LIGHTNING STORMS AT NIGHT - Supercell Storm Time Lapse Pecos Hank 2015-12-31 | Unreal lightning from supercell thunderstorms in Tornado Alley! Supercells are known most for their ability to produce violent tornadoes and beautiful cloud structures. This time lapse video highlights the frequent lightning that often accompanies them. Here are my best lightning storm time lapses shot over the last 2 years from South Texas to South Dakota.Storm video available in 4K. To license footage contact hankschyma@yahoo.comMusic: "Glamorous Adagio" by Southern Backtones
Deadliest Tornadoes in History - Americas Worst vs Worlds Worst Pecos Hank 2024-09-11 | Short documentary exploring the deadliest tornadoes in the world. You might be surprised that most of them did not occur in the US. To license video contact hankschyma@gmail.comCOPYRIGHT PECOS HANK 2024NOT FOR REBROADCASTSupport this channelpatreon.com/pecoshankDEADLIEST TORNADO of 2024 (so far through Sep. 12)During the active storm season of 2024, incredible tornadoes seemed to be making daily headlines. Despite the high tornado count, the death toll has been surprisingly low. Of the 1600 tornadoes counted (so far) this year, only 44 deaths have been reported. Perhaps a testament to our warning system, and luck. The deadliest tornado this year was an EF3 that tracked between Valley View TX and Sanger TX at night on May 25th. Manufactured and mobile homes were heavily damaging or demolishing and seven lives were lost. THE TRISTATE TORNADO of 1925On Wednesday, March 18, 1925 a highly visible funnel appeared under a classic supercell thunderstorm at 1pm near Moore Township, Missouri. Shortly after the deadliest tornado in US history would claim its first life. Town after leveled town would endure a horror unlike anything America had ever seen. After crossing into Illinois, the parent storm transitioned to a high precipitation mode obscuring the intense tornado behind a curtain of rain while the strength and size of the tornado increased. With wind estimates perhaps in excess of 300 mph, the tornado obliterated the numerous towns directly in its path while racing across the landscape at an average speed of 62 mph. Entire rows of homes were leveled and swept away. Schools were devastated. Railroad tracks were reportedly ripped from the ground and sheets of iron were carried as far as 50 miles away. In rural areas, farmhouses were also leveled. Trees were debarked and the tornado carved deep scours into the earth Indicating this tornado would have easily earned the highest intensity rating on today’s enhanced Fujita scale, an EF5. Between The obliterated town of Gorham and the highly devastated town of Murphysboro, the mile-wide tornado sprinted to an incredible speed of 73 mph and for a long-time it was recognized as the fastest tornado ever recorded. In its wake, large fires burned structures with trapped victims inside. Thousands were left without shelter or food and looters raided the rubble. After 3 hours and 38 minutes of unspeakable horror, the tornado, or family of tornadoes, finally dissipated at 4:38 PM near Petersburg Indiana. Along a 235 mile damage path, approximately 15,000 homes had been destroyed, and 695 men, woman and children lost their lives. By far the largest death toll registered by any US tornado to the present day.THE DEADLIEST TORNDO IN THE WORLDOn April 26th, 1989 a large powerful tornado tracked through Bangladesh. According to the World Meteorological Organization this tornado killed roughly 1,300 people and injured 12,000. According to the Bangladesh Observer, "The devastation was so complete, that barring some skeletons of trees, there were no signs of standing infrastructures.”TOP 10 DEADLIEST TORNADOES EVER RECORDEDBangladesh is no stranger to terrible tornadoes. In fact six historic tornadoes occurring in Bangladesh are contenders for the Top 10 deadliest tornadoes ever recorded. The United States has only two on that list. TORNADOES IN BANGLADESHIt's not that Bangladesh has bigger, badder tornadoes than the US. Oklahoma is roughly the same size of Bangladesh and has significantly more tornadoes. But Oklahoma has population of 4 million while Bangladesh has a population of 174 million. If a big bad tornado occurs, It would be much more likely to hit a heavily populated area in Bangladesh than in the US.BANGLADESH VULNERABLE TO TORNADOESThe dense population, absence of a sophisticated warning system and lack of tornado shelter able to withstand destructive winds make Bangladesh highly vulnerable to any tornadoes that occur and thus the deadliest location in the world regarding tornado related fatalities. CREDITS:Video and photography by Hank SchymaAdditional photography by my man Daniele Shaw“Deep River” Piano performance by Anton Seimon RESEARCH:National Weather ServiceWorld Population ReviewBangladesh and East India Tornadoes Background Information - Jonathan FinchTornados in Bangladesh and East India - Jonathan D. Finch, Ashaf M. DewanAMS Journal - The Tornado Archive: Compiling and Visualizing a Worldwide, Digitized Tornado Database. Malcolm Maas, Timothy Supine, Andrew Berrington, Samuel Emmerson, Ava Aidala, and Michael Gavan.Atmospheric Research: The environment associated with significant tornadoes in BangladeshDan Bikos, Jonathan Finch, Jonathan L. CaseSPC - The 25 Deadliest U.S. Tornadoes
MOBBED BY MANTA RAYS!!! Pecos Hank 2024-08-16 | We were mobbed by hundreds of Manta Rays in the Maldives. After swimming into a swarm of plankton, countless manta rays suddenly appeared and plowed right through us. Support this channel here patreon.com/pecoshankCOPYRIGHT PECOS HANK 2024NOT FOR REBROADCASTTo license video contact hankschyma@gmail.comSNORKELING WITH MANTAS In the MaldivesWe flew to the other side of the planet hoping to find manta rays In the Maldives. Our manta guides warned the stormy conditions were not idealand only a few mantas had been spotted on the previous outing. They seemed genuinely concerned about charging us $165 each (not including taxes and tips) and not finding anything. But we ended up hitting the jackpot! After 15 minutes or so of swimming into the strong currents around Hanifaru Bay, the water turned murky with tiny debris. We paddled right into their plankton soup. And that’s when things went kinda crazy. An estimated 150 manta rays swam right past us. As large and scary as they might seem to some people, I felt completely safe. During heavier traffic, some of the mantas accidentally bumped into us, however for the most part, they try to steer away from you.. Sorta. A fe times their fans slapped us and you could feel their tail drag across your body. Not to worry though, they don't have stingers. MANTA RAY FACTS and INFORMATIONReef Manta rays are massive fish attaining wingspans around 12 feet. Their larger cousins the oceanic manta ray can attain wingspans up to 22 feet. Even bigger according to some tales. When filter feeding, mantas unroll their cephalic fins to help guide plankton into their gaping mouths .When not feeding, they coil their cephalic fins back up into a more streamlined horn shape and man can they fly. The dual horn look earned them the name “devil fish” in some parts of the world. “Manta” however, means “blanket” or “cloak” in Spanish and it’s easy to see how they got that name too. They have one of the largest brain-to-body mass ratios of any fish and demonstrate high intelligence levels and long term memory abilities. They can map and remember places they visit and pass the mirror test experiments where they are able they can recognize themselves. REETHI BEACH RESORTWe stayed at the Reethi Beach Resort as it's one of the more reasonably affordable resorts in the Maldives and is not too far from Hanifaru Bay where the Mantas are most likely to hang around. Right off the beach in front of our room a wonderland of marine animals thrive. Not too much farther out the atoll abruptly drops into the dark depths where leviathans lurk in your imagination. Its an amazing place to test yourself how deep you can free dive. More info later... MUSIC"La Malediction de la Dance du Poulet" by Pecos Hank"Pillbox" by Southern Backtones
CRAZY Lightning Storms with LOUD Thunder! Pecos Hank 2024-07-27 | Frequent close lightning strikes with loud thunder from two highly active lightning storms. Some clear air bolts started several fires with the storm in Kansas. A stationary storm fired bolt after bolt for 3 hours in Nebraska. This is a compilation of the best lightning captured between these two storms on June 16th and 18th 2024. SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL HEREpatreon.com/pecoshankTo license video contact hankschyma@gmail.comCOPYRIGHT PECOS HANK 2024NOT FOR REBROADCASTALL NEGATIVE CLOUD-TO-GROUND LIGHTNINGIt was interesting that all the lightning captured in this video appeared to be negative. Generally with these June storm cells in Tornado Alley there's a mix of positive and negative. Positive lightning tends to exist much longer than negative lightning. Since I was shooting 120 frames per second, it would have been nice to have some positive flashes. At 120 fps, you only capture two frames of the initial leaders and return stroke with most negative flashes. The multi-strokes (channel flickers) that sometimes occur afterward are captured well at this frame rate though. SONY A9 GLOBAL SHUTTER CAMERAI'm using the new Sony A9 global shutter camera to video lightning here. Because it's a global shutter, there are no partial exposures (different exposed lines and blocks) like you get with most consumer cameras today while documenting lightning. It's an expensive doo-dad for something so specialized, but a necessity for lightning lovers shooting video. NEW SONG - "KING CONTRARY MAN"The new song I'm tap dancing to is slated to be released August 18th on Splice Records and will be available online everywhere. Thank you so much to all my Patrons for supporting all this craziness. I think you can see how much fun I'm having attempting to bring the world a little more goodness.xoxHank
Trapped in Deadly Derecho Storm - Explained Pecos Hank 2024-06-23 | Explaining what a derecho storm is, how they differ from tornadoes and what it's like to be trapped in one. On May 16, 2024 we were caught outside when a deadly derecho slammed into Houston Texas. Support this channel here... patreon.com/pecoshankTo license video contact hankschyma@gmail.comCOPYRIGHT PECOS HANK 2024NOT FOR REBROADCASTA derecho is a classification of powerful long-lived windstorms. Typical derechos can blow down large trees and wreak havoc on power lines. Tornadoes often like to hang out with derechos and so derechos are often accompanied by tornado warnings. But what’s the difference? The damaging winds in derechos typically occur in one general direction along a relatively straight swath, whereas tornado winds as we all know are circulating. In fact, the word "tornado" originates from the Spanish words “tronada," meaning thunderstorm and "tornar," to twist or turn. To distinguish lower end tornado damage from long-lived straight line wind-storm damage, we again use Spanish... “derecho” which can mean straight. DERECHO QUALIFICATIONSFor a windstorm to qualify as a derecho It must include wind gusts of at least 58 mph or greater along most of its length. (50 knots or 93 km/h)It must have a path of continuous or intermittent wind damage that extends at least 400 miles (650 km) and is at least 60 miles wide. (100 km)DERECHO TECHNICAL DEFINITIONNOAA/NWS defines a derecho as a continuous or intermittent path of wind damage from a squall line of thunderstorms, bow echo, or quasi-linear convective system (QLCS) that extends at least 400 miles and is at least 60 miles wide. In other words: It’s a swath of wind damage from mostly non-tornadic thunderstorms that extends for 400+ miles and is at least 60 miles wide.When people are hit by a derecho, many believe it was a tornado. If you correct them, they’re usually disappointed or disagree. This is because being in a derecho often makes for an un-macho dinner party story. But derechos can be dead serious. THE DEADLY DERECHO / HOUSTON TX May 16, 2024At least eight lives were lost in the event that spanned from Texas to Florida. With hurricane force wind gusts reported up to 100 mph, countless trees and power lines were brought down causing massive power outages.A couple transmission towers collapsed from estimated 115 mph winds near the top of the towers. Damage occurred to numerous structures and thousands of windows were blasted out in downtown Houston alone. All of this inflicted over a billion dollars in damage.
Horses Hit by Tornado & Escape Unharmed Pecos Hank 2024-05-31 | Horses hit by a tornado but escape unharmed as large panels and pieces of outbuildings fly by them. This was one of a few tornadoes that touched down near Windthorst Texas on May 25th, 2024. After the tornado passed I was concerned that the fence or gate might be compromised allowing the horses to get out, however everything appeared to be secure.OTHER INTERESTING THINGS to look for in this video is the third tiny vortex in the field when the two needles first touch down. Note the sudden explosiveness of the debris as the second needle tornado impacts the building. When the horses are caught inside the tornado, note the sudden explosiveness of the trees as they blast across the gravel road. Support this Channel herepatreon.com/pecoshankTo license video contact hankschyma@gmail.comCOPYRIGHT PECOS HANK 2024NOT FOR REBROADCAST
Astonishing White Tornado on the Ground for an Hour - May 23, 2024 Pecos Hank 2024-05-24 | Astonishing large white tornado in Oklahoma on May 23, 2024. With deviant motion changing from southeast to north, this tornado meandered near Eldorado, Olustee and East Duke Oklahoma. Support this Channel here...patreon.com/pecoshankTo license video contact hankschyma@gmail.comCOPYRIGHT PECOS HANK 2024NOT FOR REBROADCAST
HOW TO CHASE TORNADOES Pecos Hank 2024-05-13 | How to chase tornadoes multiple choice. On May 2, 2024 two storms were developing in a very unstable atmosphere. The close storm is in a good road network but has been struggling the last hour while the southern storm in a poor road network has been slowly intensifying. Which storm would you chase? Support this Channel here...patreon.com/pecoshankTo license video contact hankschyma@gmail.comCOPYRIGHT PECOS HANK 2024NOT FOR REBROADCASTOn May 2, 2024 a funnel cloud appeared over Ballinger Texas around 6PM, minutes after a tornado warning was issued. An eventual tornado touched down just southeast of town in open country. A second storm erupted just south of the Ballinger supercell and produced at least one tornado north of Melvin Texas around 7PM. Like the first tornado, no serious damage was reported. Farther north near Anson Texas, another discrete supercell developed and producing destructive tornadoes, one deadly in Anson Texas, and Hawley Texas.
