MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif.- The heartland disaster in Oklahoma is prompting us to take a closer look at storm chasers. These men and women have said they play a vital role in trying to put out warnings before the disaster strikes. Now changes in technology are giving these brave people better tools work with.
There's interactive radar maps online, that storm trackers and even media outlets can use to see where other storm trackers are located (http://www.reporternews.com/weather/). We sat down with one of our local National Weather Service meteorologists to find out how technology like this is changing the way storm chasers do their research.
"Of course it's exciting, but at the same time you know you learn a lot and then you also gain a respect for these storms and you realize these things do change people's lives," said Monterey-based NWS Warning Coordina