***I'm unsure how long I will leave this at just $25.
This is a LONG video that has been a chore and a half to finish up.
I'll try to leave it at $25 but it's almost like 4 DVDs as long as it
is. You could start this at 9:45 in the morning and it wouldn't stop
running till 4:30 in the afternoon. Kinda crazy. So yeah, $25 feels
silly cheap. ***
There is a serious amount of info on this long video.
It's using real world examples and not just any ol storms but some
truly extraordinary storms. So far people are really raving about
this one. You can't lose on a $25 video that is about 7 hours long.
Especially when it contains the storms it does and the narrated
learning/info sections.
Who is this video for? Storm
spotters, chasers and well anyone that would enjoy a better
understanding of severe storms, especially tornado producing
supercell storms. I wish something like this existed when I was
getting into storms. Even if you already understand storm structure
and some storm forecasting, there's a lot of good storm footage on
here anyway. If you don't really know about storm structure yet and
behavior, this video is likely huge for you. I've chased a lot each
year since 1999 and have a pretty good grasp on storm behavior and structure.
$25 Storm Analysis 101
DVD
$25 Storm Analysis 101
Blu Ray HD
BASIC OVERVIEW
This video is a bit of a beast, at NEARLY
7 HOURS LONG. It replaces the old popular Storm Structure 101
video. It's goal is to take someone that knows very little about
storms, to a point they have an excellent grasp on what storms might
be doing and what it takes to get truly severe storms. It's not all
that complicated really, as far as storm structures. Forecasting is a
bit more involved and yet it's sorta basic. Understanding some
"basics" of forecasting is essential in understanding
storms though. So the video has a good deal of both storm structure
talk and forecasting talk. Oh and a lot of cool storm footage!
Obviously a video can contain a lot of a lot of things at almost 7
hours long!
It starts with some basic need to know stuff. What
height each millibar level is roughly at, surface plot stuff, zulu
time, etc. Then a good sized chunk on storm structures. Next up a
good size chunk on some forecasting stuff. Those 3 are all narrated
to images captured using a screen recorder and a mic. This is how I
should have done Storm Structure 101 instead of the text I used then.
So really no reading involved on this one. There's basically an hour
and a half just right there. That's like a DVD on its own. A good
amount of knowledge will come from that alone. But there's so much
more after that. 5+ hours more.
Those 3 intro topics should help with the 5 chases
picked for the video. I can't explain how crazy the
storms are on their own right...click the chase photo accounts for
them below for an idea. And even the account images won't do
justice to the intensity of the storms. These 5 chases start with a
setup section talking about the setup, using upper air charts,
surface charts, soundings, satellite and radar. They are each
decently long, but then are followed with the chases, which are even
longer for most. During the chase sections, I again use screen record
with a mic and a mouse over on paused images. So at many points
during each chase I'll point out this or that, then let the video continue.
I essentially put anything and everything I know on
this. As much as I could remember to put on it anyway.
VIDEO SECTIONS
3 Intro Sections
Like mentioned above, you basically have a normal hour
and half DVD just in this intro section. The video is just getting
started with those long topics. If you don't have much of a grasp on
storms, you will probably get a lot out of these alone. Especially
forecasting, as really one has to get some of that to understand the
storms much. And at the same time, one doesn't have to over do it
with the forecasting side either. I tried to include most of what I
know anyway. I'm not a meteorologist, but know enough of it to get by
for chasing obviously.
Likely the most messed up storm I've seen to date. Jaw
dropping structure, barely west of the highway the whole time. Up
close and personal view of just what can happen in the sky with a
crazy storm. Felt like one was on the wrong planet.
Storm seemed like a bit of a "cap rider" as
it rode down the west edge of a moisture gradient and on the apparent
edge of the capped air.
The most intense tornadic supercell I've seen to date,
with some close range footage included. Talk about a violent setup!
Big cape, strong cap, big shear and deviant on a boundary. Price is
probably worth it just for this chase. As it really plants and goes
violent it's only about a block away. A stupidly wound up violent
tornadic supercell.
