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J durhamrcgion.com THE CANADIAN STATESMAN 4 August 16,2006 ♦ Page A3 Walter Passarella / Metroland Durham Region Media Group Colin Williamson chases storms for photos and is a professional professional weather chaser. Colin Williamson took this picture of lightning during one of his recent storm chasings. Taking aim at the eye of the storm Local 'storm chaser' says extreme weather is exciting but dangerous BY JULIAN FOLLERT Staff Writer DURHAM » The rumble of thunder and crackle of lightning mean a storm is fast approaching and that sends most people running for cover, But not Colin Williamson. The 30-year-old Oshawa resident resident is a self-proclaimed "storm chaser." Armed with a camera, he follows thunderstorms, tornados and hurricanes on their destructive paths, stopping only'to snap photos of nature's fury. "As a kid I was terrified of lightning," lightning," he says. "Then one day I ,saw a guy taking photos of it. At first I thought he was crazy, then I looked and realized how incredible it was." Mr. Williamson spent his childhood childhood reading up on extrehie weather and, after getting a driver's licence at 16, he hit the road, visiting visiting weather hotspots like Florida, Kansas and Oklahoma. "My mom didn't really like that," he chuckles. Today, he spends weeks at a time travelling Canada and the U.S. in search of storms, selling his photos and video footage to the Toronto I DENTURES *249?, » 1(905) 434-4603 I Offer expire» August 31, 2006 Star, CNN and many others. He is also a member of the Weather Network's "extreme weather team," a group of volunteers volunteers trained to keep an eye on' the weather and report back to the network's meteorologists. "For me, weather is like a magnet," magnet," Mr. Williamson says. "There's nothing like seeing a tornado from half a kilometre away or seeing hail the size of baseballs." But that doesn't mean the average person should give it a try. Ever since the movie Twister glamorized glamorized the world of storm chasing, Mr. Williamson said people have been eager to try their hand at it. But it takes more than a lens to be a real storm chaser - an understanding understanding of the weather is key. Mr. Williamson has spent years learning what makes a storm tick and how close is too close -- and he is regularly shocked by the misconceptions misconceptions people have. A few weeks ago he was on the sidelines watching a soccer game in Oshawa's Alexandra Park, when thunder and lightning made an appearance. "There were three games going on, kids everywhere and they didn't call off any of the games," he says, shaking his head. "I asked the refs why - they said they only call it if the lightning is too close... trust me if you can see it, it's too close." According to Environment Canada, Canada, precautions should be taken even if a thunderstorm is not directly overhead, because lightning lightning can strike several kilometres away from a storm. The best advice is to seek shelter, shelter, whether indoors or in a vehicle. vehicle. When trapped outdoors, the experts say to steer clear of tall objects, high ground of open fields. If caught on level ground, crouch down -- do not lie flat. Mr. Williamson adds precautions should be. taken indoors as well. Although it's tempting to watch a sto windows are a dangerous place to do it from. Other tips include turning off electrical appliances, avoiding the use of tap water and staying off phones and computers. "Everyone needs to understand how dangerous, lightning can be. There are one million volts of electricity electricity in a single strike, the temperature temperature is 50,000 degrees," Mr. Williamson says. 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