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Three years and four months after Alejandro Oro and Romina Simondi resigned from their well‑paid jobs as accounting experts in Argentina and moved to Spain to boost their son’s chess career, Faustino Oro has inscribed his name in a very special chapter of chess history. He has earned the grandmaster title — more demanding than a black belt in judo — at 12 years, six months, and 26 days. He is the second‑youngest of all time, surpassed only by the U.S. player of Indian descent Abhimanyu Mishra, who set the record by two months.

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Flying cows, SUVs soaring through the air like toys, quaint towns that are virtually wiped off the map. Hollywood certainly makes the very real world of chasing tornadoes appear exciting on the big screen. And yet the reality of storm chasing is actually slower, less competitive, more methodical, and not nearly as deadly as Twister or Twisters make it appear.

“My whole setup for a single chase is longer than most tornado movies are,” meteorologist and storm chaser Cyrena Arnold tells Popular Science.

Every spring and summer, thousands of meteorologists like Arnold, alongside hobbyists and weather tourists alike, chase tornadoes. Roughly 5,000 people from around the world travel to the Great Plains to chase storms every year. On the ground, it’s a mixture of exhilaration, solid planning, teamwork, and some difficult math. It’s also the chance to make a major real-life impact.

“Being able to see something and call it into the National Weather Service and have them issue a warning based upon it is probably the coolest thing ever. Because you may have just saved lives.”

What is storm chasing?

While the answer may seem obvious, the true definition of storm chasing has evolved over the years, as more hobbyists are going out in search of tornadoes—hobbyists not all that different from Glen Powell’s Tyler Owens in Twisters. 

For some, the whole point may be “trying to get as close to touching it as humanly possible without dying,” says Arnold. Others want to see the power of nature up close and snap photographs of its raw beauty. 

From a scientific standpoint, storm chasers can collect important data on storms, including wind speed, direction, and precipitation. They can also help weather forecasters get on-the-ground data that even the most advanced radar might not see. 

A meteorologist looking at a radar can understand that there might be a tornado in one spot or a severe thunderstorm with rotating clouds ready to spawn a tornado somewhere else. But radar coverage still isn’t perfect, nor does it tell the whole story of what’s happening on the ground. Enter storm chasers. They’re the folks, on the ground, relaying exactly what they see.  

“Storm spotters [another term for chasers] are actually a very critical part of that warning piece. We can be the eyes and ears on the ground for the National Weather Service, whether you’re a meteorologist or not,” says Arnold, who has over 20 years of storm chasing experience.

The real art of storm chasing

There is a lot of camaraderie among storm chasers and it is not as competitive as the movies make it seem. This is important, as safe storm chasing always involves sharing data and teamwork. Rival teams stealing each other’s research as depicted in Twister is more for the movie drama. 

It is impossible to drive, navigate, and watch the forecast all at once. Arnold is her team’s driver, partly because she is a self-proclaimed gear head, but she also gets car sick and would have trouble looking at forecast models and GPS while the car is moving.

Once a team figures out when they are going to go out based on what forecasting models are saying, they will continue to track changes and listen to local forecasts constantly. The goal is to pinpoint exactly where the team ought to be, in order to spot a tornado. And that is no easy task, akin to finding a needle in a haystack.

“Maybe I know things are going to blow up in east Kansas, but east Kansas is a really big place,” Arnold explains. “So I need to know where I should be, down to what town I want to be [in].”

Chasers will also look at signals coming from the atmosphere, like cloud formations, that can indicate where a storm might emerge. Tornadoes typically form in cumulonimbus clouds. These massive, dense, towering clouds are associated with severe weather, including hail, heavy rain, thunder, lightning, and tornadoes

“I am looking to be downstream of storms, just slightly where they initiate,” Arnold explains. This way, she can watch how the entire storm progresses, not just the tornado. 

“Where [tornadoes] initiate you get these towering cumulus clouds that start to grow and form,” she says. 

Chasers must also do the “boring” yet necessary steps in advance of the storm—charge cameras and batteries, gas up the car, eat a good meal, and consider what’s on your feet when looking at the sky.

“I know this sounds like a really weird one, but you don’t go storm chasing in flip flops,” Arnold says.

The perfect storm

One of the biggest misconceptions about storm chasing is that you will see a tornado every time you go out on a chase. 

“Your ratio is about one to 10. So, for every 10 storms you chase, you’ll probably find one,” Arnold explains. Since all tornadoes originate from severe thunderstorms, sometimes chasers will end up collecting data on these powerful thunderstorms. While not quite as dramatic, this can still help meteorologists improve their forecasts, as thunderstorms can lead to dangerous flooding and winds even if they don’t spawn a single tornado. Still, following a tornado is still the prize of the day.  

