WHEN most people are heading off on their holidays this summer, storm-chaser Shantelle Robinson will be hunting for freak weather.

Shantelle, 21, has been mad about weather ever since her geography teacher got her hooked on the subject at school.

She is now completing a physical geography degree at Southampton University and then hopes to do her masters in meteorology.

“It’s just something I’ve always loved doing,” said Shantelle, who even has her own weather station at home in Clacton and a website packed with all the latest weather data.

When she was little a violent storm woke her up.

Her dad showed her the electrical storm on a lightning tracker and she has been fascinated ever since.

“I like watching lightning when it hits the windfarm at Gunfleet Sands,” said Shantelle.

“I live two roads away from the sea so I just drive down and have a look.”

Gazette:

Addict - Shantelle at home in Clacton with her equipment and website

She plans to go storm chasing in Essex this summer with dashcam mounted in her car to capture the action.

She said: “Essex is quite good for storms because we get quite a lot of heat and the coast at Clacton is fantastic for lightning wows when you get them out over the North Sea." 

She combines her love of weather with a passion for photography.

Eagle-eyed viewers may have spotted her photos on the BBC news Weather Watchers slot, with one appearing on national Breakfast News last week.

The former Colchester County High School for Girls pupil is also a student ambassador for the Royal Meteorological Society.

She admits getting the perfect lightning shot can be tricky, but added: “I feel like I know enough about what I’m doing to not get zapped!

“If it gets too close I just sit in my car.”

She even has her favourite cloud formations – cumulonimbus and ball-shaped mammatus, which can both signal that thunderstorms are on the way.

After completing her studies Shantelle hopes to become a weather forecaster.

“Maybe people will see me on TV one day,” she said.