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Women in Meterology
Tornados have become the most interesting form of severe weather. These violent columns of wind have had many shows created about them, including the Discovery Channel series Storm Chasers. These forms of severe weather have also inspired a medium for photography. It became apparent while learning about tornados that there were less women in this field than men.
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A captivating smile from Jennifer Stark, Director at National Weather Service. After sitting down for an interview she posed in her office in front of the mountains in Bolder.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration building in Bolder, Colorado. The sunlight invites others to take an interest in the weather.
Weather is an intricate part of our world that affects almost everyone in the United States. Everyone has experienced weather in their lives, from hurricanes to tornados to thunderstorms.
From storm chasers to scientists to teachers, everyone has a different experience with severe weather that led them to be interested in meteorology. Everyone has experiences that would lead them on their journey with severe weather.
Women in meteorology would also have more unique experiences in meteorology than men in the field. After asking many women in different fields of meteorology it’s apparent how diverse their career experiences are, and how alike.
How do tornados form? While tornados are the most unpredictable forms of severe weather, they do have elements that create the perfect circumstances for them to form.
Tornados are violent rotating winds. They are ranked on the Enhanced Fujita EF scale, ranging from EF-0 (weakest) to EF-5 (strongest). Weak tornados have winds of less than 100mph, while the strongest can reach up to 300mph. Scientists determine the EF scale for a tornado based on these wind speeds and survey damage.
Instability, meaning unstable environmental conditions, is the main ingredient needed for tornados to form. The perfect atmospheric conditions are when hot air from the ground and cool air in the sky mix with wind shear, which changes the directions and speeds of winds, allowing tornados to form. While thunderstorms can produce tornados, supercells produce the most.
Supercells are long-lasting thunderstorms. These types of storms often turn tornadic because of the rotation of the supercell. These types of storms often last for hours and travel many miles. The core rotating part of supercells are called mesocyclones that form hook echoes, where tornados typically form. You can see these hook echoes on the Doppler Radar. Sometimes, tornados don't need supercells to form, resulting in less violent tornados.
Women in Storm Chasing
The Doppler On Wheels at the Center for Severe Weather in Bolder, Colorado. Sitting in the sunlight makes this truck more attractive with its rusty parts.
Jennifer Walton had an enthusiastic smile after discussing her job as a storm chaser. She was enthralled when she told stories about being a storm chaser in Colorado.
Jennifer Walton is a female stormchaser who started her career late. She also created "Girls Who Chase" to increase awareness of storm chasing and get more women involved. She had to overcome not only her work life but also her fear.
While Walton has been interested in severe weather for years, her journey into storm-chasing didn't happen until 2018, when she went on a storm-chasing tour. She told me that her idea of storm-chasing came from social media and reality TV, that many people were driving into storms and always seeing tornados when they were slower-paced and less reckless.
When asked about what she has had to overcome to storm Chase, she told me about the reality of working full-time and trying to fulfill a dream. After she became her own boss, she found she had more opportunities to chase. She solved her own obstacles to enjoy chasing.
Walton's first tornado happened when she was at home. Initially, she thought she could not chase it and that it was not meant for her, but she proved herself wrong. Glancing at the radar, she saw a storm coming over the foothills and rushed to see the development.
"I was in such a rush to get out of my house I had not taken off my pajamas that I was wearing while working and hauled ass after it and made a bunch of rookie mistakes...eventually after 45 minutes crested a hill and In front of me was my first tornado."
While she had some moments of overcoming her own turmoil, she also had to overcome the world's view of storm chasers. Walton felt that she didn't see anyone who looked like her out in the world storm chasing. When she did join the world of storm chasers, she could see the gender disparity firsthand. Many found that they were never acknowledged or even 'seen' while in the field. Many are pushed to the side by other men and left to wonder what their worth is.
"The more time I spent in the Chase community, the more I was meeting another woman, and I was hearing very similar 9sort of experiences involving things like being passed over for opportunities or having less engagement on their social media channels."
Walton experienced emotional turmoil around the involvement of women in this field. For Walton, frustration propelled her, creating Girls Who Chase from these emotions. This page was created as an aggregator for female storm chaser content. She made it so she could show the world what women can achieve. Waltons' page quickly grew from photos to letters and other submissions from women worldwide. Creating a place where women are storm-chasing to have a safe space inspires many women worldwide. She has even received a letter from a 6th-grade science teacher explaining how she loves showing Girls Who Case to her class so they can have an 'in' into science.
Many women should look at waltons' stories and achievements to see that age and gender do not define anyone. Make the most of your time and do what makes you happy.