Students learn about storm chasing in special presentation

Owatonna High School students got a close-up view of severe storms this week, without having to leave the classroom.

Ninth graders in biology teacher Dam Nguyen’s geoscience class received a special presentation Wednesday from Phil Zrimsek, who tagged along with a team of storm chasers earlier this year. Zrimsek showed off his photos and videos from the trip and shared his experiences riding next to tornadoes.

The presentation was arranged by STEM Coordinator Tom Meagher, a friend of Zrimsek’s. Meagher works with K-12 students, bringing unique science experiences into the classroom.

Zrimsek is a retired attorney from Northfield. A few weeks ago, a friend invited him to join a storm chasing trip. Zrimsek was one of several photographers on board as they chased tornadoes in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas.

He told the students that the tornado itself isn’t actually the main danger of storm chasing, as the crew had a meteorologist on board who could direct them on a safe path around tornadoes. According to the safety briefing he received, sharing the road with panicked drivers is the greatest risk, followed by lighting and oversized hail. During the trip, the van he was riding in was struck by baseball-sized hail.

Prior to his storm chasing adventure, Zrimsek had never seen a tornado in person, though he recounted the experience of taking shelter from one in 2018.

A few students shared tornado sightings of their own, including one who saw a tornado in Faribault and another on the road to Texas. Others reported losing trees and branches in their yards during the same 2018 incident Zrimsek experienced.