TORNADO FORMING TIMELAPSE - Iowa April 16, 2024 Pecos Hank 2024-04-21 | Chasing a tornado that tracked 42 miles in Iowa. This tornado impacted Houghton Iowa, New London Iowa and rural areas southwest of the Quad Cities vicinity on April 16, 2024. With peak wind speeds estimated at 130 mph this tornado earned an EF2 rating. SUPPORT THIS CHANNELpatreon.com/pecoshankTo license video contact hankschyma@gmail.comCOPYRIGHT PECOS HANK 2024NOT FOR REBROADCAST
STORM CHASING ARGENTINA Pecos Hank 2024-03-30 | A storm chasing adventure filmed in Argentina. The quest for a Southern hemisphere supercell thunderstorm takes two storm chasers through random beautiful places in Argentina but there's never enough time to bask in the charm. Another storm is brewing in the next Province. COPYRIGHT PECOS HANK 2024NOT FOR REBROADCASTTo license video contact hankschyma@gmail.comSUPPORT THIS CHANNELpatreon.com/pecoshankMUSIC CREDITS"Sinful Refrain" by Pecos Hank"Soul Chaser" by Pecos Hank"La Malediction de la Danse du Poulet" by Pecos Hank "Won't Pray Adagio" by Southern BacktonesUkulele by Spencer SchymaAcoustic guitar by Hank Schyma
TORNADOES of 2023 - Season of the Twisters Pecos Hank 2023-11-26 | Tornado chasing documentary following the incredible storms during the 2023 storm season. SUPPORT THIS CHANNELpatreon.com/pecoshankTo license video contact hankschyma@gmail.com*COPYRIGHT PECOS HANK 2023**NOT FOR REBROADCAST*In 2023 there currently have been 1165 confirmed tornadoes in the United States (as of Nov 27). That's just under the annual average. For some storm chasers, 2023 was a great year, for others, very challenging and disappointing. Though I documented 20 tornadoes, I personally fall somewhere in between as I missed the majority of the spectacularly photogenic tornado events in Iowa, Nebraska and Colorado. The year was characterized by nontypical chase setups in fringe states like Mississippi, Arkansas and Illinois as well as several hard to forecast long range, upslope set ups in Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming. Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas had lower than average storm events it seems as the days of May Lee Low triple point set-ups rolling across the Plains were almost absent. Remarkable supercell structures were abundant across the entire alley. REMARKABLE STORM EVENTS FEATURED:On March 24, Powerful Tornadoes impacted MS, AL and TN at night. Morning light revealed catastrophic EF4 rated damage in Rolling Fork Mississippiwhere 17 people lost their lives. Storm Chaser Brandon Clement documented the incredible damage with his drone. See his incredible video on his channel here...youtu.be/Gsq-UO2Slr0?si=xsGR5j8iOlRd6JvN3.31 ARKANSASRacing toward me at 50 mph was a killer EF3 In Arkansas. After ripping through Little Rock and Jacksonville, this tornado would injure 50 peopleand miraculously only one fatality was reported. However, this outbreak was just beginning. another large, intense tornado was about to tear through Wynne Arkansas. In its wake of obliterated homes, the high end EF3 claimed the lives of 4 people. 4.04 ILLINOIS & IOWAA fast moving tornadic supercell tracked from Missouri into Illinois. Several chasers were hit by a tornado with max EF3 rated damage. Luckily, the chasers would all survive. Because of the the high precipitation storm mode, extremely fast cell motion and difficult chasing terrain, I kept my distance. Over in Iowa, Scott Currens was documenting an incredibly photogenic tornado. See his footage here... youtu.be/Nz_5vWfD-MM?si=MQ-0YZPdz5mEdrTZ4.19 KANSASOne storm in eastern Kansas would produce 8 tornadoes after sunset that would traverse mostly open country in the Flint Hills. Elsewhere near OKC, interacting supercells danced in a Fujiwhara effect producing numerous tornadoes. 5.12 NEBRASKA A long tracking EF2 would track North near Lyons Nebraska where it was wrapped in heavy rain. a couple other EF2s would touch down during this outbreak including a photogenic tornado producer near Greeley and Spaulding Nebraska.6.15 TEXAS & OKLAHOMAThe event of the day was a deadly EF3 tornado tearing through Perryton Texas, ending the lives of 3 people and injuring 100 others. 6.21 MATADOR TEXASOn June 21, another extremely dangerous storm was tracking over a region with limited roads. While I was giving the storm a wide birth, Daniel Shaw managed to capture and report the intense rain-wrapped tornado prior to it striking Matador Texas. His reports directly resulted in locals seeking shelter. Unfortunately 4 deaths occurred. You can see Daniel's incredible account of this event here... youtu.be/_kc6Ab67Kso?si=5eu0dSD4fh__Sm026.23 WYOMINGOn June 23 in I finally scored some pretty tornadoes in Wyoming. The largest of the tornadoes would impact the outskirts of the small town Hawk Springs. No fatalities were reported. Chasing around the scenic bluffs and challenging road network, I managed to eek out a couple more tornadoes as the cyclic supercell moved into Nebraska. A damaging tornado would prompt a tornado emergency in Scott's Bluff and Gering as locals evacuated town. Fortunately no fatalities occurred.MUSIC CREDITS - In Order"Angel's Serenade" by Southern Backtones"Slumber Party Adagio" by Southern Backtones"Drive Under the Moon" by Pecos Hank"March of the Serpents" by Pecos Hank "Into the Summer" by Pecos HankAll other scoring by Pecos Hank
STUPID TORNADO CHASING - Dangerous Behavior Pecos Hank 2023-10-20 | Impulsive tornado chasing and dangerous behavior nudging more and more chasers closer to the edge of death. Is it really worth it? COPYRIGHT PECOS HANK 2023NOT FOR REBROADCASTTo license video contact hankschyma@gmail.comSUPPORT THIS CHANNELpatreon.com/pecoshankCORE PUNCHINGA strong storm’s heaviest concentration of rain and hail is the core. Storm chasers often risk their windshield’s driving through the core to keep up with a storm or see a tornado on the other side. But sometimes the tornado is lurking inside the core. Punching into a core hoping to see a soggy, rain wrapped tornado is highly risky and largely shortsighted. Both times I came close to being killed by tornadoes, they were obscured in precipitation. So why do some of us risk so much to capture sloppy, often passed over and forgotten, rain-wrapped tornado footage? DEDICATION or DESPERATIONA handful of you are aware of the immense dedication and sacrifice it takes to track down and capture these monsters. The pricey gear and gadgets, the expensive wear and tear, the endless driving day after day, the months of preparation each year, and the years of research. After all that investing, when that rare tornado shot is finally in your sites, the need to succeed can be a wicked influence. NEBRASKA CHASE ACCOUNT - MAY 12, 2023In the midst of a four week losing streak and another long commute, I just missed a photogenic tornado in Nebraska. Several of my friends hit the jackpot. From the notch of another storm, I was able to capture a soggy wedge before it wrapped itself in thicker blankets of rain. That sting of failure was driving me beyond better judgment and into the heavy rain for a highly unlikely redeeming shot. The adjacent winds of the invisible, tornado raked across and rocked my vehicle as I fled. Looking back at radar loops, it appeared that the tornado weakened and expanded effectively backing up its perimeter to my location. After some deeper, internal reflection I realized I was more susceptible to the impulses of hubris, competition, and the need to succeed, then I was aware. Especially when caught up in the chase. The next time I'm in a hungry hot pursuit of a tornado wrapped in heavy rain, I hope I'll remember how stupid it is. HERD MENTALITYIn the information whirlwind of storm chasing, It’s easy to become overwhelmed and confused. Another disoriented chaser racing by might appear confident and so you decide to follow them to glory. Then another clueless chaser starts following you and pretty soon you’re in a conga line of confusion. Perhaps this is one reason we’re seeing more and more convoys racing into potentially perilous situations. If you’ve lost situational awareness, try not to assume others know what they’re doing. You may end up following a bunch of lemmings. I'm guilty of the above as well. I recall back around 2005 I was chasing a lightning storm in Oklahoma. Back then I had no data other than a weather radio. Storm chaser Warren Faidley's vehicle whizzed by going the opposite direction with all its antennae and I thought "He must know something." I turned around and followed him all the way to his hotel parking lot. For some reason he was quitting for the day. AWESTRUCKTo be a successful chaser, you’re really gonna have to love thunderstorms. If you don’t, daily disappointment and road wear is gonna cull you out fast. When that rare tornado moment is baring down, it’s EASY for a tornado nut to become a transfixed, sitting duck. If you think tornadoes are neato on YouTube? Wait until you see one in real life. As massive as there are, these storms have a funny way of sneaking up on you. Try to keep that in mind if you find yourself gawking at one. DUCK MENTALITY.The most dangerous part of the storm is approaching close but all the other chase vehicles are still sitting there, so you sit there. But they’re possibly sitting there because you’re not moving. If you’re feeling its time to scamper away, trust your lizard brain rather than the flock around you. HYPE ADDICTIONA great way to score 5K likes is to almost die in a tornado. The boost your channel will get from your stupidity will likely outshine any calculated beauty you capture. The world that worships recklessness wants to see you die. Ask yourself, do you really want to oblige them? For many people it’s better to be annoying than invisible. Just ask any guy blaring music or revving their engine at the gas pump. Happy TrailsCHAPTERS0:00 Unpredictable tornado traps0:41 Dangerous behavior intro1:00 Core punching2:05 Dedicated or desperate? 2:48 Near death encounter4:24 Impulsivness / Hubris5:02 Herd mentality6:06 Awestruck6:55 Sitting ducks7:22 Fools rush in8:01 Passing in bad weather8:32 Loser drivers
How to get Eaten by the Largest Reptile on Earth Pecos Hank 2023-08-11 | Massive crocodiles hunting and leaping into the air. Plus amazing facts & information about the largest reptile on Earth and how to become its dinner. COPYRIGHT PECOS HANK 2023NOT FOR REBROADCASTTo license video contact hankschyma@gmail.comSUPPORT THIS CHANNELpatreon.com/pecoshank THE SALTWATER CROCODILE (Cocodylus porosus) FACTS & INFORMATION The Saltwater Crocodile is the largest living reptile on the planet. These modern day dinosaurs can grow over 6.5 meters long (23 feet) and weigh over 1,000 kilos (2,200 lbs). They have the most powerful bite of any animal on Earth and are mighty enough to take down buffalo and cattle. Salt water crocodiles are cited as the most intelligent or sophisticated reptile. Besides using body language, they also vocally communicate using sounds, including barking, hissing, growling, chirps or grunts. They can hold their breath for hours underwater where they are ultra sensitive to vibrations. They don’t need to see you to know exactly where you are when you approach the water’s edge. This makes them extra effective ambush hunters in murky salt waters, brackish and fresh waters. CROCODILE ATTACKS ON HUMANSSaltwater crocodiles can live more than 70 years. They are opportunistic feeders that prey on a variety of species including crabs, fish, birds, turtles, pigs, buffalo and even humans. Though crocodiles and their relatives have a negative reputation among people, most species are relatively harmless and would rather avoid people rather than confront them. Saltwater Crocodiles are known to show aggression towards people, partly a result of its strong territoriality and partly because we are on their menu. Human attacks from all crocodile species worldwide are estimated around a thousand per year according to one source. The Nile crocodile is responsible for the majority of those due to the much more likely odds it will encounter humans in Africa. Saltwater crocodiles range from India, through Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, into the Philippines, Palau, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands and Northern Australia. Reports of saltwater crocodile attacks are surprisingly low. Calculations I dug up varied from 30 to over a hundred attacks per year for the that species. In Australia, attacks from “saltys” average about 2 per year. Across their vast domain, humans kill thousands of saltwater crocs each year and several countries have hunted them to local extinction.CROCODILE TOURISM IN AUSTRALIAAustralia has recognized the value of protecting the crocs where it’s now illegal to hunt them. The recovering populations there, help manage a healthy ecosystem and croc tourism is bringing in money from fascinated adventurers who want to witness them in their natural habitat. Numerous river cruises specializing in teasing wild saltwater crocodiles to leap out of the water are a hit with photographers. CROCOSAURUS COVELocated in Darwin, Crocosaurus Cove offers a unique way to swim with massive captive crocodiles called the “Cage of Death.” Of course you’re behind thick plexiglass that should protect you. It’s gimmicky, amazing and many of their crocodiles are rescues. Leo, one of the star crocs there, was eating too many cattle before being captured in the wild. His life was spared in exchange for captivity. On one occasion, Leo mauled a worker at Crocosaurus Cove when she got too close. She was lucky to escape with her life and limbs after losing a lot of blood. There’s lots of other fascinating animals at this small zoo to see and I found the entire facility educating with heavy emphasis on conservation. CURRENT STATUSSaltwater crocodiles have few natural predators. Still, their skins have historically been highly prized, and they have suffered immensely from hunting, both legal and illegal. Their eggs and meat are also consumed as food. In the past, this species has been threatened with extinction. Recent conservation efforts have allowed them to make an impressive comeback in Australia but the species as a whole is much rarer than in the past.Music scored by Pecos Hank Crocodile Dundee theme performed by Pecos HankCHAPTERS0:00 Crocodile attack reenactment 0:58 Warning, No swimming1:17 Largest reptile on Earth1:30 Most powerful bite on Earth1:42 Most intelligent reptile1:57 Excellent hunters2:15 Attacks on people2:43 Crocodile protection3:00 Leaping crocodiles
