Reed Timmer
Title: Stormchaser
Age: 27
Stormchasing Since: 1997
# of Tornadoes Seen: 215
# of Hurricanes Seen: 6
Closest distance from a tornado: 0 meters
Age: 27
Stormchasing Since: 1997
# of Tornadoes Seen: 215
# of Hurricanes Seen: 6
Closest distance from a tornado: 0 meters
Reed
was born and raised in Grand Rapids, MI, and became interested in
extreme weather at a very young age. He was also an avid insect,
reptile, and amphibian collector and tree identification enthusiast,
but decided to pursue his greatest passion and began studying
meteorology at the University of Oklahoma in 1998. Reed photographed
his first tornado in October 1998, and was addicted to extreme storm
chasing ever since. Every spring and summer season, he travels from the
Mexican Border to Canada striving to photograph tornadoes from extreme
close range (within 1/8 mile), often driving more than 40,000 miles
during the spring and summer. His infamous reputation was achieved when
he videotaped an F5 tornado from underneath an overpass on May 3, 1999
while it was bearing down on his location. Reed has more recently
become interested in hurricane chasing as well, and documented
Hurricane Katrina from "ground zero" in the fall 2005 with Simon Brewer
(Stormgasm), lost Simon's car to a 20 foot storm surge, and had to
hitch-hike back to Oklahoma. Notable tornado intercepts include the May
3, 1999 F5 tornado in Moore, OK; the Manchester, SD wedge on June 24,
2003; the May 4, 2003 tornado outbreak in southeast KS; and sustaining
a direct hit from an F0 tornado in southern Minnesota. Reed has made
several television appearances to share his storm chasing escapades,
including CNN with Wolf Blitzer and Paula Zahn, Good Morning America
with Dianne Sawyer, the Leeza Gibbons Show, Real TV, and World's Most
Amazing Videos. Reed graduated with a Bachelors Degree in meteorology
in 2002, Masters in 2005, and is currently working towards his PhD in
meteorology at the University of Oklahoma. His research interests lie
mainly in the field of applied climatology, focusing on energy
consumption/temperature connections, and minimizing weather-related
risk in the agribusiness sector. Additional interests include oboe
performance, weight-lifting, basketball, golf, and hockey. Reed will
chase storms until the day he dies!
Joel Taylor
Title: StormchaserAge: 28
Stormchasing Since: 1997
# of Tornadoes Seen: 163
# of Hurricanes Seen: 3
Closest distance from a tornado: 200 meters
Joel
was raised in the heart of tornado alley, Elk City, Oklahoma. Joel
witnessed numerous severe storms and several tornadoes in his early
childhood years which helped to feed his interests in extreme weather.
He even began producing weather "forecasts" as early as the first
grade. In 1998 Joel moved to Norman, Oklahoma, to study meteorology at
the University of Oklahoma. While there, his fascination with storms
and stormchasing only grew. In 2001 Joel was selected to be on a
special episode of Atmospheres (aired on The Weather Channel), in which
he explored the various climates of Hawaii alongside Jim Cantore and
Mish Michaels. Some of Joel's most notable intercepts include the May
3rd, 1999, F5 Moore, OK twister; the October 9th, 2001 F3 tornado that
narrowly missed his hometown of Elk City, OK; and the May 27th, 2001,
White Deer, TX tornado. In May 8, 2003 in northern Kansas, Joel was
driving his Ford Explorer down a water-covered highway and began
hydroplaning at 80 mph. With 5 stormchasers in the vehicle, his car
fish-tailed violently and then spun 720 degrees at 80 mph, and Joel
safely stabilized the spin without slowing down. Joel has also
participated in two hurricane chases, including Hurricane Frances that
came into Florida in 2004 and Hurricane Rita which ravaged much of the
Louisiana and Texas coasts in 2005. After graduating with his degree in
Meteorology in 2002, Joel started a career in Real Estate. He now owns
and operates two successful Real Estate companies in the Oklahoma
City/Norman area, and is continuing to look for ways to expand his
businesses. Being his own boss, Joel is able to schedule most of his
work around his stormchase interests, giving him opportunities that he
would not have with a normal job. Joel also enjoys basketball,
weightlifting, long distance running, and attending OU football and
basketball games.
Dave Holder
Title: StormchaserAge: 26
Stormchasing Since:
# of Tornadoes Seen: 47
# of Hurricanes Seen: 0
Closest distance from a tornado: 0 meters
Dave
Holder, 26 years of age and born in England, is one of the most
passionate storm chasers in the country. Now living in Norman,
Oklahoma, he is working on his degree from the School of Meteorology at
the University of Oklahoma.
Dave moved to the Philadelphia area when he was a small child, and it was here where his passion for weather blossomed. As a kid, he would stay up until early morning hours watching the Weather Channel. Weather became an obsession, watching the local radar continuously when storms were around. In addition to thunderstorms, winter weather events became highlights of Dave’s early life. The Storm of the Century in 1993 marked a deep impression upon Dave’s psyche.
A carefree and often spontaneous individual, Dave coupled his love of weather with his love of geography and travel. By the time he turned 23 years old, he had visited every state in the country. His love for long road trips produced 8 coast to coast drives and other countless hours in the car from the Mexican border to the Canadian Rockies.
