Usually, severe weather isn't in Indiana's forecast until late to early April. However, this year has been particularly damaging.
The state is currently around 30 degrees above the average daily temperature before spring starts and has witnessed an EF-4 tornado, the first of its kind since 1998.
Ball State's Severe Weather Alert Team witnessed these storms firsthand.
SWAT is made up of four members: senior meteorology major Brad Maushart and alums Brandon Redmond, Joe Krupa and Chris Bergin.
The team was founded by Redmond and Maushart and is sponsored by Fox 59. SWAT chases severe weather in Indiana and surrounding areas and provides coverage for its followers on Twitter, Facebook and on their website, swatchasers.com.
SWAT uses online data analysis programs up to a week before the day of the chase. Their most recent adventure was traveling south to Henryville, Ind., to track the storm two weeks ago, but they missed the storm by half an hour.
When a storm hits, the team uses wireless Internet cards to view live radar and get online updates from other chasers via Twitter or on local news sites. They also use Gibson Ridge radar equipment, which allows them to see visuals of the storm in real time.
Maushart said the team needs to be on top of what is going on and be ready for the storms. The team's equipment helps it to do that.
"Technology has just really, really improved over the past several years to where with wireless data that's cheap and affordable, so you're getting an influx of chasers now," he said. "The programs are easy to use for the most part and easy to learn. But obviously the more educated you are with weather or meteorology, the better off you are."
Because the team is knowledgeable about severe weather, it knows what to do to stay safe.
SWAT can accurately track the storm's path, which keeps the team at a safe distance. The chasers also know what not to do during the chase, such as park their vehicle under a bridge or get into heavy traffic situations.
Redmond said the team is always monitoring the latest radar, watching the latest storm evolution and watching the clouds. He said they make sure to have plenty of room between them and the storm.
"Our safety is our number one concern," he said. "We're out there trying to provide accurate reports for the public and helping increase the warning capabilities for the National Weather Service. But if we don't stay safe ourselves, obviously we're not going to be helping anyone."
Geography Professor Dave Call is the adviser for SWAT. He said the team stays safe because it know how severe thunderstorms work, and the team travels in groups.
"Storms are a part of the environment, and the environment is governed by rules and laws," Call said. "So even though storms are pretty complicated and each storm is unique, there's some general principles."
Call said the biggest hazards in chasing are typically lightning and distracted driving.
Maushart said he believes it's going to be a record-setting year for heat and weather, based on the current temperatures and the early tornadoes that hit Missouri in February just a few months ago.
"We're well above average temperature-wise," Maushart said. "It's almost like we skipped spring and went on to summer."
Maushart has been interested in weather since seeing the movie "Twister" was released in 1996. He studies meteorology at Ball State and is currently a meteorologist for NewsLink Indiana.
He said his favorite part of storm chasing is that it's always different.
"It's always a rush," he said. "You always get that adrenaline rush when you see that the storm prediction center has set out a moderate risk or a slight risk of severe weather, and you're going to go out chasing it. You never know what for sure is going to happen."
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