The Mesocyclone - Alien Storms Pecos Hank 2023-07-20 | Time lapse compilation of best mesocyclones and supercells resembling flying saucers, alien crafts and motherships. COPYRIGHT PECOS HANK 2023NOT FOR REBROADCASTTo license video contact hankschyma@gmail.comSUPPORT THIS CHANNELpatreon.com/pecoshankWHAT IS A MESOCYCLONE? The engine of the strongest and most dangerous thunderstorms and the bringer of the most intense tornadoes on Earth is the mesocyclone. When a thunderstorm develops in an atmosphere with strong changes of wind speed and/or direction with height, the updraft may twist and rotate as a vertical column becoming a mesocyclone. The effects of this mesocyclone on storm clouds can appear otherworldly with wind sculpted structures resembling flying saucers, alien crafts hovering below the storm base or invading motherships casting ominous shadows. The presence of a mesocyclone can enable a thunderstorm to persist for hours as a supercell. Technically, "mesocyclone" is a term used for radar analysis defining storm-scale rotation in convective storms that meets specific magnitude, vertical depth and duration. - Cyclonically rotating vortex in a convective storm- 2-10 km in diameter - Vorticity 10-2 S-1 or greaterWhen Doppler radar detects a mesocyclone exhibiting intensifying rotation, a tornado warning may be issued. Most mesocyclones don’t produce tornadoes. Sometimes they produce small brief tornadoes. Sometimes they summon enormous, long-lived monsters. Mesocyclones are often accompanied by frequent lightning activity that is especially evident at night. On May 25th, this year in New Mexico storm chasers gawked for hours as an almost stationary supercell delivered an out-of-this-world light show. All Cinematography and Music by Pecos Hank
Five Spooky Tornadoes from One Storm Pecos Hank 2023-07-08 | Photogenic tornado compilation from one storm that tracked from Chugwater Wyoming through Scottsbluff Nebraska and beyond on June 23, 2023. To license video contact hankschyma@gmail.com*COPYRIGHT PECOS HANK 2023**NOT FOR REBROADCAST*As many as 8 tornadoes occurred with this storm, most occurring over open county causing little damage. Two of the tornadoes were significant, rated EF2. The first EF2 occurred near Hawk Springs Wyoming impaling a tree branch into the side of a home, damaging small outbuildings, knocking down utility poles, and hardwood trees. The second EF2 occurred near Scottsbluff, Terrytown and Gering Nebraska prompting a tornado emergency for the area. One home was badly damaged. More info later.. Music by Pecos Hank Schyma
MAKING SUPERCELL the Movie Pecos Hank 2023-05-07 | "Supercell" the movie sneak peeks discussion about how the film was made using real tornado and lightning footage with Director Jamie Winterstern.On March 16th, 2023 a supercell tracked across Ft Worth to Dallas Texas dropping an EF1 tornado in Irving Texas. Building facades, rooftops and trees were damaged, but no injuries were reported. The following evening, storm chasers gathered in Dallas to watch the premiere of the film "Supercell." Skip Talbot noted how Director Jamie Winterstern was able to get an actual supercell walk the red carpet. SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL:www.patreon.com/pecoshank
MONSTER HAIL Smashing Windshield Next to Tornado Pecos Hank 2023-04-23 | Monster Baseball sized hailstone smashing my windshield right in front of my camera with tornado approaching. **NOT FOR REBROADCAST**COPYRIGHT PECOS HANK 2023To license video contact hankschyma@gmail.comOn April 19, 2023 a tornado outbreak occurred in Oklahoma, Kansas and Iowa. The tornadoes in this video were near the towns Strong City Kansas and Cottonwood Falls Kansas. A cyclic supercell thunderstorm produced 2 significant tornadoes rated EF2 by the NWS as they uprooted or snapped hardwood trees, damaged a metal panel building, tore down transmission lines and overturned or damaged 67 headstones in a graveyard. 6 other weak tornadoes were surveyed by the NWS with this storm. Three of those I was able to document though they were not highlighted in this particular video. SUPPORT THIS CHANNELpatreon.com/pecoshank
DEADLY TORNADOES in ARKANSAS - March 31, 2023 Pecos Hank 2023-04-09 | The Little Rock & Wynne Arkansas tornadoes on March 31, 2023. These tornadoes were moving roughly 50 mph leaving behind a wake of destruction. ***NOT FOR REBROADCAST***COPYRIGHT PECOS HANK 2023To license video contact hankschyma@gmail.comLITTLE ROCK ARKANSAS TORNADOOn March 31 a Tornado Emergency was issued for Little Rock Arkansas as an EF3 tornado was tearing through town at 50 mph. In its 34 mile long wake, At least 2,700 structures, houses, apartments, businesses and churches would be damaged or destroyed. With peak wind speeds estimated at 165 mph this long tracking tornado would cause 54 injuries and miraculously only 1 fatality was reported. However, this tornado outbreak was just beginning and another intense storm was racing directly toward the town Wynne Arkansas. WYNNE ARKANSAS TORNADO Southeast of Wynne I observed a thin tornado with a high debris cloud for about 3 minutes before it appeared to dissipate. Then, I believe a second much larger tornado developed further north. Radar velocity appears to validate that these were indeed two separate tornadoes but I'm not 100% positive. The much larger tornado was heading directly toward the town center as I documented it while driving north on Highway 1. This Tornado (currently rated at least EF3) would carved a path through Wynne (Cross County) around 445 pm CDT. Structures were obliterated, and at least four fatalities resulted. Farther downstream, the same tornado wreaked havoc (i.e. homes damaged or destroyed and trees uprooted or snapped) just west of Parkin (Cross County) and north of Earle (Crittenden County). South of Turrell (Crittenden County), The tornado eventually crossed the Mississippi River and dissipated near Burlison, TN after a 73 mile trek. SUPPORT THIS CHANNELpatreon.com/pecoshank
Amazing Blue Jet Over Texas !!! Pecos Hank 2023-03-04 | Incredible blue jet and entire thunderstorm caught on video. *NOT FOR REBROADCAST*COPYRIGHT PECOS HANK 2023To license video contact hankschyma@gmail.comBLUE JET FACTS & INFORMATION:The first blue jets caught on video were during a NASA aircraft mission in 1994. Rarely documented, Most blue jets are accidentally caught on camera by nature lovers photographing the parent lightning storms. Blue jets can initiate as a leader exits the upper extent of the thunderstorm and propagates toward the upper atmosphere. The rarified air and low pressure of the upper atmosphere leads to a visible transformation in the leader as the ionization travels upward. It’s the excitation of molecular nitrogen that delivers their spectacular sapphire glow. The top of the thunderstorm sparking this blue jet was estimated to be roughly 10 miles high and the visible portion of this blue jet was calculated by Paul Smith to be roughly 13 miles tall from storm top to upper visible extent of the jet. The low noise you hear is ear candy adding for your entertainment. Thank you for your continuing consultation and guidance Paul SmithDr. Walt LyonsTom Warner SUPPORT THIS CHANNELpatreon.com/pecoshank
TORNADOES of 2022 - Nasty Magic! Pecos Hank 2023-02-04 | Up close tornado chasing documentary following an array of storm events that occurred in 2022 in chronological order. SUPPORT THIS CHANNELpatreon.com/pecoshankTo license video contact hankschyma@gmail.com**COPYRIGHT PECOS HANK 2023****NOT FOR REBROADCAST**From the red, dusty fields of west Texas to the ocean of green in Montana. From the tropical Florida Keys to the dreamy landscapes in Arizona. In 2022 I drove roughly 30,000 miles documenting storms On anticipated big days, A storm chaser might drive all the way to Iowa and only see some rain. Then turn around and drive all night back to Texas and only see some rain. A storm Chaser might drive all the way to Montana only to get a sun burn. And sometimes a storm chaser isn’t expecting to see anything and they find a monster. In 2022, 1240 confirmed tornadoes have been tallied. I was only able to track down a dozen of those. My third consecutive year with below average scores. Though 2022 wasn’t as epic as 2016 or 2019 for many of us, we’d be foolish to complain.MUSIC:"Angel's Serenade" by Southern Backtones"Slumber Party Adagio" by Southern Backtones"Glamorous Adagio" by Southern Backtones"Lanugo" by Southern Backtones "Won't Pray Adagio" by Southern Backtones"El Reno Blues" by Pecos Hank"Bandera" by Southern Backtones
Most Powerful Lightning Strikes & Red Sprites Experiment Pecos Hank 2023-01-06 | Experiment capturing the most powerful lightning strikes simultaneously with the Red Sprites they trigger above the storm.SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL:www.patreon.com/pecoshankCOPYRIGHT PECOS HANK LLC 2023ALL RIGHTS RESERVEDTO LICENCE FOOTAGE contact hankschyma@gmail.comOVER / UNDER EXPERIMENT:Some of the most powerful lightning events can propagate horizontally for 10s of kilometers and connect to the ground with a massive surge of electricity. We call these horizontally extensive ground flashes. Seeing these big daddies blossom underneath storm clouds is a jaw dropping sight but, underneath the storm, you’re still only seeing half the show. If a lightning strike is powerful enough, it can flip the charge at the top of thunderstorms initiating another spectacular light show high above the storm. Red sprites belong to a group of mysterious large scale electrical discharges called Transient Luminous Events, or TLEs. In order to see the spectacular parent lightning discharges in all their glory and the TLEs they initiate above the storm, we’re going to need to be in two places at one time. In this video, I team up with storm chaser Paul Smith to simultaneously document the most powerful lightning strikes and the magnificent TLEs they parent in what we call the Over / Under Experiment. Negative ground flashes are the most common manifestation of cloud-to-ground lightning. But these generally don’t transfer enough charge to spark a TLE. For this experiment to be successful, I’m going to have to locate a rain free vicinity of the storm were the horizontally extensive positive ground flashes are occurring while Paul Smith finds cloud free skies and clear views over the tops of the same distant thunderstorm complex.Check out Paul Smiths YouTube channelyoutube.com/@PaulMSmithPiano music: Radiohead's "Like Spinning Plates" performed by Hank Schyma
MASTERING FEAR with Dr. Magnus & Admiral Winnefeld Pecos Hank 2022-12-07 | Managing and mastering fear, stress and anxiety with former Astronaut Dr. Sandra Magnus and former Navy TOPGUN instructor Admiral Sandy Winnefeld. We fear the unknown, change and of course danger. In this discussion, Dr. Sandra Magnus and Admiral Sandy Winnefeld hammer home how they mastered fear, stress and anxiety in lifelong careers with extreme danger, uncertainty and responsibility. Desensitization through extensive training and preparation has been the simple logic, however it requires a lot of hard work and discipline. If you’re willing to put in the work, Dr. Magnus and Admiral Winnefeld show how any person can conquer fear and anxiety. SUPPORT THIS CHANNELwww.patreon.com/pecoshankDR. SANDRA MAGNUSArmed with a PhD in materials science and engineering, Dr. Magnus worked for McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Company from 1986 to 1991, as a stealth engineer studying the effectiveness of radar signature reduction techniques. Selected to the NASA Astronaut Corps in 1996, she has been launched into space 3 times through 2011. She lived and worked aboard the International Space station accumulating 157 days in space. Magnus has also served as the Executive Director of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) as well as numerous other leadership positions as director, commander and professor. ADMIRAL JAMES SANDY WINNEFELDbegan his naval service flying the F-14 Tomcat, and serving as an instructor at the Navy Fighter Weapons School, also known as TopGun. in 37 years of US Navy service, Admiral Sandy Winnefeld was senior aide to General Colin Powell eventually commanding the USS CLEVELAND and then USS ENTERPRISE. He was the 9th Vice Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as well as a long distinguished list of leadership as commander, director and professor. Together, Dr. Magnus and Admiral Winnefeld host the podcast “The Adrenaline Zone” youtube.com/@theadrenalinezonepodcast5701CREDITSThank you NASA for providing the incredible and inspiring photography and video for this production. Thank you National Geographic, Dr. Anton Seimon and Dr. Tracy Seimon for providing the MT Everest photography. Thank you Riley Burn at Podigy for recording and providing the audio and video for this discussion. INTRO MUSIC“March of the Serpents” by Pecos Hank OUTRO MUSIC“La Male’diction de la Danse Du Poulet” by Pecos Hank