Now with his trademark red Hyundai, Dave has storm chased from Texas north to the Canadian Prairies. He has been featured live on local television stations in Minneapolis and has appeared on National Canadian Radio outlets.
Some of Dave’s other interests are poker and playing football and basketball. He plans to obtain a motorcycle license and a pilot’s license in the not-too-distant future.
Dave would like nothing more than to make a living traveling and chasing weather events.
Dave moved to the Philadelphia area when he was a small child, and it was here where his passion for weather blossomed. As a kid, he would stay up until early morning hours watching the Weather Channel. Weather became an obsession, watching the local radar continuously when storms were around. In addition to thunderstorms, winter weather events became highlights of Dave’s early life. The Storm of the Century in 1993 marked a deep impression upon Dave’s psyche.
A carefree and often spontaneous individual, Dave coupled his love of weather with his love of geography and travel. By the time he turned 23 years old, he had visited every state in the country. His love for long road trips produced 8 coast to coast drives and other countless hours in the car from the Mexican border to the Canadian Rockies.
Now with his trademark red Hyundai, Dave has storm chased from Texas north to the Canadian Prairies. He has been featured live on local television stations in Minneapolis and has appeared on National Canadian Radio outlets.
Some of Dave’s other interests are poker and playing football and basketball. He plans to obtain a motorcycle license and a pilot’s license in the not-too-distant future.
Dave would like nothing more than to make a living traveling and chasing weather events.
Dean Schoeneck
Title: StormchaserAge: 28
Stormchasing Since: 1997
# of Tornadoes Seen: N/A
# of Hurricanes Seen: 0
Closest distance from a tornado: 0 meters
Dean
was born in Hawaii but spent a majority of his childhood years in Coos
Bay, Oregon. He also became interested in extreme weather at a very
young age, and studied meteorology at the University of Oklahoma.
Dean's interest in weather cannot be described with words, and he has
sacrificed much in the pursuit of violent tornadoes, including his
beloved Isuzu Rodeo which the TornadoVideos.net team rolled in a sewage
ditch in SW Kansas only a few miles behind an F4 tornado. Notable
tornado intercepts include the May 3, 1999 F5 tornado in Moore, OK, the
May 4, 2003 tornado outbreak in SE Kansas, and the 2.5 mile wide
Hallam, NE wedge in May of 2004. In fact, Dean drove the
TornadoVideos.net team through the outer fringes of the violent Hallam
wedge in his brand new Chevy Tahoe after sunset. Dean is also an
excellent nowcaster for the TornadoVideos.net team during hurricane
intercepts, directing two successful hurricane eye penetrations in
2005. Dean's skills are not limited to stormchasing, as he is a very
successful poker player as well, striving for professional status. Dean
placed in the money in a World Poker Tour event on a cruise ship, and
also placed in the top 10% at the 2005 World Series of Poker. He is
also an avid bowler, with an average of approximately 200. Dean owns a
company specializing in graphic design and computer programming, and
also enjoys travelling and cooking game-hens. Dean is a genius with a
charcoal grill.
Jason Fill
Title: Systems DeveloperAge: 27
Stormchasing Since: Never started
# of Tornadoes Seen: 0
# of Hurricanes Seen: 0
Closest distance from a tornado: Never seen one
Jason
is from Grand Rapids, MI, but currently resides in Birmingham, Alabama.
He is really not into extreme weather but enjoys seeing the images and
video the team is able to capture. Jason develops all the systems that
the TV.net team uses which mainly include the web site and the GPS
tracking software that the team uses when in the field. Jason and Reed
actually went to school together until they graduated high school, at
which point they did not speak for several years. They reconnected in
early 2006 to stand the TV.net site up to what it is today and together
have some big plans for enhancements in the coming months. Jason also
develops web applications for a company full time in Birmingham while
doing other development consulting on the side.
The Tornado Intercept Vehicle and Josh Wurman's DOW vehicle
Currently showing on the Discovery Channel on Foxtel and Austar cable television is a series titled 'Storm Chasers'. Reed Timmer has also now been included in this research team to track, intercept and collect data from tornadic supercells for the next couple of seasons.
Sean Casey, an Imax cinematographer built this vehicle specifically to intercept tornadoes so he can shoot footage of what actually happens within a tornado. The DOW is next to it.
(photo credit to Howstuffworks.com)
Sean purchased a disused F series truck with a large diesel motor from a wrecking yard and began stripping the vehicle only leaving the chassis, dash, drive gear. He then welded a complete cage structure and sub-frame over the chassis and then welded steel plates to the framework. The glass panels are bullet proof and the turret at the top rotates so he can swivel the camera in any direction. This vehicle weighs about 1400lbs, so it's pretty heavy but can reach speeds up to 80mph. It may look funny, but it serves a vital role in capturing footage and receiving data. The TIV also has hydraulic arms with claw pads on them which stabilize the TIV when they are stationary and about to be hit by the tornado. With large hail the size of grapefruits that can be experienced you can see why there's so much armour and toughened glass. A chunk of debris traveling at over 100mph is something you don't want piercing your car!