That said, if all of the variables align and you are in the right place at the right time, it’s time to watch. For some, that means analyzing the meteorological data coming in. Others are snapping photos and keeping the team safe from any flying debris. 

As the storm progresses, chasers will also look to see where it’s moving or if other storms are popping up nearby. Arnold says they’ll continue to move a few miles here and there in “very small changes, like a chessboard.”

With all of that debris and rain, it’s also crucial for navigators to get a sense of how road networks are affected. 

“In places like the middle of nowhere Kansas, roads turn to the slickest, gooiest, nastiest mud you’ve ever seen and you will get stuck,” says Arnold. “So, understanding how the road conditions are changed is important for our exit strategies.”

If a storm shifts direction, understanding the road conditions is critical for that exit plan. While storm paths can be unpredictable, the majority move from west to east due to the jetstream. This powerful “air river” moves storm systems from west to east across land and oceans due to how the Earth rotates around the sun. 

Most of the time, simply driving south is an easy escape route if a team needs to get out of the way fast. Unlike hurricanes, which span vast areas, tornado paths are more narrow and it is easier to get out of its way. 

Storm chasing is not nearly as deadly as the movies make it out to be. While the exact number is debated, only a handful of people have died while storm chasing. In 2013, storm chaser and meteorologist Tim Samaras, his storm chaser partner Carl Young, and son Paul Samaras were killed near El Reno, Oklahoma. First responders found Tim Samaras inside of his car with his seat belt still on, while Paul Samaras and Young were pulled from the car by a tornado.

No flying cows, but hail the size of DVDs

During one particularly strong storm outbreak in southwest Texas in May 2024, Cyrena and her storm chasing crew experienced a whole new category of hail during an EF3 tornado. The Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale measures a tornado’s wind speed and its related damage. An EF3 tornado, like this one Cyrena and her team were chasing, have winds between 136 and 165 miles per hour.

“We were between Midland and Odessa, and they put the largest hail warning they’ve ever had on a storm ever for DVD sized hail,” Arnold recalls. “It was the first time they had ever used that comparison and not something like ping pong, golf ball, or quarter.” 

There was plenty of warning that this massive hail was coming and the team was able to get out of harm’s way. Arnold and other meteorologists tell stories like these on the podcast she runs with a team of meteorologists called The Stormfront Freaks 

Still, even in the face of danger, storm chasing is a valuable public safety resource. It also gives weather geeks and hobbyists a front-row seat to the wonders of nature.

“You get out there and you feel so small. You feel so insignificant and seeing what Mother Nature is capable of is just incredible,” says Arnold. 

In Ask Us Anything, Popular Science answers your most outlandish, mind-burning questions, from the everyday things you’ve always wondered to the bizarre things you never thought to ask. Have something you’ve always wanted to know? Ask us.

The post The real storm chasers of the Great Plains appeared first on Popular Science.

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SINGAPORE: A Singaporean man who has spent almost two decades financially supporting his mother has turned to Reddit to ask whether he is wrong for wanting to reduce her allowance so he can focus on marriage and starting a family with his girlfriend.

Posting on Reddit’s r/asksg forum on Wednesday (Jun 3), the man shared that he has been giving his mother 15% of his salary since he first started working. In addition to the monthly allowance, he also pays for her Netflix subscription and medical insurance.

While he said he had never had an issue with the arrangement, he admitted that his circumstances and priorities are no longer the same as they were years ago. With marriage now on the horizon, he is beginning to feel the pressure of balancing his responsibilities towards his mother with his own plans for the future.

“My girlfriend and I are discussing marriage,” he wrote. “We’ve been together since 2019. She is a low-income foreign worker who speaks Mandarin and basic English. She is incredibly frugal, rarely asks for anything, and earns under S$2,000 a month.”

‘I told her to stop treating me as a lifetime meal ticket’

The conflict reportedly began when his mother started encouraging the couple to have a child.

According to the man, he responded by explaining that having a baby was financially unrealistic unless he reduced the amount of money he currently gives her each month.

“I told her flatly that a baby is not financially viable right now unless the money comes from somewhere, specifically a reduction in the monthly allowance I give her.”

In the heat of the argument, he also revealed some long-held frustrations.

