UK storm-chaser James Reynolds arrives in Taiwan

英國追風者詹姆斯·雷諾斯抵達台灣

International storm-chaser looking to film Typhoon Haikui


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — At 10 p.m. on Saturday (Sept. 2), James Reynolds was driving down a windy highway in a rented Toyota RAV4 to film Typhoon Haikui.

In a phone interview with Taiwan News, Reynolds said it was his 17th visit to Taiwan. He had just finished filming Typhoon Saola in Hong Kong, carrying with him a suitcase full of wet clothes, though the shoes were binned after they lost their soles.

"Typhoon Saola in Hong Kong was brewing up to be a big disaster, but... it could have been a lot worse," Reynolds said. Though damage and destruction were limited, Reynolds said conditions "got really hairy," as he was nearly hit in the head by a board.

Reynolds is one of a dozen professional storm chasers who sell their footage to major networks such as CNN and the BBC, occasionally providing live updates. He has a YouTube channel, Earth Uncut TV, and is active in social media.

Reynolds said that authorities often shut down roads and highways hours before a typhoon makes landfall, which makes it necessary to get into position before a typhoon strikes. "Chengong is looking like ground zero," according to Reynolds's latest weather data and forecast track.

However, from experience, he said it is not necessary to be in the eye of the storm. "I have been storm-chasing professionally from 2009 onwards. It’s not necessary to be in the eye of typhoons that hit Taiwan, as I try to be on the north side of the eye wall where you get a lot of wind and water blowing around," he said.

Reynolds described a typical typhoon filming day as "getting up in the morning, loading up on coffee, watching the radar, and adjusting our position on the coast, and after it makes landfall, basically calling it a day."

Reynolds says typhoons dissipate upon making landfall, with winds dying down and typically leaving nothing more than flooding to film. Naturally, most filming is concluded around sunset, when lighting affects the quality of the footage.

If done correctly, Reynolds says storm-chasing is not dangerous, and he offered a few pointers. He said, "You can’t wear sandals because you get blown around and need something solid. I hurt my toe a few years ago when wearing sandals." He also encouraged other storm-chasers to buy clothing that dries quickly rather than ones that are water-repellent.

Reynolds made his first trip to Taiwan in four years, as he said, "It’s good to be back in Taiwan doing what I love."

Reynolds said storm-chasing is unpredictable. "The past three years of storm-chasing have been garbage. There haven’t been many storms, but this year they are coming back with a vengeance," he said.

Reynolds says that an El Nino year is adding a little boost. However, typhoons this year have been exhibiting "a weird track, turning around in loops, and proving hard to predict," he said.

"I am a jaded, skeptical person who always thinks it’s going to be a dud. But it hasn’t happened, as the vast majority of the 12 or 13 storms in the Pacific this year have reached typhoon status and have been good-quality storms," Reynolds added.

In order to make good films, Reynolds said filming must take place in the daytime, with a lot of rain. The bigger the eye, the better.

His work is not always safe, as he admitted really strong typhoons can be scary, with lots of flying debris that can get into his eyes, and driving across flooded roads strewn with fallen branches. For all its challenges and discomfort, the thrill of the chase and the unpredictability of nature are what kept this storm-chaser going.