They look pretty dramatic, those images of a large tornado approaching Indianapolis. The guy who posted them in Stormtrack wrote, “I have a large collection of webcam links…As major events happened around the country, I would search for webcams in the vicinity of it…One example is when the May 30, 2004 tornado went through the south side of Indianapolis. Using WTHR Channel 13”s traffic cams, I was able to catch the tornado on the still images they display. Three are from WTHR”s traffic cams and the fourth is from a skycam, looking southeast towards the tornado.”
I”ve seen a number of similar dramatic shots of tornadoes and severe weather captured by station cameras in various locations. I”ve also noticed more and more storm chasers posting links to camera locations as weather was rolling into a given area. “Gee,” I found myself thinking, “wouldn”t it be cool if some Stormtrack member created a database of webcam links across the U.S. that everyone could instantly access rather than having to hunt around for the right links?”
You know where this goes from here, right? When it”s your own idea, you”ve already found your volunteer. There is now a sticky thread on Stormtrack for a webcam database, marked “under construction.” I”ve got the list organized and the first few links pasted in. So it”s in its initial, rough stages. Where it goes from here will be interesting to see and will depend largely on the feedback and contributions of Stormtrack members. My idea from the start was that the list would be a community project. It may even wind up including mobile cams that some chasers take with them. Click on one of those and you”ll be right there on the chase, watching the weather unfold before your eyes. Okay, so it”s not the same thing as actually being there–but when you can”t be, it”s nice to have a way of still getting in on the action.
I”ve included all of the forty-eight contiguous states in the list. Some of those states may get scrapped along the way. The main interest will be centered around tornado alley, and I expect the most links will be found in states in that region. Kansas, yes. Oklahoma, fershur. Maine…mmm, not exactly a hotbed for storm chasing. But you never know. Every area has its own brand of weather, and since this project will be ongoing, there”s no telling what may turn up us it continues to grow and evolve.
Too many times I”ve experienced the frustration of sitting at home, staring at the radar on my computer at a severe weather outbreak unfolding three states away, gnawing my knuckles and thinking, “Man, I wish I was there!” A lot of other storm chasers know that feeling. Maybe this will help. When you”re stuck with chasing from the armchair, it”s nice to have live eyes out in the field.
