SIOUX FALLS, SD (KELO) – A film about teams chasing hurricanes and storms using weather data and information has captivated KELOLAND meteorologist Scot Mundt.
“The special effects are fantastic,” Mundt said. Mundt says the special effects are similar to the original Twister movie that was released in May 1996.
Mundt said the science in the film has some sound, “but you also have to remember, it’s made for Hollywood.”
He cited the first scene where the players talk about the doppler radar that predicts a hurricane at a certain time. Doppler doesn’t predict hurricanes, he said. Meteorologists use doppler radar, interpret the data and make forecasts, Mundt said.
The film focuses on storm-chasing teams whose members gather information about hurricanes. Impacts include helping to improve warning systems and, potentially, to isolate and stop hurricanes.
For Mundt to find a separate or dispersed hurricane, “that would be a long way off.” However, he said, it appears the storms are still under investigation.
He recalled experiments with a project called Vortex. The NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory said the Vortex originated in 1994.
In the movie Twisters the team circled the tornado with three radar panels to record data. Mundt says that’s similar to the Vortex analysis.
“That’s kind of real life,” Mundt said. Although some research can be exaggerated, Mundt reminds that “Again, it’s Hollywood.”
A team of storm chasers drives through the tornado and sets off fireworks during the film. Elsewhere it’s flares. Those pictures were some of the scenes that would have raised Mundt’s eyes or eyebrows.
Driving into a hurricane to set off fireworks or flares is not something he would recommend.
The film captures the thrill of storm chasing, Mundt said. But again, it’s being overrun by farmland and encroachment on wind turbines.
“That’s one thing about film too, you have to pay attention to it,” Mundt said. “They were driving to these fields, passing through windshields. I still think ‘if they do that some people are going to be really upset that they’re going through their property,’” Mundt said.
However, although some images were an exaggeration in his opinion, the film also shows the power of the hurricane, he said. The damage and loss during and after the hurricane was shown in several pictures. A hurricane can change lives, Mundt said.
Mundt has been storm chasing as a meteorologist in the field and in the studio.
“There are similarities and differences when we watch storm development from the studio using KELOLAND Live Doppler HD,” said Mundt. Meteorologists monitor data and radar and track storms from the studio, he said. They notice hook and shear echoes in the sky, for example.
“Today you can continue to chase the storm on your laptop. We used to do that,” said Mundt. The laptop gives the chaser real-time data.
Whether it’s a storm chaser or a storm watcher, there’s value in a good set of eyes on the outside, Mundt said.
Oftentimes, “There’s nothing better than good eyes,” Mundt said.
Chase the storm and the weather has changed in the 30 years since the movie Twister was released.
The use of spikes embedded in the ground to hold cars steady and prevent them from being tossed in the storm is a reality, Mundt said.
Drones are also used but Mundt questioned how appropriate the use was in the film. Would the airplane be durable enough to withstand the wind and force of the hurricane and if it could be controlled properly, he wondered.
The twisters featured scenes where multiple teams of storm chasers gathered in locations, which were captured on film. Mundt said 30 years later after the 1996 film, the increased interest may be justified. He borrowed a quote from the movie, “anyone with a $10 tool can chase a storm.”
A new film could spark interest in meteorology and storm chasing. Storm chasing or storm spotting is about helping weather and forecasting including improving early warning systems, Mundt said.
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