A large tornado looms near Bennington, Kansas on May 28, 2013. (BeansMom via Flickr)
It’s that time of year again, tornado outbreaks and rumors of outbreaks are in the news.
Plenty of actual tornadoes, too. And probably a lot more to come this week and in coming weeks. The coverage can be overwhelming. If you’re looking for specific information it can sometimes be a challenge.
While Facebook and Google and other great resources are also available, I’ll just focus on Twitter here, partly because that’s where our group spends most of its time on social media.
In lieu of favoritism, I’ve ordered this must-follow 20 alphabetically by first name.
Our footage of the Moore, OK tornado. Majority of footage was shot from the parking lot of South Moore High… http://t.co/6pzqiHvC43
— Basehunters Chasing (@Basehunters) May 20, 2013
These guys are a must if you’re into great imagery. They live it full time during the season and are one of the top chase groups out there. I don’t follow many on multiple social media sites but I do with Basehunters. It’s worth it just for all the storm pictures.
If there is enough instability Friday, there could be a brief spin-up in coastal SoCal. Decent wind profile. #cawx pic.twitter.com/6IHlnqebEs
— Cory Mottice (@EverythingWX) February 26, 2014
Cory is based in the heart of Tornado Alley, and he’s a storm chasing meteorologist. I’ve probably said enough. He’s a great general weather follow as well, but a standout when it comes to tracking outbreaks and the like.
Some storm chases are nothing short of magnificent. West Point, Nebraska Mothership Supercell, 14th June 2013 pic.twitter.com/LR9RVC0nFz
— Daniel Shaw (@DanielShawAU) February 14, 2014
Shaw is from Australia, but he spends spring out in tornado alley chasing tornadoes every year. He’s also really good at it, and a down to Earth dude to boot. Plus he gets stunning imagery.
A look at the preliminary tornado count for 2013 and the detrended counts back to 1953. pic.twitter.com/iCNsZxAdZt
— Greg Carbin (@GCarbin) December 30, 2013
Greg is the Warning Coordination Meteorologist at the Storm Prediction Center. So, he’s pretty close to king of severe weather. He’s a must follow in spring and summer, but you’ll also notice he tweets a lot of cool stuff that’s not tornado related.
Despite overall small tornado numbers this year, date of 50th EF1+ tornado was 5th earliest in 60 years. pic.twitter.com/ywS6CogeEB
— Harold Brooks (@hebrooks87) May 15, 2013
If you’re into tornado stats — like me — you have to follow Harold Brooks. One of the premier severe weather climatology meteorologists out there. You’ll become smarter reading his tweets.
Also saw this big and powerful #tornado bypass #Shawnee, #OK. The biggest I've seen yet. #okwx http://t.co/rR73PmkpiS
— Jason Cooley (@DrTornadoCooley) May 20, 2013
Jason Cooley chases a lot. I mean, a lot. Every time there’s a storm he seems to be somewhere near it. Hopefully he keeps on going, because we all want to see what’s going on out there.
How will the new SPC outlook categories appear compared to old? May 24, 2011 example via SPC at #wxcs2014 – pic.twitter.com/TWe2LVGy7m
— Jayson Prentice (@SeverePlains) January 15, 2014
Jason Prentice covers all types of weather, but he’s one of those severe weather stats and imagery gurus you want to follow. He’s got his finger on the pulse of what’s happening and where, not just in spring but all year ’round.
Note: Only 49 tornadoes confirmed so far this year as colder-than-normal pattern continues #TornadoSuppression #USwx pic.twitter.com/5ABcENH1JN
— Johnny Kelly (@stormchaser4850) March 23, 2014
Johnny covers all types of weather and may never sleep. Combine the two and there’s not a lot he misses, including severe weather and tornado coverage. One of those feeds you’re probably worse off for not following at any time of year — definitely during tornado season.
9 Hour Radar Animation of the Outbreak of severe weather across the Midwest today. (3Mb) http://t.co/4L7VMZV7yY pic.twitter.com/mTunH641Zf
— Wright-Weather.com (@Wright_Weather) November 17, 2013
Dross is the president of Wright-Weather.com, a long-running model and analysis web site. He shares great model/radar imagery in the run up to and during tornado events. He’s an invaluable resource in learning what to look for in any weather situation.
MT Take cover! @spann: Large tornado about to cross I-35 in the southern part of Moore, OK. #okwx pic.twitter.com/ldLESbYFBu @oklahoma
— Mike Smith (@USWeatherExpert) May 20, 2013
Mike Smith is one of the severe weather field’s foremost experts, a storm chaser and friend of chasers. He’s a member of the management team at AccuWeather Enterprise Solutions and author of several books, including the renowned Warnings: The True Story of How Science Tamed the Weather.