“I told my mother she needs to stop treating me as a lifetime meal ticket and find her own income. I suggested she rent out my bedroom once I move out, but she flatly refused due to her ‘fear of strangers’. She also refuses to seek any part-time work, citing her lack of English and claiming there are ‘bad people’ everywhere.”

His mother reportedly reacted angrily, accusing him of being “unfilial” and refusing to care for her.

He also alleged that she tried to guilt-trip him by bringing up the hardships she endured while working unpaid for his grandmother during her younger years.

When he responded that it was “just her fate” — a phrase he said she once used on him after he failed his exams — the argument escalated further.

“She told me she should never have given birth to me and invoked religious curses,” he wrote. “She then used my girlfriend as a punching bag. She claims my girlfriend ‘changed me’, will ‘con me of everything and leave the country’, and looks down on her job, saying my girlfriend is lucky a university graduate wants her.”

According to him, his mother is also strongly opposed to the idea of him giving his future wife an allowance.

“She is fiercely against me giving my future wife an allowance, and against my girlfriend sending money back to her own parents, claiming my girlfriend has siblings to do that whereas my mother ‘only has me’.”

“I told her that while I am indebted to her to a point, she has been free-riding for nearly two decades.”

Wanting outside perspectives, he asked fellow Redditors: “AITA (Am I The A***ole) for wanting to reduce my dependent mother’s allowance so I can marry and start a family?”

A long history of financial dependence

To explain why he feels the way he does, the man shared more details about his mother’s background.

According to him, she has not worked since 1995 and has consistently resisted suggestions that she seek employment.

He said she speaks no English and often describes the outside world as being full of “bad people”, something he believes has become her justification for avoiding work altogether.

Following his father’s death in 2007, she reportedly relied on an insurance payout left behind by her late husband.

“Originally, the money was split 50% to her and 50% between my brother and me, but out of trust, both my brother and I gave her our shares. She spent my portion buying me a motorcycle. My elder brother eventually cut contact with her completely due to her heavy favouritism towards me.”

Despite being the “favoured” child, the man claimed that his mother did not support his educational ambitions.

“I put myself through university via night classes and bank loans. My mother was heavily against me getting a degree, claiming ‘degree holders are jobless’. Despite her lack of support, I now earn a degree-level salary.”

“15% isn’t all that high.”

The post quickly attracted responses, with many Singaporean Redditors sympathising with the man’s situation and arguing that parents should not expect lifelong financial support at the expense of their children’s future plans.

One commenter wrote, “At some point you have to prioritise yourself. Filial piety should never be at the expense of your own future. If you are relying on her (example, staying at her house), move out asap and establish boundaries.” 

Another commented, “Don’t let your parents gaslight you!!! They’re adults, and they need to be responsible for their own life.”

Others felt the issue was more complicated and argued that the man was being unfair, particularly given his mother’s age and circumstances.

One critic pointed out that his mother had spent years supporting him and accused him of lacking gratitude.

They said, “It’s because of people like you that the gov’t had to come up with ‘Maintenance of Parents Act.’  I feel sad for your mum. It must’ve been due to her favoritism towards you that brought you up wrongly, never instilling the right values in you. You guys obviously can’t afford luxuries, and yet she’s willing to help you get a motorcycle, which resulted in your brother cutting ties. 

“Her world literally has only you, and you are this pathetic charsiew who is ASKING HER TO GET A JOB. ASKING HER, A WIDOWER LIVING ON HER OWN, TO SHARE HER HOME WITH A STRANGER TO SUPPLEMENT HER INCOME all over a foreign worker.”

Another added, “15% isn’t all that high. Many parents make such demands..”/TISG

Read also: ‘The company he worked for decided to move production to Malaysia’: Daughter upset after father’s layoff, says he ‘worked hard and stayed loyal’ 

This article (‘I’m not your lifetime meal ticket’: Man wants to cut mum’s allowance after nearly 20 years to focus on marriage) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

Hong Kong authorities have deployed powerful machines known as “water-pumping dragons” to clear flooding after the city’s northern territories were hit by heavy rainfall overnight.

The Drainage Services Department said on social media early on Thursday that its teams had cleared seven instances of flooding in the northern part of the New Territories using the devices, which authorities procured from mainland China last year due to more frequent extreme downpours.

The Observatory issued the red rainstorm warning at 2.40am due to heavy rain in the city’s border areas near Shenzhen, especially in Sheung Shui, Ta Kwu Ling, and Sha Tau Kok. A special landslide warning was also issued.

The rainstorm signal was downgraded to amber at 5.15am and eventually cancelled at 9.30am. The weather services warned of the risk of river flooding.

