An expert storm chaser found himself in the Riverina at the weekend, as much-needed rain gave the region a soaking.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Daniel Shaw is a storm chaser based in Sydney who travels the world to "capture the world's deadliest and most incredible storms".
"The term of a storm chaser is somebody who actively goes out and seeks weather of all sorts," he explained.
"Could be snowstorms, could be supercell thunderstorms, could be rain, but in most cases, storm chasers will be seeking out the more severe weather such as supercells."
Since the age of 11, Mr Shaw has been fascinated with the weather, and when he got his driver's licence, the passion took off.
"Now I'm based in Sydney, in the suburbs, and go out to regional areas which is a big investment in time and financial costs as well, but you need also to forecast the right conditions," he said.
"Forecasting can sometimes be very simple, [or] can be very difficult.
"As you know, predicting weather can be extraordinarily difficult, so when you do happen to be in the right place at the right time, it was either a lot of skill involved or just straight dumb luck."
Mr Shaw said his vehicle is set up with front, rear, drone and broadcast cameras to live stream to paid supporters.
"I take them along for the journey as things happen, as things break," he said.
"It's very complex and very costly set up to bring people in, and connectivity in rural Australia is often either non-existent or limited, so you have to build your systems in such a way where you can bring them to those areas."
Mr Shaw said the most dangerous part about storm chasing is the driving, meaning that he needs to understand fatigue management.
"Doesn't matter what you do, fatigue management is the most critical part," he said.
"Once you understand the dangers of storms, you know when to back off.
"Any professional storm chaser will tell you the best way to recognise if you're a professional or not is knowing when to flee, and that it's okay to run and hide for cover."
Every April to June for about 15 seasons, Mr Shaw has travelled to America to chase storms. He even has a fitted-out vehicle ready to go in the U.S.
"If you misjudge the storms in America on the deadly days, the chances of survival are greatly minimised," Mr Shaw said.
"If you chase in America, you need to know what you're doing, you need to have experience in recognising when things start to change, and things can change in minutes.
"If you don't recognise that within seconds, that can end up being fatal."
Mr Shaw said the weather system is different in Australia because it does not have a major collision of the cold arctic air, the gulf air and a jet stream above at 100+ knots up in the upper altitudes.
"In America, there are violent, long-track tornadoes that can go across multiple states," he said.
"That's just something we don't experience it. Now, while we do get tornadoes in Australia, they're normally short-lived.
"There sometimes obscured by rain and they're often not possible to get to because of the road network."
Mr Shaw found himself in Wagga at the weekend, after deciding not to trek to north-west NSW for the dust storms rolling across the state.
"I don't chase in regional Australia all that often, but I'm doing that more and more so to bring my live viewers along who follow me around the world," he said.
"I've travelled to Wagga before, but this was the first time I chased storms in this area."
"It's a beautiful area and actually makes for some good storm chasing country. It's a quite accessible and beautiful country."
Unexpectedly, Mr Shaw found himself on the ground at the grassfire at Gormans Road and captured some images of the Rural Fire Service at work.
"It was a privilege to capture some pretty incredible images of the mop-up operations while they're out there protecting the community," he said.
Mr Shaw warned that for those who wish to get into storm chasing, it's not for the fainthearted.
"It takes a lot of time and experience to know how to chase safely," he said.
"Whilst some storms are benign, some storms can be very dangerous in regards to downdrafts or microbursts, which can knock out your visibility while driving.
"They can take down trees, lightning strikes can and will kill, and you need to know when to back away. Whilst we're all mesmerised by the weather, you also need to know they're dangerous and be respectful of what mother nature dishes out."
To follow Daniel Shaw on his live storm chases, visit http://www.severestorms.com.au.