In fact, it would be prudent to have a full overnight kit on each mission as some missions may well turn into overnight events. Be sure to bring along any personal medications you need, including allergy medicine, pain relievers, antacid tablets, and so forth for minor discomforts. If you have any medical conditions (e.g., asthma) or allergies (e.g., to bee stings or to penicillin) that the rest of the team needs to know about, be sure to let them know in advance.
While it is possible to make brief stops to buy snacks and drinks on the road, you should bring your own snacks and drinks if you need them, because the team may not be able to stop to let you buy what you want when you want it. Bring a sack lunch on each mission so you don\qt have to worry about stopping for a lunch break. Drinking a lot of fluids on the drive has certain inevitable consequences; if you drink only enough to avoid dehydration, then you won\qt have to stop at an inconvenient time. It is desirable to manage your bowel movements so that is out of the way before you leave, if at all possible. Trying to keep a number of vehicles in position to perform their assignments cannot be done if teams are constantly snacking, drinking, and then stopping to dispose of the consequences of that non-intercept related activity.
Sunglasses are quite useful, particularly if they are UV blockers and even polarized to reduce glare. Headaches can result from glare associated with excessive sunlight. A hat with a brim is useful to keep the sun off your eyes, face, and neck (Who wants to be a redneck?). If you have fair skin, be sure to bring along and/or use a sunscreen, and long sleeves may be a viable option. Grassy roadsides are often full of chiggers, and even ticks. Insect repellent applied to your pants and/or legs (if you wear shorts) can reduce this annoyance considerably. It is useful to have a jacket or windbreaker along, since it can get quite cool late in the day on a thunderstorm day (outflow can be downright chilly).
All participants should be well-rested at the start of an intercept. If fatigue becomes a problem, the FC may decide to have a " down day" despite prospects for tornadic storms. Collectively, we will amass well over 100,000 miles, sometimes under adverse conditions, so skilled and alert drivers are essential if we are to be accident-free. On the trip home, change drivers to avoid fatigue.Each vehicle should have a simple first aid kit and a flashlight.Traffic hazards
1. Wear your seat belt! If you don\qt, the government does not insure you in the event of an accident. Watch out for other drivers.
2. Do not speed.
3. Drive only as fast as conditions allow.
4. Drivers watch the road, not the storm.
5. Front-seat passenger assist driver. Do not assume he is going to stop. Do not let him nod off.
6. Watch for unmarked RR crossings.
7. Do not swerve suddenly to avoid small animals.
8. Avoid section roads as much as possible. They may dead end and become extremely slick or impassable when wet.
9. Watch out for debris in road or drooping power lines.
10. Do not stray away from your vehicle.
11. Do not run low on gas.
12. Do not drive into restricted areas such as military bases. You may be trapped by closed gates.
13. The driver is responsible for all tickets.
14. When driving through or near a town that has been hit by a tornado, remember the power may be out causing traffic disruptions and preventing you from refueling. Be alert for emergency vehicles.
15. Do not drive into smoke or blowing dust that obscures your view. If heavy rain obscures your view, it would be wise to pull over if there is a paved shoulder to avoid being hit from behind.
16. When backing up, have passengers assist you by watching for obstructions.
Power lines
1. Watch for power lines hanging down across the road (hard to see in poor light).
2. Do not attempt to move " dead" power lines out of the way (because of automatic restart feature).
3. Do not drive over live power lines.
4. If live power lines are in contact with vehicle, stay in vehicle. Do not ground yourself by getting out.
5. Use a long dry branch to remove line from someone.
Lightning hazards
1. Pay attention to approaching areas of lightning.
2. Stay in vehicle if possible.
3. Stay away from wire fences; they carry lightning currents to you.
4. Do not lean on vehicle and act as path to ground.
5. Avoid single trees and being the highest object.
6. If your hair stands up or power lines start crackling, get in vehicle or squat on the balls of your feet.
7. Tripods can shock you due to ground currents.
8. Take your colleagues to a CPR class. Often people can be revived by starting either their breathing or both their breathing and heart.
Miscellaneous hazards
1. Snakes, particularly on shoulders of road.
2. Chiggers, mosquitoes, bees.
3. Dress for all weather contingencies.
As the mesocyclone approaches
1. Park safely. Do not stop on a soft shoulder.
2. Keep the engine running; the engine may not restart. Your peripheral equipment requires power at all times and the battery can be drained quickly.
3. Do not get caught in a town.
4. Do not get trapped at a RR crossing by a passing train, or in a construction zone. U-turn and escape.
5. Be aware if you are on a divided highway (e.g. Interstates) that you cannot easily turn around. Use frontage roads to the extent possible for intercept work.
6. Always be cognizant of an escape route.
Flash flood hazards
1. Do not drive into running water unless you are certain that you can get across.
2. Stay alert for flooding, especially after dark (the worst time). Listen to car radio for watches and warnings.
3. Check for road and bridge closings. We will avoid areas already saturated by previous heavy rainfalls.
4. Watch for washed-out roads and bridges.
5. If your vehicle gets stuck, get out and head for higher ground. Remember most people who die in flash floods are in cars.
6. Stay out overnight if necessary.
7. Watch out for snakes flushed out of their habitat.
Storm hazards
1. Do not crowd other vehicles. Act professionally at all times. Be a team player.
2. Do not get disoriented.
3. Have an escape route.
4. Do not come into the mesocyclone from the wrong direction (through the core or a thick hook echo), except when being vectored by the FC. Stop, if necessary, to let the mesocyclone cross the road ahead of you.
5. Do not get under wall clouds.
6. Watch out for tornadoes in the rain. Many end their lives in rain, or re-emerge from rain after being engulfed in it. Be alert for sparse large hail, spiralling rain curtains, rotating scud clouds, rotation in the cloud base, debris, the sound of a tornado or your ears popping; all indications that you have managed somehow to get yourself in the wrong spot.
7. Do not get caught in the new mesocyclone core (look overhead), while watching a tornado in the occluded core.
8. Get out of the way of rapidly propagating gust fronts as the storm collapses.
9. Watch out for gustnadoes as you pass through the gust front.
10. Remember that heavy debris is thrown around the right sides and far ahead of violent tornadoes, so don\qt get too close.
11. Remember that tornadoes in your viewfinder look further away that they actually are.
12. Err on the side of caution. We don\qt need people almost in the tornado circulation. The last thing we need are dead or injured " heroes" or loose cannons out there. If you don\qt respect tornadoes, go on a F4 or F5 damage survey!
13. If a tornado overtakes you (this shouldn\qt happen), get out of your vehicle, lay down in a ditch, hang onto something and protect your head.
14. There will be no intercept work after dark. In VORTEX-94 we learned that " dark" sets in beneath storms at least 20 minutes before sunset. If it becomes too dark for you to adequately observe cloud features, abort your mission and leave the storm area.
15. On restricted access, divided highways (interstates and turnpikes), bridges become storm shelters. Be very wary that traffic may come to a halt as people scramble for safety.
Return to Table of Contents