Incredible footage of the TIV being hit by a tornado yesterday. Falls under the category of "don't do this..ever" http://t.co/S8BlF0RLnp
— morganabigail (@morganabigail) May 29, 2013
Morgan is a NWS meteorologist in the southern United States. She covers weather of all types, but is often at the front of tweeting and retweeting important information from across her network of colleagues. When tornadoes are possible, factual news matters.
Never take safety for granted. 2004's 1st *8* #tornado deaths came on an SPC "see text" day. http://t.co/HGRj4vED8J pic.twitter.com/EFARWCEfLr
— Nick Wiltgen (@WxNick) April 21, 2014
Wiltgen is part of TWC’s expansive and creative digital media team, and he knows his severe weather. A native of the Plains, his tornado knowledge comes shining through, at least when he has the time to tweet from his own account (see TWCBreaking below).
If you took shelter for every tornado warning, how much time would that be in 1 year? Check out the map! pic.twitter.com/oRXGaz71jP
— NWS Norman (@NWSNorman) April 7, 2014
Personally, I follow two NWS local forecast offices — the D.C. one (because, duh) and NWS Norman. While their focus is on Oklahoma, their tornado information often spans a much larger area both via current thinking and historical information.
Visual comparison of two tornado outbreaks (5/10/10 and 4/27/11) with respect to population: http://t.co/E3godjly http://t.co/1VLW66na
— Patrick Marsh (@pmarshwx) January 3, 2013
Patrick was scooped up by the Storm Prediction Center in recent years, and for good reason. He’s basically a severe weather wizard. Anyone who is young and studies tornadoes should strive to be like him, though good luck with that I say!
And Twitter traffic DURING the #Moore #tornado….note the 839 tweets per minute! #AMS2014 pic.twitter.com/uoqVCizPRt
— Sarah Dillingham (@THESarahD29) February 5, 2014
Sarah is a producer with The Weather Channel and a researcher working alongside the legendary Dr. Greg Forbes. While she covers weather across the gamut, her severe weather knowledge is clear as day during stormy situations.
Here's the best side-by-side comparison we could do of the damage in Washington, IL. (click to see all) pic.twitter.com/6aw7yXtLQp
— SevereStudios (@severestudios) November 18, 2013
SevereStudios is a one stop shop for any type of big weather, but they’re at their best covering springtime storms. They bring a bevvy of chasers together as well, with streaming video and more.
We issued a Day 2 Moderate Risk for severe weather on Sunday. Here are past November Day 2 Moderates (since 1998): pic.twitter.com/gquaiKtej3
— NWS SPC (@NWSSPC) November 16, 2013
The number one pros when it comes to storms of any kind. Not following them would be pretty dumb. It’s a quick way to get the latest on upcoming watches, actual watches, and a whole lot more. If you don’t follow, you probably don’t belong in the severe weather aficionado club.
Supercell near Piedmont, OK dropping 5" hail, this was just before tornadogenesis. May 29, 2012. #okwx pic.twitter.com/8010qcg4cP
— TornadoTitans.com (@TornadoTitans) January 27, 2014
First class imagery, plus a dedication to interacting and teaching. Based in Norman, Ok. they’re always on the good storms. Plus they have several teams who often hit different areas, meaning the odds of a total group bust go down.
From earlier today. #tornado RT @ShiremanFarms Tornado that was on the ground north of Concord IL. pic.twitter.com/uGxdrd5wdG
— TWC Breaking (@TWCBreaking) February 20, 2014
Setting the standard even outside television is something TWC is known for. Their social presence shows off their skills. This is one to follow all year, but it’ll also get you what you need to know on tornado threats as they arise.
Historical tornado map of high/mod risk area for a 15 day period centered on 11/17. #ilwx #inwx #miwx #ohwx pic.twitter.com/GPI2g6ijx1
— U.S. Tornadoes (@USTornadoes) November 17, 2013
Yeah, we think you should follow us if you don’t! Not just the main USTornadoes account, but each of the writers as we’re all tornado geeks. Here are the links: Mark Ellinwood, Brendan Heberton, James Hyde, Ian Livingston, Tony Lyza, Kathryn Prociv, and Katie Wheatley.
P.S., It was hard to narrow down and I left some folks off who should also get a follow. I focused on those who heavily lean talking about tornadoes and not just in their own backyards. Our whole follow list is full of great folks!
In coming days we’ll be paying particular attention to lists breaking down meteorologists by region, including the southern Plains, the Mid South, the Lakes and Midwest, and the Southeast. The tornado chasers list is also worth a peek.
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