You are not logged in
Danny Cheresnick - SCOUT Navigator/Meteorologist
On June 15, 1988, at was at a summer camp in Denver when the area was struck by the largest tornado outbreak in its history. Before the day was over, I'd had my first up-close contact with swarms of tornadoes and "golf ball" hail and I was hooked on extreme weather. In 1998, I left my Colorado home and moved to Norman to study meteorology at the University of Oklahoma. Most of the research for my two degrees has focused on the radar detection of both tornadoes and severe hail across the Great Plains. I have since returned to Colorado and have been working with Josh Wurman at the Center for Severe Weather Research. Lately, I have been working day and night with Justin and Herb to get the DOW, SCOUT and PROBE vehicles ready in time for the 2008 chase season. This will be my eleventh year storm chasing and the third season with the DOW program (which has also include some hurricane intercepts). I have witnessed dozens of tornadoes over the last decade, while spending countless hours and miles on the road. Aside from my weather life, I' m a big sports fan, primarily for Denver teams and the Sooners. I play a lot of poker, and especially enjoy when Reed (from the TVN team) is in the game, since he is always dead money at the table.
Aaron Rupert - SCOUT Driver
As a kid growing up near Silver Spring, Maryland some sort of weather instrument like a rain gauge, thermometer, or anemometer was always at the top of my Christmas list. I would put these "toys" to good use in the backyard whenever a northeaster, tropical system, or squall line (typical of extreme weather on the east coast) would come through. As interesting as all this was to me, I knew eventually I'd make my way westward to the Great Plains to observe the supercells and tornadoes that I'd only seen on television and in books. Sure enough, after I graduated from high school in 1998 I went on to get degrees in meteorology from the University of Oklahoma. Since moving to the Midwest I've spent every free second I could travelling across the plains and beyond with my eyes (and other sensors!) always focused on the power and beauty of our dynamic atmosphere. More simply, I'm a storm chaser, and my passion is strong enough to lead me on adventures far from my home in Norman, Oklahoma. I've chased storms everywhere from the Rio Grande to Montana, observing numerous supercells and tornadoes from close range. Storm chasing involves countless hours of driving and tons of frustration when a forecast doesn't pan out, but trust me - those five minutes when you are right next to a tornado completely make it all worth the risk.
