FAQ Sheet for the VC (Virtual Chase)

Q: How do I know what days I need to Chase?

A: First, check the daily Chase Status on the Virtual Chase Forum homepage: http://www.theweatherboard.com/index.php?categoryid=45

The banner at the top of the page will tell you the status for the next day, whether the Chase in ON or OFF. It will also show the current day’s status. In less than 15 seconds you will know all there is to know about the Chase status for the contest.

Q: I see the Chase is ON. Now what?

A: At the bottom of that page is the entry form for each day’s Chase. Simply fill in the necessary info (be sure to spell correctly!!) by 0500z UTC to be entered for the next day’s Chase. To convert your time zone from UTC to local, use this site:

http://www.timezoneconverter.com/cgi-bin/tzc.tzc

Q: Can I start from anywhere I want each day?

A: Yes! Each Chase day stands alone. If the severe weather on Monday happens to be in Western Kansas and then on Tuesday it ends up in Miami, You could start in Goodland, KS Monday and Miami on Tuesday. We do NOT impose travel restrictions between days, only within the Chase day itself.

Q: I see the status says NO CHASE. What do I do?

A: First, one of the rules of the contest is that you Virtually Chase at least 50% of the days that the SPC identifies as having at least a slight risk of severe weather somewhere, as forecast in their Day 2 Outlook that is issued on or about 1730z each day. Our contest is 63 days in length, April 14-June14. Potentially, that’s 63 Chase days, but not likely. Not every day are we graced with severe weather, even in the Spring. For discussion sake, let’s say there will actually be 54 days with at least a slight risk. That means you will need to Chase a minimum of 27 days to qualify for prizes. So on days where there is NO CHASE, the tally of Chase days will not increase. But if YOU think the SPC has missed their forecast and YOU feel there will be a severe weather event, you are welcome to put in an entry for that day in accordance with the usual rules. Your results will affect your score, possibly positively, possibly negatively (a Virtual bust!). If you have missed the Chase on days where the Chase was ON, you can get YOUR total Chase day count back to that 50% level by taking the risk on a NO CHASE day. It’s your choice! In past years, this gamble has paid off for some Virtual Chasers.

Q: I put in an entry for a CHASE day but I’m not in the right place. How do I move somewhere else?

A: Easy! Simply go back to the official entry form and make your move. IMPORTANT! Be sure to first enter the location you began you CHASE day at, then enter the location you are moving to. Again, be sure to spell correctly. Once you enter the new location, you are then "on the move." Keep in mind we count travel time, at a rate of 1 minute per mile, straight line distance, from location to location. If you are moving just a few miles or a county away, you can get from place to place in a short amount of time. If your first location was way off the mark, make the change early so you are in position for later in the day. A 400 mile correction will take almost 7 hours to complete.

Q: I just put in a move to a new location but I see storms starting to pop to the north of where I am heading. Can I change locations again?

A: Yes! If you already arrived at your next location, simply fill in another entry form, listing the location you were at most recently, and the new location you will move to. If you are still en route and "on the move", enter the location you were most recently STOPPED at and the new location you are changing to. We will calculate the distance you traveled towards the previous choice, and then begin the travel to the new location. Again, we calculate 1 minute per mile, so if you put your first move in 25 minutes prior to your change, you will have moved 25 miles toward your first location and will then begin your travel to your "changed my mind" location. Just like if you were out in the car on a real chase.

Q: There are storms close to me but they look like they will miss me by at least 25 miles. Can I keep "chasing" a storm?

A: Yes, but…, once the clock ticks past 2100z you CANNOT make any more moves. If you are "on the move" from an entry entered BEFORE 2100z, you will continue on to the location you chose even if the travel time takes you past the 2100z deadline. You also CANNOT make any en route changes after the 2100z deadline. All entries are time stamped in our database, and that is the official time for all entries. One of the features of this contest is mostly forecasting with a little NOWcasting. Part of the challenge is getting in the right place first, before the heat of the day gets the atmosphere bubbling.

Q: I was "on the move" to a new spot and a severe weather report came in right along my travel path as I was passing by. Do I get the points?

A: Nope! All scoring can only occur while you are STOPPED at your location. Points while traveling don’t count. A report could come in at the exact time you arrive at your location and that counts. It could also come in 1 minute before you arrive, and that won’t count.

Q: My location was under a severe thunderstorm warning, my radar showed that it had hail, but the SPC didn’t have a storm report. Do I still get points?

A: Unfortunately no. We did try one year to equip a herd of cattle with cell phones out in the Texas panhandle. Every time they tried to dial the NWS they just stepped on the phones and smashed them. So if there were no two-legged creatures with the manual dexterity to call in a report, it’s like the tree falling in the forest with no one around. Nobody saw it, nobody heard it. No points.

Q: I had a huge supercell hit my 25 mile radius. Hail wind and a tornado. How many points do I get?

A: Points are:Hail/wind=5 points, tornado>5miles=10 points, tornado<5 miles=20 points. You are only credited with the single highest scoring event within your 25 mile radius. Even if there were 20 total reports, you only get the score for the single highest event.

Feel free to ask any and all other questions you may have in any of the daily Virtual Chase Forum threads!