Hall, who's based in Norman, Oklahoma, smack-dab in the middle of Tornado Alley, positioned himself in Florida's Panhandle along with a horde of fellow "professional storm chasers" as the monster Category 4 hurricane roared ashore. He shared footage from Taylor County (the county whose sheriff, Wayne Padgett, grimly asked residents who failed to evacuate to write their name, date of birth, and other identifying information on their bodies in permanent marker) as the catastrophic storm made landfall in the region.
One clip Hall shared on X (formerly known as Twitter) showed powerful winds ripping sheet metal from a building in the town of Madison, 40 miles east of Tallahassee.
Another captured a downed power line in the middle of a street filled with debris and tangled trees.
But while out-of-town storm chasers have earned praise in the past for providing valuable on-the-ground data for weather studies, not everyone in Florida's Big Bend region welcomed them with open arms as Helene tore through.
Around 6:30 p.m., several hours before the storm arrived, Hall posted on X that the Taylor County sheriff was driving around telling everyone "they are going to jail at 7:30 if they are out on the street."
"Sounds like they're going to have a full jail of storm chasers," he quipped.Sheriff driving around Perry telling everyone they are going to Jail at 7:30 if they are out on the street. Sounds like they are going to have a full jail of storm chasers.
— Jordan Hall (@JordanHallWX) September 26, 2024
An hour later, he complained again about the police presence.
"Over 20 Sheriff and Florida Highway Patrol vehicles stationed at the bank in Perry, FL chasing down everyone who even drives onto the road. This is MADNESS," Hall posted. "Care more about the storm chasers than they do the storm!"
Some fellow storm chasers were quick to meme about the situation (@stormchasernick posted an image of a T-shirt with the words "I WAS JAILED DURING HURRICANE HELENE"), but overall, reactions to the interlopers' gripes were more nuanced.Over 20 Sheriff and Florida Highway Patrol vehicles stationed at the bank in Perry, FL chasing down everyone who even drives onto the road. This is MADNESS. Care more about the storm chasers than they do the storm! This is wild #florida
— Jordan Hall (@JordanHallWX) September 26, 2024
"Storm chasers thinking they're too important to be affected by mandatory evacuations/curfew so they can film sideways rain in their headlights while screaming, and getting mad at the police for doing their jobs to ensure people's safety before the storm... okay 🤡," an X user posted.https://t.co/hedImjTZNI pic.twitter.com/Aof9lJH3Ty
— Stormchasernick (@stormchasernick) September 26, 2024
"The self-victimizing is wild," opined another.Storm chasers thinking they're too important to be affected by mandatory evacuations/curfew so they can film sideways rain in their headlights while screaming, and getting mad at the police for doing their jobs trying to make sure people are safe before the storm...ok 🤡
— Alex Spahn 🌋🌪️☄️🥥🌴 (@spahn711) September 26, 2024
"Being a storm chaser doesn't give you a special pass to ignore evacuations," another opined.
"I really do admire your passion," a fourth commenter responded to Hall. "However, you are in an area of mandatory evacuation. It doesn't matter if you're a storm chaser; you shouldn't be there because your life is in danger. I don't understand why this frustrates you."
The Taylor County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to New Times' inquiry about its personnel's interactions with storm chasers last night.
