How a Queenslander became a veteran tornado chaser across the US

In a field in rural Texas, Thomas Hinterdorfer stood under a green sky with the wind screaming past him at 265 km/h.

For Hinterdorfer, that’s as good as it gets.

For ten months of the year, the Toowoomba native is a professional meteorologist in Australia.

From mid-April to late June, he’s a “storm chaser,” racing up and down America’s Tornado Lane in search of tornadoes, twisters, and the biggest hail he can find.

“Finding storms in the US is easy,” he explained to 9news.com.au.

Picking the storms to chase is where the skill comes in, he said.

Hinterdorfer and his partner Katie use sophisticated computer models and satellite imagery to figure out where the most spectacular tornadoes are likely to form.

What follows is a white-knuckle drive across state lines as they get as close to the tornado as they can safely take.

Unfortunately, several people have already been killed by tornadoes in the US this year.

Buildings are smashed to pieces and cities are torn apart.

Despite the risks, Hinterdorfer says storm chasing in the US is no more dangerous than driving to the shops in Australia.

“There are more injuries from car crashes in Sydney every morning than from storm chasing in an entire year,” he said.

“We very much respect that this is a very dangerous ‘sport’, passion or profession.

Because storm chasers are often among the first on the scene after a tornado hits a populated area, he has seen the heartbreaking aftermath of a tornado too many times.

“It’s devastating every time,” he said.

On April 27, a catastrophic tornado passed through the town of Elkhorn, Nebraska.

Hinterdorfer and Katie were on the scene after the storm, helping local authorities with search and rescue operations.

When they stepped in to help the victims of the tornado, the scenes were confrontational.

“People think we like to chase the drama and all,” he wrote on Facebook that night.

“I haven’t stopped crying for 30 minutes.

“This was a violent, destructive, catastrophic tornado that changed multiple communities forever.”

Hinterdorfer became “absolutely fascinated” by the weather from an early age.

Now on his seventh “season” trip (April to July in the US), he said the chase has become an invaluable part of his knowledge and training as a meteorologist.

“One learns so much in the field and seeing things for oneself, and that experience becomes invaluable for future predictions and future pursuits,” he said.

“The more I chase, the more I learn”.

Not every day in the pursuit is successful.

One day last week, the pair drove almost 1,200 km across six US states, with only a 30-second glimpse of a tornado to show for it.

Day by day, their fate can change by the minute.

Hinterdorfer said the more experienced storm chasers become, the more they can manage the ebb and flow of emotions throughout the day.

“Less experienced chasers can often get too excited or too depressed, depending on how the chase is going,” he said.

“More experienced chasers know how to use the frustrating or quieter moments in a positive way and ride the highs much longer.”

Hinterdorfer and his partner will continue their pursuit until the end of the season in early July.

“We also hope to continue to see ridiculous storms that leave you speechless and use those storms to meet as many friends as possible.”