Now, we’re back to your usual programming of Peay Twister. Now in light of COVID-19 pandemic, I ended up doing some “armchair chasing” or watching storms from the comfort of home, save for few exceptions when I may venture outside safely.
Though I have done that several times, I found armchair chasing a good way to pass time while practicing “social distancing” even if I am in the low risk group. I am honestly a little ashamed of people my age for not practicing social distancing, especially those who went to Florida for spring break.
Again, please be mindful of your health and others, especially those in high risk groups. Wash your hands, steer clear of crowds, stay home when sick and try to avoid touching your faces. We have too many people, especially elders and vulnerable, facing risks all over the world. (11,268 deaths out of 258,052 total cases worldwide from John Hopkins University of Medicine as of writing).
Even if it’s generally survivable for a majority of the population, it’s still a serious disease, and it’s not something you want to pass to sweet old Grandma.
Center for Disease Control and Prevention even recommends social distancing and avoiding close contact and crowds to minimize the spread since SARS-CoV-2 is a potentially dangerous virus* especially for high risk groups such as elderly and those with chronic heart or lung diseases. Those with weakened immune systems also face higher risk.
Besides, the virus has a potential to rapidly spread as early data had shown. Thus, I am limiting my contact while the pandemic runs its course.
Now, on to armchair chasing. I usually do that more so here due to lack of visibility and frequent nocturnal events here in Tennessee. I have to admit that it’s fun too, and I sometimes sneak a look in middle of class. Please don’t be me.
In my next article, I want to show you some of the neat tools I use and why I use them, including a good old Convective Outlooks from the Storm Prediction Center (SPC).
*I was saying that it’s potentially dangerous since most severe cases COVID-19 are capable of causing lung damages that may take up to 15 years to heal according to Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine in UK, in a Business Insider article for an example. There are several finds by medical experts on how COVID-19 impacts the body.
**Feature image is satellite image of Missouri Bootheel region captured at 18:21 UTC (1:21 p.m. Central) on March 19, 2020 by GOES-16. Credited to College of DuPage.
I am a trained spotter and weather enthusiast who spent years enjoying learning about weather. I provide my thoughts and commentaries, sometimes with light humor.