EXPLORE MOOREA ISLAND - Snorkeling, Sharks, Whales and Dogs? Pecos Hank 2022-11-13 | Ultimate tropical vacation guide to Moorea Island in French Polynesia. From snorkeling at resort hotels to swimming with whales and sharks. This has to be one of the dreamiest places on Earth.Moorea Island is the little island 15 kilometers or so from Tahiti and part of the nation of French Polynesia. When we were booking lodging on Moorea, we were concerned that if we didn’t stay at the pricey resorts right on the lagoon, we wouldn’t have access to all the coral wonders. Now that we've been here, we know that's not the case. There are numerous Air BnBs, hotels and cottages priced significantly cheaper than the resort and because of the many public beaches, a budget trip is in the cards.HILTON MOOREA RESORTAt the Hilton Moorea resort you can stay in a dreamy bungalow right over the lagoonfor around $1200 a night. Or you can do like us and get the room right by a parking lotfor 450 bucks. Snorkeling right off the resort shore, we saw sharks, butterfly fish, batfish, boxfish and Moray eels. Plus tons of chromis, humbugs and wrasses... The works! The highlight at the Hilton though is the crepery over the water where guests devour an assortment of delicious crepes while sharks make the rounds below. In our opinion, Sofitel Kia Ora Resort was much nicer and almost half the price. We go into that in the other video. FARE CLUB HOLIDAY COTTAGETo avoid filing chapter 11, we relocated to something a little more reasonable. Close to the beach and super relaxed bohemian vibe, the Fare Club Holiday Cottage was $140 a night. Our modest room came with a complimentary mosquito net and pit bull. Complimentary breakfast, of bread, jams, cereal and coffee is served in the local charm. SWIMMING WITH SHARKS AND RAYSBoating with a small group to a sandy island beach, we observed several breaching humpback whales. Along the way, our tour guide collecting random floating coconuts that would end up in our lunch. The boat ride was beautiful! On a white sandy shore we got to swim among peaceful rays and black tip reef sharks. On the nearby reef, we saw sunset wrasses, pinktail triggerfish, lagoon triggerfish, sailfin tangs, bristletooths, das’cyllus and raccoon butterfly fish to name a few. GOLD DUST DAY GECKOS (Phelsuma laticauda)Moorea translates to "yellow lizard." The island was named after a yellowish nocturnal gecko that is common sticking to to walls and structure ridding the place of what bugs they can snag. A more recent colonizer to the island is the gold dust day gecko. These are originally from Madagascar but might have made their way to Moorea via Hawaii first. Day geckos have smaller eyes than their nocturnal cousins and like us have to turn their heads and look over their shoulders to make sure you’re not up to any mischief. This gives them the cutest little personality and a good bet why the video game Gex and GEICO insurance chose this species over their more mysterious seeming nocturnal cousins. MOUNTAIN TOURSTo explore the majestic mountains of Moorea, there are ATV tours that caravan you to scenic overlooks, or you can rent a more quiet car like we did and go at your own pace. The iconic mountain with the hole through it is Mou'a Puta which means “pierced mountain” in Tahitian...Something different in Spanish. For the hardcore climbers and hikers, there is a steep trail up to the ridge. Beware of changing weather conditions! For the more hobbyist hikers like us, we recommend the 45 minute to 1 hour hike to the top of Magic Mountain. We paid a couple dollars to park at a little shop that sold snacks and nit knacks and hiked to the gorgeous overlook. If there’s a point on the globe that’s the farthest from noisy industrialization and air pollution, this might be it... At least until the ATV tours arrive. MUSIC CREDITSSolo Ukulele by Spencer Schyma "La Male'diction de la Danse du Poulet" - by Pecos Hank"PillBox" - by Southern Backtones"How Did You Get To Be So Mean" - by Pecos HankTahitian music recored live at Tiki Village
ADORABLE BABY HUMPBACK WHALE & Doting Mother Pecos Hank 2022-10-08 | Beautiful encounter with a playful humpback whale calf and mother. In this video we search for Humpback whales in French Polynesia off the island of Moorea. These are our incredible experiences!SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL:www.patreon.com/pecoshankCOPYRIGHT PECOS HANK LLC 2020ALL RIGHTS RESERVEDTO LICENCE FOOTAGE contact hankschyma@gmail.comWHALE WATCHINGBetween July and early November, humpback whales return to the calm warm waters in Polynesia to mate or give birth. For a heart warming 20 minutes we documented a loving mother doting on her playful baby. It seemed the mother was encouraging her calf to nurse, but the curious little whale was more interested in exploring… But not too far from mom’s watchful eyes. During a peaceful afternoon in the ocean, the little family relished each other’s company with gentle nudging, body rubbing and affection. SWIMMING WITH WHALES IN TAHITI AND MOOREAWe just had to try swimming in the ocean with humpback whales. It’s said to be one of the most beautiful underwater observations in the world. Swimming near whales is regulated in Moorea and requires some patience. Despite all the waiting and bobbing around, there’s boat loads of anticipation and excitement. If the opportunity arrives, swimmers are cautioned to slip softly into the water, swim far from the boat out into the open abyss and cross your fingers. The law here specifies boats may not approach closer than 100 meters to whales…150 if it’s a mom and calf. Our first two attempts there were no whales in sight yet the thunderous volume of their song shook your chest. It was beautiful and eerie. During our third attempt, storm clouds and a low sun left little light to film under water as our tour guide spotted 2 giants in the depths below. Though It was too dark to capture quality footage, the memory of this incredible experience is still vibrant. MOOREAMoorea is Tahiti’s little sister island 15 kilometers or so from Tahiti. “Mo’o Rea” Translates to lizard - yellow.” You can see the yellow geckoes all over the island clinging to walls and what not. MUSIC CREDITS:"La male'diction de la danse du poulet" by Pecos HankSolo ukelele performances by Spencer Schyma"Quasi una Fantasia" performed by Hank Schyma "PillBox" by Southern Backtones"How did You Get To Be So Mean" by Pecos HankLive Tahitian music recorded at Tiki Village in Moorea
TOP 10 CLOSE TORNADOES Pecos Hank 2022-08-28 | TOP 10 up close tornado encounters compilation. Exploring close tornado intercepts and the driving incentives to cross that line in the wind defining close and too close. SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL:www.patreon.com/pecoshankCOPYRIGHT PECOS HANK LLC 2020ALL RIGHTS RESERVEDTO LICENCE FOOTAGE contact hankschyma@gmail.comWhen A tornado is in the vicinity, normal people tend to seek shelter. Others try to catch a glimpse of the rare spectacle. For some storm chasers the closer they get, the better. But why would anybody risk everything to witness something so formidable so close? Is it all just for social network boasting and media hype? Is it for science or for money? Is it rooted in pure fascination and curiosity, or just plain stupidity? Over the last couple decades, I’ve had numerous opportunities and incentives to dare up close photography of tornadoes. More than once, I was lucky to escape with my life. In this video we’re going to explore close intercepts with tornadoes, and the driving incentives to cross that line in the wind defining close and too close. These are my top 10 up close tornado encounters caught on camera.
MOST POWERFUL TORNADOES Ever Recorded Pecos Hank 2022-06-30 | Exploring the top three most powerful tornadoes ever recorded.and what craziness it takes for a tornado to earn the highest wind intensity rating on Enhanced Fujita scale (EF Scale).SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL:www.patreon.com/pecoshankCOPYRIGHT PECOS HANK LLC 2020ALL RIGHTS RESERVEDTO LICENCE FOOTAGE contact hankschyma@gmail.comEF5s destroy well built homes and sweep their concrete foundations clean of debris. Cars are mangled and tossed hundreds, possibly thousands of meters away. But what exactly does a tornado have to do to earn the most powerful EF5 rating? or an F5 rating? What’s the difference? In over 20 years of chasing tornadoes I’ve documented at least 8 EF4 tornadoes, but only one EF5. As of the date of this video the last EF5 tornado occurred in Moore Oklahoma on May 20th, 2013. Over 9 years ago. So where have all the EF5’s gone? BRIEF HISTORY of the FUJITA SCALE (F-scale)If a strong tornado strikes an instrument that measures wind speeds, The anemometer will likely be blown to smithereens long before it was able to measure and record how fast the strongest winds were. But, If we found the crumbled anemometer a mile away, scientists and engineers can make estimates of what wind velocities might do such a thing. In 1971 Dr. Ted Fujita developed a method to rate the intensity of tornadoes based on surveys of ground damage. The Fujita Scale has 6 intensity categories from the lightest damage F0 to the incredible F5. With wind estimates from 261-318 mph (419 - 512 km/h), EF5s are powerful enough to throw cars hundreds, possibly thousands of meters and completely sweep away brick homes. [But the Fujita scale was very limiting with only general descriptions and no account for construction quality. Also, the wind speed estimateswas later deemed by meteorologists and engineers as being too high. For example, a 261 mph wind speed is NOT required to completely destroy a well constructed house and blow away the debris. This damage occurs at significantly lower wind speeds than previously thought.THE EF SCALERevision or enhancement of the Fujita Scale was needed. In 2007 operational use of the ENHANCED Fujita scale began in the United states. The EF scale has a more accurate estimation of damaging wind speeds.and has 28 damage indicators all with respective Degrees of damage. The old scale lists an F5 tornado with winds of 261–318 mph (420–512 km/h), The new scale lists an EF5 with winds above 200 mph (322 km/h),This is found to be sufficient to cause the damage previously ascribed to the F5 range of wind speeds. NOAA DAMAGE ASSESMENT TOOLKITThe NOAA damage assessment toolkit has a tremendous amount of information with detailed photos and assessments of damage citing why a tornado received the rating it did. It’s fascinating to explore, and available to the public. Here's that link...apps.dat.noaa.gov/stormdamage/damageviewerTOP 3 MOST POWERFUL TORNADOES EVER MEASURED#1: The May 3, 1999 Bridge Creek-Moore Oklahoma F5...This tornado destroyed thousands of homes and businesses, killing 36. and is cited as the highest winds ever measured on earth with mobile Doppler radar velocity measurements of roughly 302 mph. #2: May 31, 2013 El Reno EF3...In addition to being the widest tornado ever recorded El Reno 2013 is also a contender for the highest winds measured on Earth with similar radar-measured velocities of 302 mph, but these were in orbiting subvortices moving extremely rapidly, whereas the May 3, 1999 Doppler readings were slicing the main vortex where peak velocities weren’t as transientAs in the 2013 El Reno tornado.#3: The May 24, 2011 El Reno EF5 with most likely max wind speeds at 295 mph. I actually recorded The moments when University of Oklahoma's RaXpol radar was getting that data. EF5s and F5s make up only .1% of rated tornadoes in the US. Between 1950 and 2007, 50 tornadoes were officially rated F5 and since February 2007, only nine tornadoes have been officially rated EF5. F5 TORNADOES OUTSIDE THE USA:CANADA has had one F5...- June 22, 2007, F5 Elie Manitoba (EC)FRANCE has had 2 F5s...- Aug 19, 1845 Montville- June 24, 1967. PalluelGERMANY has had two F5s..- June 29, 1764 Woldegk- Apr 23, 1800 HainichenITALY has had at least one F5...- Jul 24, 1930 Treviso, UdineAnd RUSSIA had one F5. - Jun 9, 1984 Ivano, LunevoSPECIAL THANKS:To Daniel Shaw for Licensing me the May 20, 2013 Moore Oklahoma EF5 damage video and to Dr. Tracie Seimon, Dr. Anton Seimon and Skip Talbot for helping me research and edit this script. RESEARCH:The Multiple-Vortex Structure of the El Reno, Oklahoma, Tornado on 31 May 2013BLUESTEIN, THIEM, SNYDER, HOUSER Some Considerations for the Use of High-Resolution Mobile Radar Data in Tornado Intensity Determination AUG 2014 SNYDER & BLUESTEIN THE ROLE OF MULTIPLE-VORTEX TORNADO STRUCTURE IN CAUSING STORM RESEARCHER FATALITIES by WURMAN, KOSIBA, ROBINSON, MARSHALL
TERRIFYING TORNADO EXPERIENCE - May 23, 2022 Pecos Hank 2022-05-27 | Experience a large, terrifying tornado up close that occurred near Morton Texas on May 23, 2022 from inside the Bear's cage. This red dust eating tornado meandered over open farmland. SUPPORT THIS CHANNELpatreon.com/pecoshankTo license video contact hankschyma@gmail.com***COPYRIGHT PECOS HANK 2018******NOT FOR REBROADCAST***
BEAUTIFUL TORNADOES - May 4, 2022 Texas Outbreak Pecos Hank 2022-05-18 | Multiple beautiful, extremely photogenic tornadoes documented crazy close on May 4th, 2022 in North Texas. For almost 4 hours and a lone supercell spawned tornadoes and dazzled chasers from Southwest of Paducah to Crowell to near Vernon TX along a snaky 81 mile track.SUPPORT THIS CHANNELpatreon.com/pecoshankTo license video contact hankschyma@gmail.com***COPYRIGHT PECOS HANK 2018******NOT FOR REBROADCAST***The horrible road network over big country didn’t prevent chasers from capturing beautiful images as the low precipitation, high based storm offered spectacular views from even miles away. But later that evening as the storm tapped into an even more volatile atmosphere downstream, chasing conditions abruptly became extremely dangerous as tornadoes swallowed wind turbines. The town of Lockett along with several chasers were impacted by a large rain wrapped EF3 tornado. This is my account of this incredible storm. Watching this video, you might be amazed at the wind turbine’s strength and durability while taking direct hits from an EF1 tornado. If you look closely you can even see the blades bending and flexing in the strong winds. Also to prevent damage, wind turbines automatically cut-off when wind speeds exceed 55 or 65 mph depending on the unit.
