My Love Of Extreme Weather

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Tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards, heatwaves, extreme cold – my passion for the weather goes into overdrive with the fascination I have for extreme weather conditions, whether that be what I experience or what I watch on Youtube.

If you know me well enough then you know my dream is to go storm chasing in America.

But there is always something at the back of my mind questioning whether it is morally acceptable to receive a form of enjoyment out of an act of nature that others suffer from.

I read quite an interesting article which was an interview with someone who went chasing Typhoon Haiyan that recent hit the Philippines, which started “Are you an insensitive jerk?”.

The fact is that extreme weather events are always going to happen.  That a section of the population has long had an obsession with the weather that creates people like me wanting to forecast, has long provided forecasts to help warn people of incoming dangers.

A forecaster may be able to encourage people from being in harm’s way with sufficient warning, but he or she will not protect buildings or livelihoods.  In modern westernised countries, insurance will generally cover the impact of extreme weather on our houses and businesses, allowing lives to return to normal reasonably quickly with no or little financial impact on individuals.

In other countries this is not the case.

I have never massively been into charities – not because I don’t care, but because I have not made that connection.  Generally when I donate, it is to something a family member or close friend deeply cares about.

I think I have realised that emergency appeals for those suffering from the effects of extreme weather such as the aforementioned typhoon is my connection, it is what I should be giving to.  It is what my heart connects to.

Anyway, back to those beautiful tornadoes…

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