The heavy rain was associated with “upper-air disturbances… persistently affecting the vicinity of the Pearl River Estuary,” the Observatory said on Thursday.

“Locally, more than 50 millimetres of rainfall were recorded over widespread areas this morning, and rainfall even exceeded 100 millimetres over many parts of the New Territories,” it added.

The flooding was concentrated in Sheung Shui and Fanling, while the Shek Kong Airfield Road was also affected, according to the Drainage Services Department.

An emergency control centre was activated at 9.45pm on Wednesday, and 90 response teams were deployed to inspect and clear flooding, the department said.

Images and videos of severe flooding went viral on social media platforms. Clips posted on Threads show floodwater entering a bus in Ping Che and a taxi trapped on the road.

Last year, after the city hoisted the black rainstorm warning four times within a week, a former Observatory official warned that extreme weather would become more frequent due to the climate crisis.

SINGAPORE: One young Singaporean recently shared that instead of feeling proud after securing a place in one of Singapore’s most competitive university programmes, he ended up feeling quite deflated after his father seemed disappointed that he chose to study locally instead of heading to the United Kingdom.

Posting on the r/SGexams subreddit, the student explained that he had accepted an offer from the National University of Singapore to study Computer Science and Mathematics under a merit scholarship, which many would already consider a massive achievement.

However, according to him, his father’s reaction was far from enthusiastic.

“My father didn’t seem very happy when I told him I accepted the offer. (I don’t usually tell my parents the decision I made unless it’s something major because I don’t want them to interfere).”

“He wanted me to study in the UK instead. My father brought it up at the dinner table today and asked why I didn’t want to go overseas to study. I told him that the interviews/admissions tests/application deadlines for Oxbridge were around mid-October, which was right in the middle of my As. My prelims weren’t great either, so I didn’t want to compromise my As.”

On top of the intense academic pressure, the financial burden of studying abroad also weighed heavily on his mind. He revealed that a UK degree alone could allegedly cost around S$75,000 per year, excluding additional living expenses.

Although his father assured him that he could afford the costs, the student admitted he felt uncomfortable with the idea of his father continuing to overwork himself just to fund an overseas education.

“He’s already extremely tired and is practically working the entire week,” he said.

The student added that he overheard his father arguing with his mother about the decision after dinner. 

“I overheard him arguing with my mum about it. He said that I would miss out on many opportunities by not studying overseas and that UK grads from top unis would have much higher salaries than what NUS could offer.”

“On one hand, I do feel a bit guilty for not applying, but at the same time, it also felt quite sad that he didn’t seem to acknowledge how much effort it took to get into such a competitive course, especially with a scholarship.”

“Just assure him that this is not going to hinder your future.”

Many Singaporean Redditors quickly rallied around the student in the comments section, reassuring him that earning a scholarship to study Computer Science and Mathematics at NUS is already an achievement most students could only dream of.

One commenter wrote, “Hey, it’s your choice and your life, getting into NUS with a scholarship is already really good. Just keep going at your pace and keep working hard. All the best.”

Another tried to cheer him up, saying, “I am proud of you…In fact, all of us here are proud of you. We know how hard it is to conquer A levels and then get into NUS CS and Math through a scholarship. So chin up!! You have done fantastic regardless of whether your father understands it… And you have a bright future ahead.”

Others, meanwhile, suggested that the student try having another conversation with his father.

One individual commented, “You know, the guilt game goes both ways. Tell him that you didn’t want to go overseas, so you won’t be such a large financial burden. Then he can work a bit less, and you wish you could see him more at home. I am sure he will be touched; if not, at least he will lay off the complaints.”

Another added, “As a parent, I can tell you he’s more disappointed in himself or guilty that he wasn’t around to guide you to make what he felt was the better choice (i.e., apply overseas). He’s proud of your achievement… just assure him that this is not going to hinder your future and you will still work hard and do well for yourself and your family.”

In other news, a 22-year-old Singaporean woman says she feels used and emotionally drained after allegedly being made to pay for most of her relationship expenses while her boyfriend claimed he was “saving for their future.”

In a post shared on a local forum on Thursday (May 21), the woman said she has been dating her boyfriend since 2023

Read more: SG woman says boyfriend earning S$5K–S$6K still expected her to cover most expenses

This article (SG student feels deflated after father questions decision to study at NUS instead of Oxbridge) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

Richard Forensky posted a photo:

One of Britain’s longest standing and most celebrated press photographers presents an intimate look at three decades of images covering celebrity, entertainment, and major events in a new book.

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