Storm Chasers in Oklahoma
Darren Beaver – Seasoned Storm Chaser
There are 2 kinds of people in Oklahoma during storm season: storm chasers and everyone else. Darren “Beaves” Beaver is an Oklahoma storm chaser.
Since his early years, Darren loved the sight and power of a thunderstorm. He says that he “loved to watch the clouds” and watch the storm evolve. Ever since he turned 16, he was chasing storms, hoping that they would become a storm chaser’s dream: a tornado. Darren explained that his first tornado encounter didn’t scare him off from finding more.
Storm Chasing – More Than a Hobby
Darren has traveled all over Oklahoma and Texas, finding storms and capturing nature’s beauty on camera. He has recently began informing the public through the Weather Link Facebook page by live-broadcasting parts of his chases. He says the main goal of chasing is to benefit “the safety of the individuals that we’re trying to inform.” Although Darren admits that storm chasing is a passion, he knows that what he’s doing is important.
Shortly after the infamous Moore tornado in 2013, Darren drove through the area of destruction. He saw level of destruction that the deadly tornado had caused. He said that he “wasn’t sure if he could chase storms anymore” because of the trauma he saw that day. But, he went back to Moore after the reconstruction began and had a change of heart. “If I can just save one more life, that’s what would make it all worth it,” he said.
Advice From the Wise
Darren recommends to anyone interested in storm chasing to keep in mind:
- Never go storm chasing on your own – especially if you are inexperienced and/or new
- Always have a good radar on hand to track your storms
- If you can, take training courses and watch many videos online before heading out on your first chase
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