''Storm Track'' was the first

magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

for and about

storm chasing Storm chasing is broadly defined as the deliberate pursuit of any severe weather phenomenon, regardless of motive, but most commonly for curiosity, adventure, scientific investigation, or for news or media coverage. A person who chases stor ...

. The magazine was in circulation between 1977 and 2002.

History and profile

''Storm Track'' was started in 1977 by chasing pioneer David Hoadley following an informal meeting of storm chasers at an

American Meteorological Society The American Meteorological Society (AMS) is the premier scientific and professional organization in the United States promoting and disseminating information about the atmospheric, oceanic, and hydrologic sciences. Its mission is to advance th ...

conference. In the beginning, it was published in newsletter format in

Falls Church, Virginia Falls Church is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,658. Falls Church is included in the Washington metropolitan area. Taking its name from The Falls Church, an 18th-century Ch ...

, but in time assumed a magazine format and was published bimonthly throughout its history. In 1986, editorship was handed over to

Tim Marshall Tim Marshall may refer to: * Tim Marshall (journalist) (born 1959), British journalist, writer and broadcaster * Tim Marshall (radio host) Tim Marshall is a South Jersey radio personality, music producer, journalist, concert promoter, educator, ...

, a storm damage

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considerin ...

(and

meteorologist A meteorologist is a scientist who studies and works in the field of meteorology aiming to understand or predict Earth's atmospheric phenomena including the weather. Those who study meteorological phenomena are meteorologists in research, while t ...

). Production of paper issues ceased in 2002 after a 25-year run; however, an accompanying website started in 1996 and continues primarily in the form of a large discussion board. ''Storm Track'', among other topics, published storm chase accounts, discussions of issues affecting storm chasing, history of storm chasing and meteorology, meteorological analysis and case studies, climatology, reviews, biographies, photography, cartoons, poetry, and classifieds. ''Storm Track'' was a non-profit publication aimed at scientists and amateurs interested in severe storms. Rich Herzog was an associate editor since 1991 and Phil Sherman an assistant editor from 1986–1990. Another associate editor and a founding member was Randy Zipser. Gene Rhoden contributed significantly to the cover design in 1986. It was published with Master Graphics in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

. Tim Vasquez was online editor. Most articles and photographs were submitted by subscribers. More than 180 people wrote articles for the magazine. David Hoadley made all the drawings and sketches and did many of the cartoons which were known as "Funnel Funnies". It began with 10 subscribers in 1977 and grew to several hundred over the years. Circulation peaked at nearly 1,000 in mid-1996 in association with the release of '' Twister''. In 2015, ownership of the ''Storm Track'' Brand was transferred to Steve Miller. Since the 2015 change in ownership, the discussion board has been updated to the newest edition of Xenforo. Additionally, a Storm Track mobile app was released (which has since been removed, with the newest update of Xenforo rendering it obsolete), along with the launch of a Discord server In July 2019, Storm Track launched Stormtrack TV, a 24-hour online television channel, in partnership with Helicity. As of April 2018, the support functions of the

Spotter Network The Spotter Network (SN) is a system that utilizes storm spotter and chaser reports of location and severe weather in a centralized framework for use by coordinators such as emergency managers, Skywarn and related spotter organizations, and the ...

forums have been housed at the ''Storm Track'' forums.

References

External links

Storm Track website
*
Stormtrack Library
*
All ''Stormtrack'' print issues, 1977-2002, on CD
Bimonthly magazines published in the United States Defunct magazines published in the United States Hobby magazines published in the United States Magazines established in 1977 Magazines disestablished in 2002 Magazines published in Texas Magazines published in Virginia Mass media in Dallas Science and technology magazines published in the United States Storm chasing Tornado {{sci-mag-stub

History and profile

See also

References

External links