Storm chaser captures Mother Nature's 'incredible raw power'

Editor's note: The original CNN series »Violent Earth with Liev Schreiber» explores the heartbreaking weather events that are increasingly common in our changing climate. It airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Krystle Wright was driving through Nebraska five years ago when she came across “the Imperial Mothership.”

The supercell storm, which looks like a UFO from a science fiction movie, was unlike anything the Australian photographer had ever seen before.

“This is probably one of the most incredible days of my life,” Wright said.

She was visiting the United States with a team including Nick Moir, one of Australia's best-known storm chasers, and she said it was pure luck that they intercepted the storm at its peak near Imperial, Nebraska.

“We were absolutely in awe and couldn’t control our excitement,” she said. “You just can’t believe you’re witnessing such a thing.”

Wright has traveled to the United States several times in recent years to chase storms and document them. She started in 2018 and quickly learned why it can be so addictive.

“The adrenaline rush is definitely part of it, but it's just about honestly being humbled by Mother Nature and witnessing this incredible raw power,” she said. “And every storm is different.”

Supercells, like the Imperial Mothership, are what storm chasers target. These are the least common types of storms, but they often produce the most severe weather. Not all of them generate tornadoes, but they are where most tornadoes originate. They also make for some of the most spectacular photos.

“As storm chasers, we know that if we come in the spring for about two weeks, we're guaranteed to chase the supercells,” Wright said. “America is the most ideal configuration when it comes to chasing storms.”

Tornadoes occur all over the world, but they are most common in the United States.

On average, more than 1,150 tornadoes occur each year in the United States, more than Australia, Canada, and all European countries combined.

The reason is geographical. Low-pressure systems pull warm, humid air from the Gulf of Mexico and cool, dry air from the Rocky Mountains or high desert Southwest. The states between these two regions have the ideal conditions for severe weather to ignite when the two opposing air masses collide.

When it comes to tornadoes, “nothing compares to the consistency found in the American Midwest,” Wright said.

Planning for a day of storm chasing begins the evening before, reviewing the forecast and making an educated guess as to where storms might occur the next day.

But it's far from simple. You have to constantly monitor the radar, Wright said, and be ready to act quickly.

“It can take a lot of waiting,” she said. “So you sit and wait. And sometimes the challenge is finding cell signal, because you can definitely lose it in the Midwest.

Many days will begin with perfectly blue skies, with no hint of the monster storm to come.

“In general, I would say around lunch time, maybe early afternoon, is when the action usually starts,” Wright said. “And my God, around 3 p.m. usually, it's in progress. I've seen the sky turn black at 3 p.m. and you think you're driving at midnight. It's pretty wild.

On his storm-chasing trips, Wright was part of a four-person team with Moir, photographer Keith Ladzinski and videographer Skip Armstrong. She said she was usually the driver and it could be exciting, but also terrifying – and not always because of the weather.

“(Memorial Day) weekend always scared me because I knew there would be a wave of people on the road, and that's usually the most dangerous thing about chasing storms – other drivers , not so much the weather,” she said. said.

Other drivers may be so fascinated by the changing sky around them that they forget where they are, she said. She must therefore be very careful of them while traveling on roads that can become icy due to hail.

“You’re so much safer chasing as a team, at least two people,” she said. “Because you're driving incredibly long hours and you need someone to focus on driving and then someone else to focus on the speed cameras.”

Some storms move so fast that Wright and his team may stop and only stay for a few minutes before having to get back in the vehicle.

“Sometimes you get lucky — oh, we might stop for 15 minutes — but the storms move quickly,” Wright said. “If you want to stay with him and keep chasing him throughout the afternoon into the evening, it’s a constant go-go-go.”

The goal is to see the storm at its peak, which sometimes means making the decision to try to get ahead of it. Sometimes that means following the same system for hours and hours.

It is also important to stay well away from the storm. Not just for safety, but also for good photos.

“We like to be some distance away, because you want to see the whole structure,” Wright said.

Wright's storm photos are spectacular, but they can also serve a greater purpose.

“Visual documentation is some of the best data that scientists can work with when it comes to learning about storms and trying to better understand them,” she said. “I mean, they keep coming up with new theories about tornadoes and how they form.”

In 2013, a massive tornado near El Reno, Oklahoma, killed storm chasers Tim Samaras, Paul Samaras and Carl Young. At 2.6 miles wide, it was the widest U.S. tornado on record.

Wright said the tornado's erratic movements surprised many that day and authorities collected everyone's data to study the tornado and try to understand what happened.

“Realistically, we still don’t know much about storms,” Wright said.

Wright grew up on Australia's Sunshine Coast and was always drawn to nature, the outdoors and adventure.

Her work has taken her to remote locations around the world. She's tracked penguins in Antarctica, swum with whales in the Azores and paraglided in Mongolia.

“I like being in places that not many people have access to,” she said. “There's something appealing about being able to go to places where there's no cell service, like you're really out in nature.

“With my photography, I've always been drawn to real barren landscapes for some reason. I find so much beauty in them. My curiosity wants to continue to take me to extreme landscapes.

Wright is featured in the first season of “Photographer,” the new National Geographic series that can be streamed on Disney+ and Hulu.

Her episode is called Heart Explosions, which she describes as the feeling “when you're experiencing a moment and you have no control over your reaction – it might mean you end up bursting into tears or screaming with joy.”

She says these heart-pounding moments, for her, are always connected to nature in one way or another.

“With the storms continuing, this has definitely happened several times,” she said.