Work Description

Storm chasing is the deliberate pursuit of severe weather phenomenon, such as tornados, cyclones, ice storms, thunderstorms, barrages of hail and lightings, etc. Storm. Chasing Nature’s Wildest Weather showcasts the results of over three decades of storm chasing by Hank Schyma, featuring dramatic photography, unforgettable stories from the road and clear, engaging explanations of the science behind these weather events. The book’s contents include: Thunderstorms Supercells Lightning Transient luminous events Supercells Tornadoes Tropical Cyclones Storm Chasing with a glossary and in-depth information. “I have been obsessed with storms for as long as I can remember. At four years old I was sketching tornadoes and scouring library books for them. I think the reason is, I loved monsters: Godzilla, the Loch Ness monster, UFOs. I grew up in Texas where we had tornado drills at school, but never Godzilla or UFO drills, so maybe for me tornadoes were the only monsters that actually existed. Most people don’t want to see a tornado. Pursuing them disrupted school or family get-togethers, because I always had this ridiculous craving for storms. I’m happy when I’m around them. It’s not about adrenaline, which makes me shaky and uncomfortable. It’s about beauty. But I have had horrible near-death experiences. Every time it happens, I tell myself: “I never want to feel this again.” When you’re driving away fast because of a stupid error, thinking at any moment the car may become airborne and you will probably not survive, that feeling is terrible – and I’ve had it too many times. The last time was in 2023, when hubris got the best of me and I drove too close to a stupidly ugly rain-wrapped tornado in Nebraska. Earlier I had missed a beautiful white tornado in the middle of nowhere – all my friends and competition were there, but I was an hour late because we were driving up from Texas. I went into catchup mode. Another storm went up, a tornado embedded in rain, so you couldn’t see it. I drove into the rain, risking my life. These rain-wrapped tornadoes are so ugly and hard to see that they do almost nothing on social media. They’re just not photogenic. Maybe 50 buddies will say: “Damn, dude, you’re brave,” and then it’s forgotten. My friends and I debrief after storms, and in this debrief I realised: “Wow, I’m more susceptible to ego, hubris and competition than I thought.” Understanding that about myself has helped me during dangerously tempting moments to think: “Back off, dude, live to fight another day.” - Hank Schyma