TORNADO COMING RIGHT FOR US !!! Pecos Hank 2022-05-05 | Tornado charging directly toward the camera. POV of one of many tornadoes spawned by a supercell that tracked from Paducah to Vernon Texas on May 4th, 2022.SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL:www.patreon.com/pecoshankCOPYRIGHT PECOS HANK LLC 2020ALL RIGHTS RESERVEDTO LICENCE FOOTAGE contact Sarah at hankschyma@gmail.com
TORNADOES of 2021 - The Storm Chasers Pecos Hank 2022-02-14 | Tornadoes of 2021 documentary with a behind the scenes look into the storm chasers that dedicate much of their lives pursuing monster storms in Tornado Alley and elsewhere. SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL:www.patreon.com/pecoshankCOPYRIGHT PECOS HANK LLC 2020ALL RIGHTS RESERVEDTO LICENCE FOOTAGE contact Sarah at hankschyma@gmail.comIn 2021, 1376 tornadoes were confirmedCausing over a hundred fatalities, the most tornado related deaths we’ve seen in the US since 2011. Though it turned out to be an above average year in touch downs, A continuing deficit of photogenic tornadoes seemed to inflate the reverence for nebulous, weak and rain-wrapped funnels. For most of the storm chasers, the surplus of incredible storm structures, lightning and atmospheric colors made chasing in 2021 well worth all the challenges. FREAK DECEMBER TORNADO OUTBREAKS of 2021On the evening of December 10th and dark AM hours of the 11th a deadly tornado outbreak devastated portions of the Ohio and mid Mississippi river valleys. In horrifying darkness multiple strong to violent, long tracking tornadoes destroyed thousands of homes and businesses, some of which were completely leveled or swept from their foundations. QUAD STATE TORNADO?One long lived supercell produced two EF4 tornadoes where Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee and Kentucky borders are in close proximity. Several media outlets prematurely hyped these tornadoes as ONE “quad state tornado," inaccurately claiming the longest tornado ever recorded. The first EF4 from this storm tracked “81 miles (130.7 km) killing seven people. With top wind speeds estimated at 190 mph” (306 km/h) The second tracked 165 miles (266.7 km) killing over 50 people. By sunrise on December 11th, 88 people had lost their lives. *Data preliminary and subject to changeDECEMBER 15th DERECHOFour days later, a long-lived and fast moving, destructive wind storm called a derecho spawned a swarm of tornadoes in the the Upper Midwest. The highest rated were only EF2s and no tornado related fatalities were reported. A freak December finished off 2021 with an additional 200 tornadoes. More than April and June combined. MUSIC CREDITS"Angel's Serenade" by Southern Backtones"Slumber Party Adagio" by Southern Backtones"Won't Pray Adagio" by Southern Backtones"Lanugo" by Southern Backtones"Diamonds at Her Feet" by Southern Backtones"Deep River" piano by Dr. Anton Seimon"El Reno Blues" by Pecos Hank"Tumbling Tumbleweeds" by Pecos Hank"Spanish Caravan" by Pecos Hank"Bandera" by Pecos Hank"Crossed the Line" by Southern BacktonesAdditional guitar scores by Hank Schyma
FREAKY ANTICYCLONIC TORNADO - Explained Pecos Hank 2021-10-16 | Incredible tornadoes spinning the wrong way! In this video, we’re going to showcase and explain these sneaky, anticyclonic freaks of nature and their common locations within a storm… So that you won’t be fooled. SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL:www.patreon.com/pecoshankCOPYRIGHT PECOS HANK LLC 2020ALL RIGHTS RESERVEDTO LICENCE FOOTAGE contact Sarah at hankschyma@gmail.comCYCLONIC AND ANTICYCLONIC MEANING:98 percent or more of the world’s tornadoes rotate the same direction as Earth. When atmospheric motion rotates the same direction as the planet, we refer to the rotation as being cyclonic. Thats counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere but clockwise in the southern hemisphere. Thus, these typical tornadoes are referred to as being cyclonic. But Every now and then a tornado spins the other way. We refer to these deviant tornadoes as anticyclonic. ANTICYCLONIC TORNADOES:Most of the anticyclonic tornadoes I’ve observed were companions of a cyclonic tornado or rotation in a supercell. These rare tornadoes are often not anticipated and can sneak up on observers fixated on the more business end of the storm. Some anticyclonic tornadoes develop as smaller satellites orbiting around a parent tornado. Sometimes they manifest as landspouts in non-supercellular storms. Most of the cases I’ve observed developed in a predictable region of a right-moving supercell. But because of their infrequency, even trained observers may not anticipate these anticyclonic threats and thus may get caught off guard. In most cases the anticyclone threat is small, but not always. Recognizing the cloud patterns in this video may help a spotter anticipate anticyclonic tornado development. SIMLA COLORADO ANTICYCLONIC TORNADOES:On June 5, 2015, Dr Anton Seimon & Dr. Tracie Seimon documented an extremely photogenic family of tornadoes near Simla Colorado, several of which were strongly anticyclonic. A huge thanks goes out to Anton and Tracie for allowing me to showcase their never-before-seen, beautiful captures. STRONGEST ANTICYCLONIC TORNADO:Several anticyclonic F3’s have been documented on the original Fujita scale and on April 4, 1981, shortly after midnight, A violet anticyclonic tornado terrorized West Bend, Wisconsin. It injuring 53 people and ended the lives of three. This rare nightmare would earn an F4 rating. The most powerful anticyclonic tornado ever recorded.Mapping by Dr. Roger Wakimoto, Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology (1983)CREDITS:Tornado Video by Hank Schyma & Dr. Anton SeimonSupercell Simulations by Dr. Leigh Orf - University of WisconsinVapor-nado technician & videographer - Daniel ShawVapor-nado creators - Nat Schyma & Bay BergerMusic & Editing by Hank Schyma Thanks again Joel Ewing for returning the dog to its home.
DESERT LIGHTNING With Drone Pecos Hank 2021-09-09 | Dreamy drone and time lapse photography of monsoon lightning storms captured in August 2021 in New Mexico and Arizona. SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL:www.patreon.com/pecoshankCOPYRIGHT PECOS HANK LLC 2020ALL RIGHTS RESERVEDTO LICENCE FOOTAGE contact Sarah at hankschyma@gmail.comTHE NORTH AMERICAN MONSOON We know the deserts of the American southwest and northwestern Mexico as beautiful, mysterious and arid. But around June to mid September, large scale wind shifts can transport moist tropical air here. This is the North American Monsoon. Arizona and New Mexico receive up to half of their annual rainfall during the summer monsoon.Afternoon’s often begin with storms developing over the mountains. These cells can be short lived, existing only 30-40 minutes so the window to capture the lightning can be narrow and challenging.THREE STAGES of THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT In the cell’s developing stage, updrafts can be explosive. This is a great opportunity to capture the first bolts in clear air. In the mature stage, fantastic displays of lightning flicker alongside curtains of rain and in the dissipating stage the storm collapses on itself in a burst of water and wind. A dying storm’s surging outflow boundary will often help initiate another cell updraft and the cycle is born again. Some of these storms venture down into the valleys. A once arid land can make a magical transition to green.Music:"Spanish Caravan" written by the Doors / performed by Pecos Hank"La male'diction de la danse du poulet" Closing music by Pecos Hank
NIGHT OF THE GREEN GHOSTS Pecos Hank 2021-07-25 | Extremely active red sprite storm accompanied by multiple green ghosts. Over 100 transient luminous events were documented on this magical evening including at least six green ghosts. SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL:www.patreon.com/pecoshankCOPYRIGHT PECOS HANK LLC 2020ALL RIGHTS RESERVEDTO LICENCE FOOTAGE contact Sarah at hankschyma@gmail.comSUPER SPRITE STORMOn May 17, 2021 an extremely unusual storm event was marinating in a very unstable Texas atmosphere. During the day, Jupiter like storm clouds brought an Alien ambiance to Earth, however for me the big show was after sunset. Hello everyone, I wanted to share the highlights of the most incredible sprite storm I’ve ever witnessed to date. Big red sprites with green ghosts, and other weird and neato captures. Also, let’s discuss what sprites really look like to the naked eye. GREEN GHOSTSAs many of you know, Paul Smith and I discovered green ghosts in 2019. Green Ghosts are faint Aurora-like glows that seem to accompany more powerful red sprites. Paul estimated that 1 in every 500 sprites in his observations are accompanied by a detectable green ghost. On this night I captured over 100 red sprites and 6 of them were accompanied by detectable green ghosts. Some were barely noticeable but others were the brightest I’ve seen. DANCING SPRITESThe most powerful lightning strikes, almost always positive ground flashes, are responsible for triggering sprites. Sometimes several of these big daddies connect to the ground in a very short time causing several sprites to pop above the storm in succession. We call these events dancing sprites. PALM TREE EVENTAnother super weird thingie that occurred on this evening is what has been dubbed a palm tree event. Notice how the tendrils of almost all jellyfish sprite streamers branch downward like roots. Only one of the sprites I captured has streamers branching upward resembling a palm tree. CAN YOU SEE RED SPRITES? So do sprites really look like the photos you see? Can you even see them at all? Before ever catching a sprite on camera, I saw one with my naked eye. I had already accumulated numerous sprite hunting failures. Finally one dark moonless night back in 2017 I was staring over a thunderstorm to see if anything was going on and saw a little splash of white light that was unmistakably a sprite. In a crazy madness I tossed up my gear as fast as I could and caught my first sprites on camera… Nice and out of focus. Storm chaser Brenda Brown also describes seeing sprites like this. It seems the photoreceptors in our eyes at night have poorer sensitivity perceiving the dim red light, so the smaller weaker sprites appear white to us. However the big closer sprites are clearly red in person. The cameras I use to capture sprites are highly sensitive to light so the sprites turn out much more vibrant and detailed than what you would see. Also, the positive ground flash parenting a sprite is often much brighter and tends to steal our attention. Just like with tornadoes and lightning, each sprite storm brings its own unique theme and fiery snowflake characteristics. To give you an idea of how special this night was I’ve created a time lapse of all the transient Luminous events and weirdo things I captured that evening. See if you can see the ghosts.With the help of several scientists and other TLE fanatics, Paul Smith and I made a video explaining how sprites form and how we discovered green ghosts. I’ll hook you up with that link. Thanks for watching everyoneHank SchymaMusic: by Pecos Hank
Driving into Blinding Dust Storm - Texas or Jupiter? Pecos Hank 2021-07-07 | What it's like driving inside a dust storm plus out of this world tornadic supercell, weird clouds and more. On May 17th, 2021 a discrete tornadic storm erupted near Lubbock Texas. Dusty orange, dry conditions at sunset and weird cloud formations presented a spectacular atmosphere of alien color more like a scene from Jupiter than Earth. SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL:www.patreon.com/pecoshankCOPYRIGHT PECOS HANK LLC 2020ALL RIGHTS RESERVEDTO LICENCE FOOTAGE contact Sarah at hankschyma@gmail.comSTORM ACCOUNT:Through the early evening, a low precipitation supercell with a twisted updraft slowly grew stronger. As its rotation intensified the storm began inhaling and coughing up copious amounts of orange dust. Strong winds circulating around the storm’s base veiled a developing tornado. In order to see the tornado, we attempted to punch through the dust storm hoping for a clear view on the other side. After observing a funnel cloud fail to touch down, a hovering mothership UFO turned its cross heirs toward Lubbock. Rather than terrorizing the town folk, It dazzled them with an unforgettable show of creepy clouds and color. Later that evening the storm produced incredible red sprites. I will highlight this special event in the next video.
PHOTOGRAPHING THE PERFECT STORM - and ruining it! Pecos Hank 2021-06-11 | Photography and video tutorial about how to photograph the perfect storm and ruin it. With my help, you can also achieve the worst storm video humanly possible. SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL :Dpatreon.com/pecoshankPECOS HANK T SHIRTS & MUGSpecos-hank-store.creator-spring.comHey NatGeo, & BBC Earth, wanna license some footage?Contact Sarah at hankschyma@gmail.comOn May 16, 2021 a perfect storm exploded near Sudan and Littlefield Texas dropping a brief photogenic tornado. This strongly rotating storm slowly drifted through the sunset hours treating photographers to a wondrous sight of color, lightning and breath-taking storm structure. Below I've compiled a TOP 10 list of things you can do to insure your footage is as bad as mine. 1. Be frantically late2. Be miles and miles away 3. Adjust your camera while driving for shakiest footage possible4. Zoom in as far as possible to amplify shakiness5. Wait for a tornado to touch down and then use your wipers and spray to clean off the dead bugs6. For the biggest dust spots possible, change lenses outside in strong winds as often as possible. 7. Find a mediocre parking spot.8. Set up as many cameras as fast as you can9. Try out a drone - DO NOT PRACTICE PRIOR or READ INSTRUCTIONS!10. ***LEAVE DRONE CAMERA GIMBAL COVER ON***This messes up your gimbal making it wobble manically and impossible to control in the strong winds. Be sure and watermark your footage so that nobody pirates it!
TEXAS TORNADO FEST - April 23, 2021 Pecos Hank 2021-04-27 | Incredible photogenic tornadoes!!! One after another, twisting out of an incredible Texas supercell thunderstorm on April 23, 2021. These tornadoes touched down in mostly open prairie and ranch land near the towns of Quanah, Chilicothe, Lockett and Vernon Texas causing only minor damage. SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL:www.patreon.com/pecoshankCOPYRIGHT PECOS HANK LLC 2020ALL RIGHTS RESERVEDTO LICENCE FOOTAGE contact hankschyma@gmail.comMore info later...
