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December 5, 2008 |
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Created and Maintained by: The Photoimaging Information Council |
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by Mark Lapin |
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Entertainment Tonight called them ‘thrill-seeking women who come face-to-face with raging death on a daily basis.’ But Melanie Metz and Peggy Willenberg, aka the Twister Sisters, prefer to think of themselves as scientists who chase and photograph tornadoes in order to raise public awareness of severe weather, document the fleeting beauty of storms and satisfy their life-long fascination with atmospheric phenomenon. Along the way, the Minneapolis-based duo also challenge gender stereotypes in the male-dominated world of storm chasing and lend a helping hand to people or animals in distress.  © 2006 Twister Sisters
The Twister Sisters (http://www.twistersisters.com/) both have degrees in the physical sciences and are pursuing secondary degrees in meteorology. Metz has a day job in quality control at an environmental testing company. Willenberg lives in Plymouth, Minnesota with her husband and daughter in a home with a huge weather station on the roof. Related by their passion for tornadoes rather than by common parentage, they met through an Internet discussion group devoted to severe weather. The catchy name that (along with their skill and dedication) has helped the Twister Sisters achieve recognition in their field was first suggested by chase partner Andy Revering to reflect their closeness and their preference for tornadoes above all other types of storms.  © 2006 Twister Sisters
“The absolute perfection of the atmosphere at the time it produces tornadoes appeals to both of us because we’re both perfectionists,” says Willenberg. “Photography comes into play because any severe storm, and especially a tornado, lasts only a brief moment in time and is never repeated. They’re extremely beautiful even though it’s a terrible beauty. We want to capture the vivid coloration and the perfect geometry of these incredible creations that come and go and are gone forever. We want to share what we are privileged to see but other people aren’t.”  © 2006 Twister Sisters
The Twister Sisters report on severe weather for FOX news in Minneapolis. They teach Skywarn classes to educate the public, have presented case studies at storm chasing conventions and been interviewed on national TV programs such as Good Morning America, and Entertainment Tonight. Video from their chases has also been aired on NBC, CNN, The Weather Channel, and National Geographic Television. In previous years, they guided storm-chasing tours but gave that up in 2006 and were glad they did because this season has been a bust for tornado hunters. Some tours were out in the field for all of May and most of June without spotting a single twister.  © 2006 Twister Sisters
“We’re in the unique situation of getting to do what we love to do and actually making some money from it,” says Willenberg. “Storm chasing is a special sort of job. It sounds adventurous, exciting, thrilling, like skydiving. But, really, tornado chasing is a secondary application of weather forecasting. To see a tornado, you have to know where to find one, and that’s a difficult proposition. Tornadoes don’t always occur conveniently close to home. As we’ve learned to forecast and understand the atmosphere, we’ve become more successful at tracking and catching up with tornadoes.”  © 2006 Twister Sisters
Out on the road, the Twister Sisters perform defined roles that increase their efficiency. “We feel that the two of us as a team are more effective than either one alone,” says Willenberg. “We assign ourselves duties before and during a chase. My duty is the truck. I drive our Chevy Suburban because I know it really well, and we’re sometimes in extremely difficult conditions, including heavy horizontal rain, standing water, big hail and high winds. My job is to get us to the site safely.”  © 2006 Twister Sisters
Their vehicle is equipped with an impressive array of storm-chasing gear including a dual-band ham radio, mobile lightning detection, two GPS navigation units and laptops with Internet access for real-time forecasts on the road. They also have a dashboard mount for their broadcast-quality video camera, a Sony VX-2000. This year, they added a satellite radar system that allows them to access Mobile Threat Net via XM radio.  © 2006 Twister Sisters
“Using this product has revolutionized chasing for us,” says Willenberg. “Before, when we couldn’t access the Internet via cell phone, we had to try to make phone calls to someone at home with a computer. Now we can function completely independently in the field. We started using it after we nearly drove into a two and a half mile wide tornado in the middle of the night in Nebraska.”  © 2006 Twister Sisters
Metz concentrates on photography, weather-tracking and navigation while Willenberg drives. Sometimes Metz also points out obstacles like a herd of black cows blocking the road in the middle of a stormy night. When the car stops, both Twister Sisters jump out and start shooting.  © 2006 Twister Sisters
They set the video camera on a tripod and leave it running while they shoot stills. Metz uses a couple of different cameras. Her first choice is a Nikon D-100 digital SLR with three interchangeable lenses ranging from 20mm wide angle to 70 - 300mm zoom. Both Metz and Willenberg also use Olympus C-5050 point-and-shoot cameras, which they find sharp and efficient.  © 2006 Twister Sisters
“The 35-50mm on the Nikon is what I use most,” says Metz. “It depends on the sky. If we get close, I might need a wide angle. It can be very beautiful to see the whole structure of the storm. If it’s a tornado, we try to get a couple of shots that show the connection of the twister to the whole storm. I try to mix it up. I’ll switch lenses. I know other chasers have a couple of camera bodies so they can keep the zoom on one body and the wide angle on the other. So far, I haven’t done that. It’s not always the camera that makes the shots.”  © 2006 Twister Sisters
Among the reasons that the Twister Sisters stand out in their field is the fact that most storm-chasers and meteorologists are men. While well-aware of the imbalance, the sisters don’t view it as an example of discrimination or an impediment to their work. “Both Peggy and I are the type of people who kind of plough forward and do what we want and don’t let things get in way,” says Metz. “The prevalence of men in storm chasing is probably a reflection of the fact that there are generally more men than women in the physical sciences. The physics and math of meteorology are perceived as difficult. We do know other women who chase, and we see them in the field. But they’re often the partners of men who are more serious. Peggy and I have gotten the most involved of any women I’ve seen. Maybe we’re just crazy women.”  © 2006 Twister Sisters
So how did they get so involved? For both of the Twister Sisters, curiosity about severe weather has been part of their lives since early childhood. Willenberg has been a weather watcher for as long as she can remember. “Growing up in Indiana,” she says, “there were plenty of storms, and every time my parents would try to get me into our basement, I would sneak out for a look at the action! I started chasing as soon as I could drive, and my fascination continues to grow with each year.”  © 2006 Twister Sisters
Metz grew up in Arizona, which has no tornadoes but frequent lightning storms. “I just loved lightning,” she says. “And as a child, I remember reading about tornadoes and hurricanes. I was fascinated, curious. They were scary but I wanted to see one. That’s something I’ve heard from a lot of people who are passionate about severe weather. They were just born that way. The science behind tornadoes is also fascinating. It’s challenging, dynamic, always different. Peggy feels the same way. We both have scientific minds so we are challenged by the forecasting aspect of it. We love to be out on road and under the open sky. We also like to celebrate a successful chase over a good glass of wine.”  © 2006 Twister Sisters
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