HRI Seminar Series - Chelsea Burnett, Texas Storm Chasers

"Predicting, Tracking, and Reporting Tropical Weather with Storm Chasers"

CHELSEA BURNETT
STORM CHASER, PUBLIC SPEAKER
TEXAS STORM CHASERS

Storm chasers are a valuable aid in collecting real-time information during severe weather as well as tropical storms and hurricanes on the Texas coast. Chelsea will discuss how they collaborate with National Weather Service offices to confirm predictions or enhance warning systems in coastal regions. She will discuss advancements in storm prediction and storm chaser tracking techniques, including use of computer models, satellite imagery, and data assimilation to aid in understanding potential impacts of tropical activity on ecosystems and coastal communities.

Born & raised in Oklahoma, Chelsea grew up with the obsession for Mother Nature, specifically weather. A child with a stutter, she knew she didn’t want to be on TV reporting the weather. She wanted to FEEL it, EXPERIENCE it beyond the world of a college classroom & textbooks. In 2011 she started her storm chasing journey, but it wasn’t until 2015 she witnessed her first tornado! Since then she has been on countless storm chases, with 41 tornadoes and one hurricane to show for it. Her travels for extreme weather have taken her from Texas to Montana to the Dakotas and down into Dixie Alley. She is a mother to a 9 year old son, a spouse to another storm chaser, and enjoys camping, photography, and hiking when not chasing storms.