Funnel clouds, hail, swirling debris are focus of course

May 2012

A prerequisite for students taking one Longwood class is a willingness to move toward—not away from—funnel clouds, intense winds, hail and swirling debris.

“Exploring Severe Weather in the Great Plains,” a 4-credit geography and earth science course, was offered for the first time from May 14-28. The students flew to Kansas City, then searched for severe weather while traveling in a rented minivan through as many as 10 states from Texas to Montana.

A week before the students left, they started practicing for their trip during a “forecasting boot camp” where they were trained as storm spotters and learned about the geography of the Great Plains.

How close will they get to severe weather? “Close enough that we can see a possible tornado and have safe access in and out of a severe storm,” said Dr. Kelsey Scheitlin, assistant professor of geography, who led the course. “As the storm moves, we stay in front of it and watch it grow and intensify. You stay out of harm’s way but still have a good vantage point on the storm. At all costs, you avoid the hail core—it can really damage your rental car.”