As a currently-peripatetic academic, I often live and travel in areas that are meteorologically interesting. Between growing up somewhere that can give residents all four seasons in a single day (not to mention metres of snow at a time)[1] and then living in a series of deserts, tropical savannahs, highlands and seasides, listening to or watching local weather forecasts has long been an integral part of my daily life.
Stormchasing is the practice of following storm systems and storms in progress over land. Though a critical part of research into meteorology by providing on the ground data for comparison with remote radar, satellite and/or other mechanized sources, stormchasing has more recently become part of the journalistic and digital media landscape. Despite its importance, stormchasing media has not been studied as either a media form and industry in its own right or in regard to reception by its audience. This article will begin to redress this absence through a pilot study encompassing the analysis of stormchasing texts, industrial context(s) and audience reception.