The stationary tornadic machine near Dupree SD. Crazy
tornado video(just like Bowdle), as the storm produces an amazing
long-lived large tornado, then several others, some at the same time.
The main tornado is truly mesmerizing with it's motion and shape
changing, all while basically sitting in one spot. First it was going
east slowly, then west as a beast, then eventually back east as a rope.
More of a weaker mid-level flow setup that works out
with a rarity, a stationary tornadic machine. Really hard to get a
storm to not move and stay a supercell like this. The setup part
should help explain how.
Close intercept of the Bradshaw NE tornado. Best part
may have just been the view straight up at the vortex overhead, while
the ground circulation crossed the highway a bit east.
Tornado outbreak day with really only two specific
areas in the setup working out. Was important to find the area with
the mid-level flow crossing the boundary.
Tornado near Ewing Nebraska. Windshield cracking hail
just before the tornado. Interesting setup and situation. Jaw
dropping example of the power in a rear flank down draft at the end
of this one. Hard to beat this as example of the power in an RFD. See
an updraft crashing downward hard on the backside. Also before that,
this was a situation where you end up with dual entities in one basic
storm. Very close bases that sorta verge on being multicell but
organized. Each tending to mess with the other's rotation till one
area finally gets it done. Too much directional turning leads to
pulse type storms as a storm ingests a lot of its outflow/precip
cooled air. This was a setup very close to having too much turning,
too near 180 degrees and so that was how the storms were acting,
pulsy. You'll see.
Obviously this video needed a linear chase and this
was a great one! Crazy outflow machine moving 60mph down the highway
west of Watertown SD. Too much dry air around off the deck and you
get evaporational cooling and outflow issues.
39 minutes total this day.
Watertown Setup - 21 Minutes
Watertown Chase - 18 Minutes
Video Sections and Duration
Intro Basics - 22 Minutes
Intro Structures - 29 Minutes
Some Forecasting - 38 Minutes
Bowdle Setup - 18 Minutes
Bowdle Chase - 45 Minutes
Valentine NE Setup - 22 Minutes
Valentine NE Chase - 32 Minutes
Dupree Setup - 25 Minutes
Dupree Chase - 46 Minutes
Bradshaw Setup - 23 Minutes
Bradshaw Chase - 17 Minutes
Ewing Setup - 18 Minutes
Ewing Chase - 31 Minutes
Watertown Setup - 21 Minutes
Watertown Chase - 18 Minutes
How do I get almost 7 hours onto 1 DVD? Well for
starters, I am going dual layer for the first time, which doubles the
disc size to 8.5 gigs(evidently most every Hollywood movie is dual
layer). Each of the 3 intro sections are stagnant images with mouse
over and talking into a mic on pictures, so are each of the setup
segments for the chases. That is a good chunk of the video. If it is
just a picture staying up there for a few to several seconds or
minutes, you can use a lot lower bitrate when encoding and still look
great. The other thing is, using the encoder in TMPGEnc at 4000
kbit/s looks as good as using the encoder in Sony Vegas at 6000
kbit/s. Using that better encoder helped with space. Using the better
encoder on those long non-video segments I can use a darn low
bitrate. Then just use a bit higher bitrate on the video footage
chase parts. It was not my intention to end up this long! Glad I have
gotten it to fit. Blu-ray can hold 25 gigs so will look even better obviously.
It's a beast of a learning video.
Special thanks to following...
SPC - Storm Prediction Center
NWS - National Weather Service
NOAA - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
UCAR - University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
Plymouth State University
Video
Duration: 6hrs 45 minutes
$25 Storm Analysis 101 DVD
$25 Storm Analysis 101 Blu Ray HD
A paypal
account is not required to use the above button. There's an option on
there to buy with a credit card. No added cost for
shipping in US. Just $5 for international shipping(it actually costs
me $9.45 overseas now so $5 may not last...). The dvd is not
region coded and should play anywhere(I've sold to many different
countries for years).