TORNADOES OF 2020 - Is it over yet? Pecos Hank 2021-03-01 | Best tornado, lightning and severe storm footage from 2020 in a tour of Tornado Alley's highs and lows from March through July. 1075 confirmed tornadoes have been tallied in the US in 2020 including the third widest tornado ever recorded. SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL:patreon.com/pecoshankCOPYRIGHT PECOS HANK LLC 2020ALL RIGHTS RESERVEDTO LICENCE FOOTAGE contact hankschyma@gmail.comFEATURED TORNADO EVENTS:APRIL 12 Soso Mississippi EF4On Easter Sunday a large, extremely dangerous, long tracking tornado was underway in Mississippi. Doppler radar revealed an impressive supercell, well defined hook echo and distinct lofted debris signature. But up close, vague walls of gray, shrouding rain curtains and a veil of tall trees obscured a hell on Earth. Prior to striking Soso Mississippi, the tornado grew to 2.25 miles wide. The THIRD widest tornado ever documented. Along a 68 mile damage path, it debarked and leveled entire forests. Cars and trucks were thrown hundreds of yards, mangled beyond recognition. Many homes and businesses were destroyed, some completely leveled and swept awayincluding some well built brick and concrete structures. With estimated wind speeds up to 190 mph (310 km/h) this tornado earned an EF4 rating. Following closely behind, another large EF3 tornado trained close to the previous tornado's track. APRIL 19 Southwest of Hattiesburg MSSeven Days later, another significant tornado risk targeted Mississippi. Chasing over the previous week’s damage paths compounded the danger as trees were still weakened and downed. An intensifying high precipitation storm brought darkness early along with a barrage of powerful positive ground flashes. Not only do positive ground flashes look different from typical negative ground flashes, they often sound different. The thunder from these mega-bolts hits you like the shock wave of an explosion. Deeply embedded in rain, an unseeable mile wide tornado cruised 54 miles across the state at a ground speed of 55mph. At its peak intensity, The EF4 demolished two well constructed homes, leaving clean slabs in its wake.APRIL 22, Madill OklahomaA low precipitation supercell approaching Madill Oklahoma setting the stage for a highly visible tornado. Right out the gate, it earned EF2 status, snapping power poles and flinging trees as it passed just south of town. A large section of a warehouse was demolished and under a rainbow, mobile homes were completely destroyed. MAY Low Tornado Activity April was an active month for tornado activity in the US. Usually May is the peak month, however in strong contrast to 2019, May 2020 had extremely low tornado activity. Forecastable chase-able storms mostly organized into linear modes. Though often ominous and photogenic, Lines or squalls are much less efficient at producing violent tornadoes.JUNE Low Tornado ActivityJune followed May's suit with lower than average forecastable & chase-able tornado activity. JULY High Tornado ActivityAfter most of us had thrown in the towel, July surprised storm chasers with higher than average tornado activity in the Northern Plains. On July 8th, and incredibly photogenic EF4 tornado touched down near Ashby Minnesota. A high base storm allowed the sun to light the tornado and a vibrant rainbow often accompanied the bright white tornado depending on the perspective. Storm Chaser Melonie Metz was kind enough to license her amazing footage for this video. 2020 Climate2020 had lower than average tornado activity with 1075 confirmed tornadoes. (Average is 1250)Climatologically, the Atlantic hurricane season exceeded records with 30 named storms, 12 of which landed on the continental U.S. - 30 named storms - Previous record 28- 12 named U.S. storm continental landfalls - Previous record 9 - 6 hurricanes made U.S. landfall - tied previous recordThe Western US endured the most active wildfire year on record [1983 to present]and the global average annual temperature was the 2nd warmest on record and the 5th warmest in the 126-year record in the U.SMUSIC:"Angle's Serenade" by Southern Backtones"Won't Pray Adagio" by Southern Backtones"Tumbling Tumbleweeds" Instrumental by Pecos Hank "Crossed the Line" by Southern Backtones"Glamorous Adagio" by Southern Backtones
ELVIS & David Bowie BDAY Celebration LIVE! Pecos Hank 2021-01-09 | Live music performance and chat celebrating Elvis Presley's & David Bowie Birthday. We're talking all things storms, tornadoes, burritos, Bowie and the King. SUPPORT THIS CHANNELpatreon.com/pecoshankSET LIST:1. Trouble (Elvis Presley)2. Suffragette City (David Bowie)3. Heartbreak Hotel (Elvis Presley)4. Angel's Serenade (Southern Backtones)5. Cant Help Falling in Love (Elvis Presley) 6. El Reno Blues (Pecos Hank) 7. Let's Dance (David Bowie)8. Bone Chomper (Fiddle Witch and the Demons of Doom)9. Glamorous Adagio (Southern Backtones)10. Drive Under the Moon (Pecos Hank)11. Suspicious Minds (Elvis Presley)12. Beer Bottle MedleyWATCH Jo Bird SHRED Metal Fiddle Witch and the Demons of Doom...youtu.be/7OREi8aXqV0WATCH Bay wiggle her toes in "Drive Under The Moon" youtu.be/I8s-g78XM_E
FASTEST MOVING TORNADO - New World Record Pecos Hank 2020-12-04 | Introducing the fastest moving tornado ever recorded. In this video we discuss 5 scary fast tornadoes, each one with a forward moving velocity faster than the previous including a mind blowing NEW world record for the fastest tornado ever recorded. SUPPORT THIS CHANNELpatreon.com/pecoshank*** NOT FOR REBROADCAST ***COPYRIGHT PECOSHANK LLC 2020To license footage contact hankschyma@gmail.comOver the last couple decades, I’ve found myself trying to outrun some fast tornadoes. But what exactly is considered a fast tornado? And how fast can tornadoes move? The majority of tornadoes I encounter track roughly 25-30 mph. For me, anything slower than that, I consider slow and anything faster than 39 mph, I consider a fast tornado. But tornadoes can move much faster than that. Ride along with this scientific mission to uncover how the fastest tornado yet documented was discovered and how we calculated its ground speed. The Fastest Moving Tornado Calculations On June 16, 2016 twin EF4 tornadoes terrorized Nebraska. One of these EF4 directly impacted the town of Pilger. Besides being extremely unusual and visually stunning, this event is also scientifically intriguing. Our team applied photogrammetry techniques to analyze multiple videos. By carefully mapping the fast moving Pilger tornado's passage past features seen in each video, we calculated its speed between each marked point. This refined Skip Talbot's earlier work. A newly acquired damage scar from google earth allowed us to fix the tornadoes position with precision. At 4:42 Central Time, the tornado is moving at just 20 miles per hour and slowly accelerates to 33 mph minutes later. Then, after briefly slowing to 26 miles per hour It begins a pulsing acceleration to about 62 mph at 4:46 PM, when the intense positive lightning bolt occurs. The vortex then accelerates extremely rapidly, gaining another 30 mph in just 10 seconds and at 4:47 pm, we fix its fastest ground speed at 94.6 miles per hour sustained over 5.33 seconds before equally rapid deceleration starts. We therefore conclude that this tornado, being the end stage of the Pilger Nebraska EF4 tornado that formed 46 minutes earlier. Should be recognized as the fastest moving tornado yet documented. TEAM VIDEO & PHOTOGRAPHY:Jennifer Brindley UblHank SchymaDr. Anton SeimonDr. Tracie SeimonSkip TalbotADDITIONAL STORM VIDEO:Simon Brewer Greg Johnson - Tornadohunter.comDoug Kiesling - stormchasingvideo.comRob HurkesDaniel Shaw - www.severestorms.com.auJosh Vanden TopATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE CONTRIBUTIONS:Dr. Anton Seimon - Appalachian State University Dr. Leigh Orf - University of Wisconsin University of Oklahoma: Dr. Howard BluesteinDr Kyle ThiemDr Jeffrey SnyderDr Jana HouserAmerican Meteorological SocietyFigure 2 from Bluestein, H. B., Thiem, K. J., Snyder, J. C., & Houser, J. B. (2018). The multiple-vortex structure of the El Reno, Oklahoma, tornado on 31 May 2013. Monthly Weather Review, 146(8), 2483-2502, , (c) 2018 American Meteorological Society and used with the permission of the American Meteorological Society. NOAA NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit el-reno-survey.net Electronic Journal of Severe Storms MeteorologyJohns, R. H., D. W. Burgess, C. A. Doswell III, M. S. Gilmore, J. A. Hart, and S. F. Piltz, 2013: The 1925 Tri- State tornado damage path and associated storm system. Electronic J. Severe Storms Meteor., 8 (2), 1–33.STILL PHOTOGRAPHYJennifer Brindley Ubl Hank Schyma EDITED by Hank SchymaGRAPHICSDr. Leigh OrfHank SchymaDr. Anton SeimonDr. Tracie Seimon Skip Talbot MUSIC“Deep River” Piano performance by Anton Seimon “March of the Serpents” by Pecos Hank “La male'diction de la danse du poulet” by Pecos Hank Background music by Hank Schyma
DEVILS TOWER Lightning Fantasia Pecos Hank 2020-11-03 | Lightning storm over Devils Tower / Bear Lodge Wyoming & other dramatic lightning storms over the Northern Great Plains. Plus why the peak is called Devils Tower.SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL:patreon.com/pecoshankDEVILS TOWER FACTSDevils Tower is an igneous monolith rising 1267 feet (386 m) above the Belle Fourche River and rising 867 feet (265 m) from summit to base. Established by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906, It was the first United States national monument. DEVILS TOWER NAME HISTORYThe volcanic monolith is sacred to dozens of Native American tribes throughout the region.For perhaps thousands of years, the Lakota and Cheyenne have called the peak “Bear Lodge.” The Crow call it "Bear’s House" or "Bear’s Lair" and the Arapaho, "Bear’s Tipi."In the Lakota language, “Black bear” is translated to “wahanksica.”This sounds very similar to “wakansica” which translates to “bad god or Evil spirit.” It seems that In 1876, a popular book "The Black Hills" published by Colonel Richard Irving Dodge, mistranslated “BLACK BEAR” for “BAD GOD." He labeled the monolith “Devils Tower” And the blunder stuck. For some reason there’s controversy over returning Devils Tower back to a rightful name, Bear Lodge. THE MAKING OF THIS VIDEOI shot most of this footage in 2013 and uploaded a similar creepy storyline to YouTube. The blue lightning storm time lapse over Devils Tower had a striking resemblance to the Devil / Chernabog scene in the Disney film "Fantasia" (which happens to be one of my all time favorite scenes) My edit had to contain Mussorgsky's "Night on Bald Mountain" composition. A couple years later, my video was flagged and taken down by YouTube for using that song. With supplementary 4k storm footage shot in 2020, I decided to re-edit this story. Without, Mussorgsky's "Night on Bald Mountain" the scene just does not work, and so I recorded my own version. In my version I'm playing guitar, bass guitar, piano and trumpet. The sliding snaky section was tracked with a guitar and Ebow. Also accompanying the storm video is Rachmaninov's "Prelude in C# Minor" the best I can play it and something influenced by Danzig's "Pain in the World" as well as other sound design did bits and scoring.The flute was performed by fellow YouTuber Jungle Jay. Thanks again dude! The time it takes to score and track all these compositions isn't really financial practical, but it's a helluva lotta fun! Again, I'd like to send an extra super-duper burrito supreme thanks to all my patrons for enabling me to sit in this studio, having the time of my life creating these time consuming videos. I hope you guys enjoy this.
GOOFY WILD ANIMAL FRIENDS Pecos Hank 2020-07-24 | Cute wild animal encounters from around the world. Some wild animals are as sweet as can be and others are sneaky little purse thieves, but they're all fascinating and adorable! A lotta times they’re hanging out on the highway and I try to explain to them this is a dangerous place to be before ushering them out of harms way. Ride along with is from Thailand to Texas as we hang out with the precious wildlife we find! SUPPORT THIS CHANNELABOUT THE WILD ANIMALS:Coatis are adorable and intelligent little mammals related to raccoons. In Costa Rica, a band of nosey coatis was foraging through the grounds of the Arenal Volcano observatory lodge. After distracting us with calculated cuteness, the wily little bandits stole Nat’s purse. Wallet passport and all.Luckily, they were only after the chocolate. Hard to blame em. THE BOWING DEER OF NARA JAPAN:In Japan, bowing is polite, courteous and an important fundamental of social etiquette and in Nara Park, The wild deer have learned to do it. Legend has it that Takemikazuchi, a God of thunder appeared riding a white deer. In these parts, deer became sacred and killing one was a capital offense until year 1637. Today they are still protected however sentencing isn’t quite as severe. Most deer here lose their instinctual fear of humans and have learned that bowing is often rewarded with a nutritious deer cracker purchased at vendors. DRACO / FLYING DRAGON: (Thailand)There are a lot of cool lizards around the world, but one lizard has an extremely special ability. It’s a master of camouflage and spends it’s day on tree trunks telling the other lizards to go away so it can munch on the buffet of ants and other insects marching up and down. The lizard’s first line of defense is it’s camouflage. Second, is to run away. If a predator is still in hot pursuit, the lizard unleashes it’s super powers. The flying draco leaps into the air, and glides to another tree. The flying draco flare’s out it’s membrane covered rib cage to create wings and gliding flights up to 60 meters have been recorded. BLACK-HEADED PYTHON: (Northern Territory Australia) Black headed pythons are native to Northern Australia and can reach 3 meters in length. For snake lovers, this an EF5 find on the Exotic Wow scale. On my trip to the northern territory, I found 4 black headed pythons in the wild and all four of them displayed a strange indifference to being capturing and handled. They weren’t exactly thrilled about being detained by me, but they weren’t frightened or defensive at all. They seem to think of humans more as that annoying person at the party you kind of don’t want to get stuck talking to. But even though I persisted and invaded their personal space, they were still extremely polite to me. MUSIC CREDITS:Ukulele by Spencer Schyma Flute by Jungle JayGuitar by Hank Schyma PECOS HANK SONG"La Malediction de la danse du poulet"TO LICENSE ANIMAL VIDEO CONTACT hankschyma@gmail.com
BIG NASTY STORMS & Tiny Saggy Nipples Pecos Hank 2020-06-18 | Goofy behind the scenes vlog inside the May 2020 Storm chasing season and how I chase with as little social interactions as possible during the Covid19 pandemic. Big supercells amped to drop tornadoes resembling tiny saggy nipples has been the May theme. SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL:patreon.com/pecoshankPECOS HANK T SHIRTS & MUGSpecos-hank-store.creator-spring.comCLEAR SLOT or Rear Flank Downdraft clear slot...Often you'll hear storm chasers call out a "clear slot" but many times these features are difficult to make out in their videos. In this video you can see time lapses of clear, classic clear slots. When a Rear Flank Downdraft (RFD) is forced down the backside of the storm it often surges forward and around the mesocyclone. This air often cuts into the storm base and if the air is relatively dryer, it forces out a clear slot or notch into the base. When storm chasers see this, it hints that a tornado could occur soon. Our view is from the south or west looking north or east. Watch how the circulation north of the clear slot appears to intensify as the clear slot cuts into the rain free base. Of course in high precipitation storm modes, these features become more difficult to decipher. ANTICYCLONIC TORNADO...As the RFD clear slot cuts into the base, notice the slight anticyclonic circulation on the viewing side of the clear slot. This is the vicinity were anticyclonic tornadoes are most likely to form. Most tornadoes are cyclonic though. More info later...
