Oklahoma is known for its rich history of tornadoes. Oklahoma has become a hotspot for meteorologists to study and storm chasers to explore. The small city of Norman is home to the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) which forecasts severe weather across the US. Oklahoma lawmakers have recently introduced a bill to regulate weather tracking.
Senator Mark Mann of Oklahoma City authored Senate Bill 158. This bill requires people to have a license for any kind of weather tracking. The license would be open to TV stations and Oklahoma universities with meteorology programs. Features of this license include storm chasers being able to use flashing lights on their vehicles, right-of-way through stops, and drive on closed roads.
Storm chasers and meteorologists have opposed the bill. Storm chaser Reed Timmer claims it overregulates weather tracking. On his Facebook page, Timmer stated that he “will fight for the sake of [the] storm chaser community.” A few high-profile storm chasers, like Reed Timmer, have been actively working with Oklahoma legislators to avoid negative impacts.
The author of the bill, Senator Mark Mann, said it will allow storm chasers to quickly provide feedback on severe weather. A meteorologist who interviewed Senator Mann questioned how law enforcement would enforce storm-chasing activities, especially when a tornado is on the ground. Senator Mann stated it would be up to law enforcement on how to enforce the bill.
30-year storm tracker for News 9 in Oklahoma, Val Castor, said the bill doesn’t restrict people from tracking severe weather. Castor stated it will allow those qualified to have special powers to conduct their work.
Monitoring severe weather is an important part of keeping people safe. NOAA has reported a steady decline in tornado fatalities since warning systems were put in place. Tracking storms on the ground is key for the National Weather Service to issue accurate warnings.
This bill has yet to be passed or signed. This story is still developing and will be updated.
