‘’Trumpnado’’ – An unique phenomenon in the US!
‘’How will you celebrate your 60th Chris?’’
‘’I’m going tornado chasing’’
‘’Eh? Come again’’
Yes I know. A very different way to celebrate a ‘’big’’ birthday, but that’s what I did in April and May.
No party with balloons and cake for me. No interest! Instead, I wanted to fulfil a lifelong dream and ambition by going straight to the top of my bucket list, to chase these amazing meteorological phenomena, in the USA; to learn about them and to experience their power, size, energy and effect. Five states, nearly 4000 miles, 8 days of storms, thunder and lightning and tornados, with a professional company, Tempest Tours, and 15 people from the US, The Czech Republic, Australia and the UK.
Just being there was an unique honour. Seeing the incredible storm cells, the awesome lightning displays, the dramatic skies, the ping pong sized hail, and two tornados, swirling menacingly from cloud to ground, was an emotional and humble feeling and an experience which I’ll NEVER forget.
It was also an honour to see a part of the world that seems familiar to us in the UK through movies and tv. Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Kansas and New Mexico. It was a funny feeling coming across familiar names such as Amarillo, Waco, El Paso, Wichita and Tulsa. Also discovering new and uniquely named towns like Turkey, Bird city, Colon and Wymore, which, according to the town sign, was the ‘’Welsh capital of Nebraska’’, although I must admit that I never saw any Welsh words or flags!
As I spent many hours in the specially kitted out van, with a mixture of tornado enthusiasts, it was fairly inevitable that the conversation would turn to politics, to the world’s perception of America and of course, to Donald Trump. I made a big effort to avoid talking politics with the American contingent as I was very mindful that some would be sensitive about their president, tired and embarrassed even. Very embarrased!
As we drove through Texas and Oklahoma and seeing the Trump flags and cowboys in their ‘’MAGA’’ baseball caps, I, and several others, realised that we were in Republican territory and deep in the heart of Trump ideology. Proper ‘red states’. I also realised that everyone in these states was extremely polite, nice and accommodating, who were very interested in my accent, my background and my reasons for being in the union. Therefore in that respect, it was a real pleasure to be there and I had many good conversations with several locals.
However, not everyone agrees with Donald of course. Some of my fellow travellers were Americans from California, New York City, Wisconsin and New Hampshire. ‘Blue’ states through and through and totally opposed towards their president, the government and by now, their place in the world. It became very easy to compare Donald Trump to tornados. It was interesting to listen to and to laugh about the similarities between the most powerful man in the world and one of the most powerful natural phenomena in the world. Sound strange? Well think about it. If American politics was a weather forecast, Donald would not be a light and inconsequential wind. Rather, he’d be a F5 tornado, the most destructive category, speeding noisily and dangerously through the country, turning the usual political conventions upside down and back to front, like the weak and vulnerable cottages of Kansas. Demanding that everyone listens, just like a tornado.
A tornado is born as a result of a ‘’perfect storm’’; a combination of instability, energy and atmospheric tension. Sound familiar? Since 2015, when Donald Trump the multi millionaire, or ‘’Trumpnado’’ (see what I did there?), appeared on the political scene, the man has been talking fast, turning everything upside down and splitting individuals, families, friends, cities and states.
Tornadoes don’t follow rules; they create their own path, whether you agree with that path or not.
Both Trump and tornadoes have a talent for stirring and destroying. Tornados destroying the landscape, communities and lives. Trump destroying traditions, organisations and the political status quo, and ultimately, the country. Depending on your political bent, you’ll see this destruction as either inevitable, necessary and loud cutbacks and streamlining, or as sad and unconventional and downright dangerous change.
There are differences as well of course. The biggest one possibly being that tornadoes, in general, tend to appear and disappear quite quickly, as the storms that we witnessed did, during my chasing adventure. Trump on the other hand, is likely to be with us, with the world, and on the political scene, for some time. As I said many times during my 29 years of presenting weather forecasts on TV, ‘’ a dangerous low pressure slowly moving across the country’’
Towards the end of my US adventure, after another memorable storm experience, one of my fellow chasers came up to me to ask my opinion about the president. The UK’s and Europe’s opinion. A complete madman or revolutionary? A breath of fresh air or a total embarrassment? Luckily, the rain arrived, heavy and warm, and it was a relief to escape and avoid his question!
Chasing storms and tornadoes in a part of the world that is complex, dramatic, divided, inspirational, positive and negative, all at the same time, was an amazing experience. I made lifelong friends and I enjoyed every second. The US has huge problems of course and sad, dangerous divisions between the states and their peoples…but don’t put ALL Americans in the same boat. There are some fabulous people everywhere, whatever their political colours. Especially in Texas!
***TEMPEST TOURS was the professional storm chasing company that I went with.
www.tempesttours.com