Where are you when funnel clouds appear?
Most people head inside and to the basement. Not Steve Decker’s fearless and inquisitive storm-chasing meteorological students!
Steve Decker, associate teaching professor in the Meteorology Undergraduate Program in the Department of Environmental Sciences, led his students on a two-week field trip to the Midwest as part of the summer session course, Severe Weather Forecasting.
The goals of the course include putting severe weather forecasting techniques into practice and gaining an understanding of storm structure through observation. The students come armed with equipment, knowledge, curiosity and cameras! Throughout the chase they tweet out the information with the hashtag #RUChasing. But we can view some of the spectacular storm chaser photos from the safety of our armchairs courtesy of Jenny Kafka, graduate student in the Atmospheric Science program, and former graduate of the Meteorology program.
Enjoy the fruits of this intrepid student!