The idea behind the TIV was borne out of the fact that actually no data was available from the area 50 feet below the actual tornado funnel. Nobody knows what happens in this area - does it enhance the tornado? Are the winds faster or slower? Does this area play a role in tornado formation?
(courtesy wikipedia.com)
Josh Wurman who developed the DOW or Doppler on Wheels truck utilizes the TIV and scout vehicles when chasing. The DOW has an array of computer equipment inside the truck's rear cabin where Josh uses his meteorological expertise to track, locate and direct the chase and TIV to the tornado - pinpointing as close as 10 miles. Once he locates a tornado, he instructs the TIV to the exact location and the scout vehicle chases behind the TIV. All the vehicles have instruments which measure humidity, wind speed, temperature and pressure. The probes are carried by Reed's van and also the scout van. These probes are manually located in the path of the tornado by the scout crew in different areas so the tornado may pass over them.
The large radar on the DOW is a Doppler radar. These radars are able to 'see' inside the storm and show its winds, rain and the direction of the winds, which is vital in determining what the storm is doing. It is able to locate what's called a mesocyclone http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesocyclone
(mesocyclone under a supercell - courtesty tornadovideos.net)
Currently showing on the Discovery Channel on Foxtel and Austar cable television is a series titled 'Storm Chasers'. Reed Timmer has also now been included in this research team to track, intercept and collect data from tornadic supercells for the next couple of seasons.
Sean Casey, an Imax cinematographer built this vehicle specifically to intercept tornadoes so he can shoot footage of what actually happens within a tornado. The DOW is next to it.
(photo credit to Howstuffworks.com)
Sean purchased a disused F series truck with a large diesel motor from a wrecking yard and began stripping the vehicle only leaving the chassis, dash, drive gear. He then welded a complete cage structure and sub-frame over the chassis and then welded steel plates to the framework. The glass panels are bullet proof and the turret at the top rotates so he can swivel the camera in any direction. This vehicle weighs about 1400lbs, so it's pretty heavy but can reach speeds up to 80mph. It may look funny, but it serves a vital role in capturing footage and receiving data. The TIV also has hydraulic arms with claw pads on them which stabilize the TIV when they are stationary and about to be hit by the tornado. With large hail the size of grapefruits that can be experienced you can see why there's so much armour and toughened glass. A chunk of debris traveling at over 100mph is something you don't want piercing your car!
The idea behind the TIV was borne out of the fact that actually no data was available from the area 50 feet below the actual tornado funnel. Nobody knows what happens in this area - does it enhance the tornado? Are the winds faster or slower? Does this area play a role in tornado formation?
(courtesy wikipedia.com)
Josh Wurman who developed the DOW or Doppler on Wheels truck utilizes the TIV and scout vehicles when chasing. The DOW has an array of computer equipment inside the truck's rear cabin where Josh uses his meteorological expertise to track, locate and direct the chase and TIV to the tornado - pinpointing as close as 10 miles. Once he locates a tornado, he instructs the TIV to the exact location and the scout vehicle chases behind the TIV. All the vehicles have instruments which measure humidity, wind speed, temperature and pressure. The probes are carried by Reed's van and also the scout van. These probes are manually located in the path of the tornado by the scout crew in different areas so the tornado may pass over them.
The large radar on the DOW is a Doppler radar. These radars are able to 'see' inside the storm and show its winds, rain and the direction of the winds, which is vital in determining what the storm is doing. It is able to locate what's called a mesocyclone http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesocyclone
(mesocyclone under a supercell - courtesty tornadovideos.net)
Once a mesocyclone is detected this is the area most likely to form a tornado, the meso uses wind shear to vertically move rotating horizontal air - a bit like a corkscrew directional movement of horizontal air pulled vertical into the updraught area of the supercell. The radar image shows this as what is known as a 'hook' echo from the storm. The purple area in this doppler image shows the location of the hook and subsequent killer EF5 tornado from Greensburg 2007
Josh then plans, plots and looks for the most likely track path of the tornado. If the storm is close he will remain in an area and park and then give instructions for the TIV and scouts to proceed ahead.
The main problem with actually intercepting the tornado is not its speed, they usually travel around 30mph, and even though the vehicles can easily outrun the storm, roadways dictate which way they have to travel to get to the tornado which can add miles or kilometres to their distance and hence more time getting there. They may have the tornado in sight only a few miles ahead, but because the storm is travelling in a direct path, the vehicles sometimes are not and roadways are always in square routes!
(U.S National Weather Service radar truck)
Josh then plans, plots and looks for the most likely track path of the tornado. If the storm is close he will remain in an area and park and then give instructions for the TIV and scouts to proceed ahead.
The main problem with actually intercepting the tornado is not its speed, they usually travel around 30mph, and even though the vehicles can easily outrun the storm, roadways dictate which way they have to travel to get to the tornado which can add miles or kilometres to their distance and hence more time getting there. They may have the tornado in sight only a few miles ahead, but because the storm is travelling in a direct path, the vehicles sometimes are not and roadways are always in square routes!
(U.S National Weather Service radar truck)