Red Sprites and Blue Jets Explained - New Discovery! Pecos Hank 2020-05-27 | Science of how red sprites and blue jets form over thunderstorms. Some of the greatest red sprites ever caught on camera with easy to understand explanations including a new discovery are highlighted in this video. Explore the colorful world of Transient Luminous Events including gigantic jets, elves, halos and more as they are initiated by massive horizontally extensive lightning flashes in thunderstorms far below. COPYRIGHT 2020 PECOS HANK & PAUL SMITHFor licensing contact hankschyma@gmail.com Support this channelpatreon.com/pecoshankRED SPRITES and BLUE JETS EXPLAINEDOn rare nights with clear visibility over powerful distant thunderstorms, you might be able to see and capture red sprites. Sprites are large scale electrical discharges occurring high above thunderstorms in the upper atmosphere. They are massive events, sometimes 50 kilometers tall by 50 kilometers wide. Sprites belong to a mysterious and colorful group of phenomenon called Transient Luminous Events, or TLEs. Other TLE’s include halos, Elves, trolls, secondary jets, Blue starters, Blue jets and the magnificent gigantic jets. But what exactly are these transient luminous Events, and how do they form? In 2019 I teamed up with one of the most successful TLE photographers in the world, Paul Smith. Our objective was to simultaneously document TLEs from different locations to help US understand and CAPTURE them better. We didn’t know what we would find, if anything… But we never expected to DISCOVER a NEW TLE.RED SPRITE DISCOVERYVisual reports of Transient Luminous Events date back several centuries. It wasn’t until 1989 that the first ones were accidentally caught on camera. Years after discovery, they were named sprites for their spirit like nature.BASIC PHYSICS:In my last video we showed how one lightning flash can abruptly change the electric field triggering a second lightning flash in a sort of domino effect. Sprites are also initiated by a large electric field change that occurs during a massive horizontally extensive lightning strike far below. These parent flashes transfer huge amounts of charge and are almost always positive in polarity… Meaning that the earth rapidly gains a net positive charge from the strike. But pools of positive charge near the tops of thunderstorm complexes also change, abruptly gaining negative charge. This suddenly creates a powerful electric field between the tops of thunderstorms and a high concentration of positively charged ions existing 100 kilometers or so up into the lower ionosphere. It’s this new imbalance that can initiate a sprite.BLUE JETS: On occasion, a cloud flash will have one end of the leader exit the upper extent of the thunderstorm and propagate toward the upper atmosphere. The rarified air and low pressure of the upper atmosphere leads to a visible transformation in the leader as the ionization travels upward. This is how a blue jet forms, as well as gigantic jets. SECONDARY JETS:Sometimes a large sprite event can trigger a second TLE. We call these secondary jets. Secondary jets become visible near the tops of thunderstorms where Nitrogen excites in the blues or purples and extend upward to altitudes where Nitrogen excites more red. In a photograph of a sprite and secondary jet event, you can see the gradual transitioning from blues to reds as the pressure quickly decreases in altitude. NEW TLE DISCOVERY On May 25, 2019 I was documenting a vibrant sprite storm over Oklahoma and captured something I’ve never seen or heard of. After two large sprite events, a mysterious green afterglow appeared. It seemed as if the sprite had triggered a small Aurora. Early that next morning I called Paul to discuss the strange captures. He was the first to agree it was something new and hypothesized that it was likely oxygen being excited by powerful sprites. Keeping in the theme of sprites, trolls and elves, we are referring to these Green emissions from excited Oxygen in Sprite Tops as GhOSTs. CREDITS:This video was made possible by the hard work and generosity of Paul Smith, Frankie Lucena, Scott Currens and research by lightning scientist Tom Warner. For more in-depth understanding of how lightning works, visit Tom Warners website at ZTresearch.com MUSIC by Hank Schyma, Dan Workman and Christine Wu.
Unbelievable Tornado Footage with Rainbow & Blue Sky Pecos Hank 2020-05-09 | NEW FOOTAGE of the Madill Oklahoma tornado including incredible debris in slow motion and up close shots of things flying through the air. Plus never before seen footage of the birth of this tornado, mesocyclone time lapse, well defined clear slot, entire wide angle view of the storm and tornado in blue skies, eventually wrapped up with a tornado and rainbow. COPYRIGHT PECOS HANK LLC 2020To license tornado footage contact hankschyma@gmail.comSUPPORT THIS CHANNELpatreon.com/pecoshankCHASE ACCOUNT April 22, 2020 Madill Oklahoma:Three days prior to this tornado event, the Storm Predication Center issued a risk of severe storms in Oklahoma, Texas and vicinity for April 22nd… "initiating near a dryline." The next day, The risk was upgraded with a 10% chance of significant tornadoes EF2 and above. On the morning of April 22nd, the day of the event, the outlined risk of tornadoes was expanded. At 1:09 PM on April 22, cumulus clouds were developing along the dryline and by 1:12 PM a Mesoscale discussion was issued… "anticipating a few tornadoes."At 3:20, a squadron of storms was developing along the dryline and by 4:01pm they were maturing into small supercells, marching eastward. Several of the storms produced tornadoes, but I chased the storm that impacted the town of Madill and by 4:50 PM I was observing a tight rotating updraft approach the town. The tornado touched down on the south side of Madill and earned EF2 status right out the gate as it snapped power poles and flung trees and large branches high into the air. THIS WAS AN UNUSUAL TORNADO to observe as a swirl of dryer air was being ingested into the storm slicing an impressive clear slot around the tornado and providing a rare view up into the engine of the supercell. This "swirl" of air is the Rear Flank Downdraft (RFD) and in most cases has visible precipitation accompanying it that often is wrapped around the tornado like curtains, obscuring it in some manner. The small mesocyclone and low precipitation storm mode tracking near paved routes I’d previously traveled gave me a confidence to dare extremely close videography while keeping a close eye on the large debris perimeter as well as the power lines above me.IN THIS HIGH RESOLUTION VIDEO you can observe strong upward motion shredding trees of leaves giving the tornado a slight green color near the ground. Large sections of trees or medium sized entire trees are clearly visible flying through the air and being slammed back to the ground with missile force. A satellite dish is ripped from the tower and falls at a 45 degree angle or so before being launched horizontal some distance off frame and high detail of power flashes arc into the air as the tornado crosses the intersection. Scientifically, the most valuable shot is probably the wide angle slow motion of the debris once the tornado impacts the warehouses. Unfortunately, this is the only stable video of this event, so triangulating particle motions is not possible. If we were to have another stable perspective, Dr Anton Seimon and his team could have used the data set to study tornadoes. WHY SO CLOSE???As stated in the video, the rain free highly visible nature of this storm, small compact size and reasonable motion made this an ideal storm to attempt up close video. The paved roads I had previously traveled greatly reduced risk of unknowns such as road construction and poor road conditions, etc. The greatest concern of mine was the power lines near me and throughout the event I was positioning myself upwind of them. This was extremely risky even for the most seasoned and experienced storm chaser and in hindsight I could have gotten just as dramatic video another 50-100 meters back. I was anticipating the tornado to continue to track east northeast but after staking my ground, the tornado took a slight arc east southeast tracking extremely close to me. Though closer than I anticipated, I still felt confident I didn't have to abandon my post. My chase vehicle has one small dent in the side from a missile.
CLOSE TORNADO TEARS THROUGH TOWN - Madill Oklahoma 4-22-20 Pecos Hank 2020-04-23 | Extreme up close tornado in Madill Oklahoma on April 22, 2020. This tornado damaged town structures and lofted trees into the air before transitioning to a rope phase. Many people observed a rainbow with this tornado. Moments after the tornado struck, the sky was blue and sunny. Unfortunately it was reported that at least one person has lost their life from this twister. COPYRIGHT PECOS HANK LLC 2020NOT FOR REBROADCASTTo license tornado footage contact hankschyma@gmail.com
Soso Mississippi Tornado - Invisible EF4 Horror Pecos Hank 2020-04-15 | April 12, 2020 a powerful long tracking tornado with EF4 preliminary rating. Despite the impressive radar images, this rain wrapped tornado was extremely difficult to see even at very close proximity. The tornado heavily impacted the town of Soso Mississippi and there are at least 4 fatalities reported so far. A storm complex developing near New Orleans would cross into Southern Mississippi and organize into a powerful long tracking supercell. The town of Bassfield was impacted and the tornado would track near Seminary, Collins, and Laurel before dissipating near Pachuta. (This is preliminary data based on my radar analysis). Unfortunately Soso Mississippi was directly in the path as well. This storm had an impressive radar echo with well defined hook echo, powerful velocity couplet and lofted debris ball signature but in person, it was practically invisible. The tornado was a vague, gray wall of rain hardly distinguishable from the enveloping clouds. If you were in the path of this tornado, I imagine for many there was no visual clues other than slowly increasing intensity of wind and rain and then the devastating force of the core. I managed to stay within roughly 2 miles of the tornado for an eternal ten minutes or so... So close I could hear the distinct low drown powerful waterfall sound, but it was almost impossible to see. In one of my clips I ramped up the contrast to nuclear levels and if you look closely with perhaps some imagination, you can barely make out the edges of the wedge. JAMES UPDATE:We were able to track down James and he is recovering well... "On April 12, 2020 Easter Sunday James Neely lost his family home when an EF-4 tornado struck near Moss Mississippi. He was inside the house when it collapsed but miraculously crawled from the rubble with only minor cuts and bruises. The beautiful old home built by his grandfather in 1918 had stood amidst ancient magnolias, cedars and pecan trees, all of which now lie toppled by the storm. I wish I had taken a moment to film the fireman and the State Trooper (not sheriff) searching for James. To recap, the fireman, without a moment of hesitation, slithered on his belly through a tight crevice into a crumbling house. True heroism and inspiration for humanity would have been captured... Something we see very little of on social networks (not because it doesn't exist in high volumes, but because the algorithms seem to be angled more toward engaging arguments and dividing rather than uplifting and uniting... More on that... This is not the algorithm programmers fault, it's the collective fault of people who click the crap). As the state trooper was still searching for James instead of detouring traffic, the area had filed up with vehicles and people standing around gawking at the damage, some wondering what they could do to help. I dashed back to my vehicle to secure my open windows and expensive cameras laying on my seats. That's when I saw James. I said "Are you James." In a daze he answered yes. But I needed more confirmation. I asked "Is that your house?" He said "Yes... Took me damn near 20 minutes to crawl out." That convinced me. You could still hear the fireman, state trooper and two woman yelling his name into rubbish and I got to be the one to inform them James was ok. I ran back yelling "I found him, I found him. He's OK!" You should have seen the look in their eyes. I asked James if I could take him to the hospital. In a completely aware and calm demeanor he looked me in the eye and said "I'm not going to the hospital." How's that for grit?
