Intermediate english reading

36 | 
P a g e
 
drought, and floods in the future. In the 1990s, weather was making the news on the 
Weather Channel, and by 2001, 80 million US households were tuning in to watch 
dramatic footage of weather-related catastrophes. When Twister, the second-highest 
grossing film of 1996, featured a glamorous team of researchers competing to deploy a 
data-gathering device inside a tornado, a new breed of weather fanatics, nature freaks, 
entrepreneurs, and adrenaline addicts with laptops and cell phones hit the road in hot 
pursuit. By selling live footage to sensation-hungry television stations, a daring storm 
chaser could make a name for himself and money to finance the next chase. Videos were 
popping up on YouTube, and in October 2007, the Discovery Channel premiered Storm 
Chasers, a popular documentary reality series that ran until January 2012. 
7
Storm chasing is not for the faint of heart. For serious storm chasers, getting up 
close and personal with an F4 tornado on the Fujita Scale
is about science and safety. 
For newcomers, it’s the thrill of the hunt, and for journalists and videographers, it’s 
about being the first to capture the event on camera. Without the proper equipment, 
knowledge, and experience, every storm chaser, whether motivated by science or 
adventure, is at the mercy of Mother Nature. So far, no deaths have been reported 
among storm chasers, but some have been struck by lightning, and many have been 
scared out of their wits. Despite the risks, the number of storm chasers is growing. In 
2011, there were 1,690 tornadoes in the United States and a record 350 storm chasers 
registered for Chaser Con, the National Storm Chaser Convention in Denver, Colorado. 
8
According to a 2010 World Meteorological Organization study, one-third fewer 
hurricanes have been predicted. However, their wind speeds are expected to increase 
by 100 percent and cause 60 percent more damage. As the climate warms, convective 
storms will intensify, which translates into mightier Hurricane Katrinas. So, the next 
time you hear of a storm coming, you can grab your camera, hop in the car, and hit the 
gas—or more wisely, run for cover and hope the storm won’t be as bad as the weather 
forecaster says.