HOW LIGHTNING WORKS - Weird World of Lightning Pecos Hank 2020-03-26 | How does lightning form? Does it strike up or down? Over the decades I’ve seen lightning do some freaky stuff. In this visually stunning video we’re going to explore and explain the weird world of lightning. SUPPORT THIS CHANNELpatreon.com/pecoshankBIRTH OF LIGHTNING in THUNDERSTORMSThunderstorms have the ability to separate pools of positive and negative charges in and around them, thus creating powerful electric fields. Lightning is born between two oppositely charged regions as a network of electrically conductive channels called leaders materialize and begin to tunnel a path through the poor conductive air in between. Think of leaders as a sort of jumper cable. The leaders branch out in two directions, each with opposite polarities toward both regions in an attempt to neutralize the charge separation.CLOUD FLASHES or INTRACLOUD LIGHTNINGMost lightning flashes occur within the storm and are called cloud flashes or intracloud lightning. GROUND FLASH or Cloud-To-Ground LightningWhen one end of the bidirectional leader network connects to the ground or object on the ground we call it a ground flash, or cloud-to-ground lightning. CG for short. WHEN STEP LEADERS & UPWARD LEADERS MEETIn the most common CGs, a negatively charged step leader approaches the ground. The electric field between the step leader and the ground strengthens to the point that an oppositely charged positive leader (aka upward streamer) begins reaching up bridging the gap between the two. More than one upward leader may initiate and attempt to connect with the downward leader, however, the first to reach a downward propagating step leader will suddenly complete a channel path through the resisting air for the flow of powerful electrical current between the Earth and cloud. Electrons then RAPIDLY accelerate down the channel causing extreme heating and the brightest flash of the event. This is the return stroke of negative CGs. In rare photographs, you can see failed upward connecting leaders that didn’t reach, the downward leader first, and thus terminating into the air. WHAT CAUSES THUNDER?the air around lightning becomes So hot that it explodes as a supersonic shock wave that transitions to an acoustic wave within a few meters. This rapid expansion of air molecules creates sound waves that radiate outward about 1 mile every 5 seconds. The sound we hear is thunder. WHY DOES LIGHTNING FLICKER?Often after a negative CG return stroke, multiple other return strokes follow causing the main channel to flicker. This is called a multistroke CG flash.This repetitive nature is caused by recoil leaders forming on the upper end of the lightning channel in the cloud which is positive polarity. COMMON POSITIVE FLASHESThe return stroke of typical positive CGs rarely flicker. Many occur between a positive pool higher in the thunderstorm, and the ground. Because of the greater distance the leaders have to blaze through the resisting air, the return stoke of these positive CGs is often much hotter, brighter and longer in duration. The peak charge in Positive CGs can be 10 times more powerful than a typical negative CG and thus considerably more dangerous. These are generally the most powerful CGs, reaching temperatures up to 30,000 Celsius. That’s roughly 5 times hotter than the surface of our Sun. Positive CGs only account for about 5-10% of all ground flashes worldwide, But In tornado Alley, they are an atypically common sight. I tend to see them just downstream of strong storm updrafts. BOLT FROM THE BLUESometimes a bolt of lightning can leap miles away from a storm jolting earthlings with surprise. We call this a Bolt from The Blue. Outdated paradigms suggested these clear air channels leaping out the back of storms were positive in polarity. But the latest research using lightning mapping and high speed cameras have shown most of these startling zaps are indeed negative. If you capture a Bolt from the Blue and it has a lot of branching, chances are it was a negative CG instead of a positive.WHAT IS UPWARD LIGHTNING?Sometimes storms can grow upscale into massive complexes stretching across states. These systems can have horizontally layered charge regions that serve as the conduit for lightning to travel over a 100 kilometers. They transfer HUGE amounts of charge, and cause abrupt changes in the electric field, which can trigger another flash in a sort of domino effect. Upward lightning travels UP from tall objects on the ground into the storm.This is ALSO called Ground-to-cloud lightning. Almost all upward moving flashes are triggered by a nearby lightning flash, either when leader activity or a return stroke occurs close enough to the tall object causing an abrupt change in the electric field. . This video was possible thanks to lightning scientist Tom Warner’s research. For more in-depth information visit his website ZTresearch.com
TORNADOES OF 2019 - The Endless Storm Season Pecos Hank 2020-02-02 | Thrilling tornado documentary from the 2019 tornado Alley storm chasing season and other storms across the globe. Adventurer Pecos Hank follows weather patterns around the world on a quest for the Endless Storm Season. 2019 was the fourth most active year on record in the United States with 1502 confirmed tornadoes. SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL:patreon.com/pecoshankCOPYRIGHT PECOS HANK LLC 2020ALL RIGHTS RESERVEDTO LICENCE FOOTAGE contact hankschyma@gmail.com2019 TORNADO INFORMATION:In 2019, 1502 tornadoes were tallied in the United states. The fourth most active year on record. With those, there were 42 tornado-related fatalities. May 17th marked the beginning of a historic widespread and prolonged severe weather outbreak. For the first time in the Storm Prediction Center’s history a threat of severe weather was introduced for their entire 8 day outlook (on 14 May 2019). On May 30th the historic tornado streak in the US ended. The previous 13 days all recorded at least 8 tornadoes. In less than 2 weeks, 391 tornadoes were confirmed including 18 EF3s and 2 EF4s. 2019 TORNADO ALLEY SCIENTIFIC FIELD OPERATIONS: Headed by Dr. Anton Seimon, a team of storm chasers including Dr. Tracie Seimon, Skip Talbot, Jennifer Brindley Ulb and Hank Schyma began field operations in Tornado Alley with the objective of gathering near-surface wind field data around tornadoes. On May 28th, the team hit the jackpot near Tipton Kansas. That morning the SPC outlined a moderate risk of severe weather with a 10% significant tornado threat in the northeastern Kansas vicinity. Skip Talbot and Dr. Anton Seimon made a tough call to chase further west in the lesser 5% outlook with intentions of avoiding messy high precipitation storm modes and thick chaser traffic. This decision paid off as the team documented multiple highly visible tornadoes, including an up close encounter with a strengthening tornado. "The data the team collected is currently being processed by Dr. John Allen and his students at Central Michigan University to create a model of 3-dimensional particle motions close to the surface as the tornado intensifies and then inflicts damage to the farmstead. The results should add new insights on the air motions responsible for the damage patterns observed — something that is not possible to ascertain with even the best mobile Doppler radars."GREEN GHOST / NEW TRANSIENT LUMINOUS EVENT DISCOVERY:On 25 May 2019, Hank Schyma documented a never before cited green afterglow proceeding large red sprite events. In the several months following, TLE photographer Paul Smith would also document numerous others. In collaboration, Hank Schyma and Paul Smith have named them GHOSTs. This acronym in the works stands for Green emissions of(from) excited Oxygen in Sprite streamer Tops. This name also keeps in the theme of other transient luminous events namely sprites, trolls, pixies and ELEVES. A scientific paper is currently in the works and expected to be published soon. Music scored by Pecos Schyma1. "Theme From The Endless Summer" performed by Pecos Hank 2. "Angel's Serenade" by Southern Backtones3. "El Reno Blues" by Pecos Hank 4. "Honky Tonk Blood" by Johnny Falstaff5. "La Malédiction de la Danse du Poulet" ny Pecos Hank 6. "Glamorous Adagio" by Southern Backtones7. "Something" performed by Spencer Schyma on Ukulele8. "Won't Pray Adagio" by Southern Backtones9. "Theme from Crocodile Dundee" performed by Pecos Hank 10. "Bandera" by Southern Backtones
NORTHERN LIGHTS From Airplane Window 4K Pecos Hank 2019-11-25 | Glorious auroras right outside airplane window and easy explanation how Northern Lights are formed. When storms of solar wind interact with our atmosphere, the result can be the magnificent light show we know as the auroras... The Aurora borealis In the northern hemisphere and the aurora australis In the southern hemisphere. On October 31st 2019 we observed the aurora borealis dance outside our window for about an hour. SUPPORT THIS CHANNE HEREL:patreon.com/pecoshankHOW NORTHERN LIGHTS FORMOur sun ejects gases and charged particles into space in all directions. This is the solar wind. The harmful solar wind reaches the Earth’s protective magnetosphere in about 2-4 days. Most of the solar wind is deflected away by our magnetosphere, but a small percentage is channeled down lines of force in our magnetic field toward the Earth’s poles. The solar wind then collides and transfers energy to oxygen and nitrogen in the Earth’s atmosphere. The excited oxygen and nitrogen emit particles of light called photons in a glorious display of greens, reds, pinks and whites. Stronger disturbances of the Earth’s magnetosphere caused by the solar winds are called geomagnetic storms. The planetary K-index, is used to characterize the magnitude of geomagnetic storms on a scale 0-9. On this Halloween morning, the Kp index was a 4. To license video contact: hankschyma@gmail.comMusic composed by Hank Schyma
GREATEST STORMS ON EARTH - Best Of Tornado Alley Pecos Hank 2019-10-25 | Visually stunning, mini documentary of the best tornado footage, lightning strikes, supercells and most beautiful storms I've documented. Not only is Mother Nature’s fury amplified with these explosive storms, So is her beauty. For licensing contact hankschyma@gmail.comSUPPORT THIS CHANNELpatreon.com/pecoshankMAKING OF THIS VIDEO:I have devoted a large portion of my life to documenting thunderstorms from South Texas to North Dakota, and from California to Florida. The storms notorious in Tornado Alley can be terribly powerful, however the side I'm most interested in is her beauty. This is a collection of my all time most beautiful and greatest moments storm chasing. I have strived to capture steady shots in the worst conditions possible with no shaking, or windshield wipers. Though I've had many great encounters in my portfolio over the last 25 years, this video is mostly the last decade simply due to the increase in camera quality. Many great 1080p HD captures were left out to make room for the 4K storm footage. I hope you enjoy :D STORM INFORMATION:Roughly 75% of the ENTIRE planet’s tornadoes are reported in the United States. Here, unique geography is ultimately responsible for the high frequency of extremely powerful storm cells. Though tornadoes most often make the headlines, all this excessive energy in the atmosphere can result in an freak show of other wonders. Many of the phenomena we are familiar with and others we are still just discovering. Not only is Mother Nature’s fury amplified with these explosive storms, So is her beauty. Storm updrafts most frequently erupt near late afternoon when daytime temperatures reach their highest. RAINBOW INFORMATIONRainbows are caused by the reflection, refraction and dispersion of sunlight in rain droplets. The secondary rainbow is visible when the light that is reflected twice inside raindrops is bright enough for detection. And Because this light is reflected twice, the order of the secondary rainbow’s colors are reversed.WHY STORMS TURN GREEN:The concentrated downdraft of heaviest rain and hail is the coreThis icy waterfall often has a turquoise hue. In the evening or morning when golden hour sun light mixes in, the storm can turn an eerie green.SUPERCELL INFORMATION:In a wind sheared environment cell updrafts may rotate, becoming a mesocyclone. Mesocyclone’s are the defining character of the rarest and most powerful breed of thunderstorms, the supercell. And it’s these supercells that are responsible for the majority of the worlds strong tornadoes. Thankfully, most of these tornadoes occur over sparsely populated areas causing little damage if any. LIGHTNING INFORMATION:Thunderstorms have the ability to create electric fields by separating pools of positive and negative charges. When oppositely charged regions become strong enough, a flash of lightning temporarily equalizes the difference. Most flashes occur within the storm, but roughly 1 in 5 initiate by a downward moving stepped leader that connects to the ground. This is a cloud-to-ground flash. The more powerful the thunderstorm, the less time needed for the regions to rebuild their energetic charges. UPWARD MOVING LIGHTNING or Ground-to-cloud lightning:On rare occasions lightning initiates from tall objects on the ground and propagates upward into the storm. During extraordinary events, two or three GROUND-TO-CLOUD flashes occur And during extremely rare conditions over a dozen bolts of lightning can leap up into the sky.Near the ceiling of our troposphere, pouch like mammatus clouds hank underneath the storms anvil cloud. High above the anvil cloudds, mysterious large scale discharges burst into color. Scientists call these Transient Luminous Events (TLEs).Music Score by: Dan Workman, Christine Wu & Hank Schyma
BIGGEST FISH IN THE WORLD - Whale Sharks of Mexico Pecos Hank 2019-09-26 | Swimming with whale sharks, the largest fish in the world in Mexico. Whale shark tour facts and information.SUPPORT THIS CHANNELpatreon.com/pecoshankNot only are whale sharks the largest of all sharks, they are the largest fish on the planet, yet they feed on some of the smallest creatures in the sea, plankton. Whale sharks gulp up tons of water and sieve out the tiny animals and plants with their gills in a process called filter feeding. Whale sharks can grow larger than a school bus yet they are extremely docile.They grow to 18-32 feet and there are reports of them exceeding 40 feet. Whale sharks prefer warm waters and they populate all tropical seas. WHALE SHARK TOURThere was no guarantee we would find anything, but after an hour of searching we were in the water swimming with the largest fish in the world. Each swimmer was allowed two, five minute swims with the sharks. To us, the ten minutes with these magnificent creatures was well worth the plunge. The tour also includes brief snorkeling in the typical crystal clear waters around the Yucatan. Also on the the tour we spotted dolphins and a couple manta rays.LODGING / MOTEL / RESORT on Isla MujeresWe got a package deal including airfare, 4 nights lodging and all inclusive meals at the Mia Reef resort located on it's own little island bridged to the main island. There we were treated with clean and comfortable rooms with dreamy tropical scenery and the latest German male swimwear fashions. Near the Villas on the northern tip of the island, terns and noddys have taken up a tiny sanctuary. Some people complain about the noise and the smell likely putting pressure on the land owners to eliminate it. So If you’re highly anthropocentricWe recommend you stay in Cancun instead. MUSIC:"Lover Her To Death" by Southern Backtones"Monster Show Adagio" by Pecos Hank"Blue Wrath (Gretsch Remix)" - This song was recorded by i Monster. The remix i made hear will be given away on my Patreon.
