Storm chasers typically drive many miles, hunt down storms, and are not familiar with the communities they are visiting. [3] According to Eileen O'Neill, president of the Discovery networks, Samaras' work was directly responsible for increased warning times ahead of tornadoes.[13]. The @weatherchannel vehicle just got thrown by tornado. In season four, Dr. Wurman was also shown to be involved in the funding of Casey's IMAX film, when he addressed Casey about a video showing reckless driving by TIV2. [11] Samaras held a patent, "Thermal imaging system for internal combustion engines", with Jon M. There are some really good reasons for chasing storms -- mainly, scientific research, though a few people make a living selling photographs or footage of storms. Reed Timmer from 'Storm Rising' was married once, but his true love is chasing storms. Put enough miles on and youre bound to see a bad accident., Driving in pursuit of a tornado requires a little more than simple guts and a willingness to get close to a massively powerful weather event. Who Is Ayisha Diaz? So, eventually, their progress slows to about 20 mph. "Doing anything else would only take time away from that. The 'extreme cruelty' around the global trade in frog legs, What does cancer smell like? Once, he says, I didnt know a storm was blowing up behind the one we were chasing. Samaras was born November 12, 1957, in Lakewood, Colorado, to Paul T. and Margaret L. Samaras authored or coauthored around one dozen scientific papers. The crew was equipped with several weather instruments with which to collect data from 12 ft. above ground, and often collaborated with the DOW group, using their radar imagery and the probe data to establish more accurate and complete pictures of the tornados structure. Tornado chasers in a van track an "elephant's trunk" tornado in South Dakota. There was this romantic notion of storm chasing. Mostly when stopped. "I have my camera and gear on a tripod. The show followed a group of scientists as they "chased" tornadoes in order to study the storm's path and behavior. The quickest way is a straight line. Id rather the truck be lighter and easier on gas., Storm chasers dont want to drive directly into a tornado or other severe weather event. Tim and his team were driving a sedan, which was unusual. Can we bring a species back from the brink?, Video Story, Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic Society, Copyright 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. This new season also brought a change to Casey's team, replacing the TIV with the TIV2. [9], Storm Chasers Sean Casey and Reed Timmer appeared on an episode of the MythBusters. Produced by Original Media, the program followed several teams of storm chasers as they attempted to intercept tornadoes in the United States. The documentary-style reality TV series premiered in October 2007. Although the official boundaries of Tornado Alley are not clearly defined, its core extends from northern Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, into Nebraska. The vast majority of storm chasers are safe, law-abiding citizens, striving to help out in the severe weather warning process, and are instrumental in educating emergency officials on the location and severity of storms, and the science behind that, Reed Timmer, one of the worlds best-known tornado chasers, told AccuWeather. Eco-friendly burial alternatives, explained. Scientist Karen Kosiba goes into the eye of the storm to investigate the 2011 tornado season. Storm chasers drove into a tornado on purpose. Then their peers berated What happened to Matt in Storm Chasers? There is definitely a moral conundrum that goes on, because later I found out we were very near a village that was almost completely destroyed. Fans began questioning whether the show ended due to producing issues, the ratings, or personal problems among the cast members. The damage associated with these storms. The goal of Reed's small but highly mobile team is to capture "extreme video" as well as scientific data from tornadoes. The episode titled "Dedication" which debuted on November 3, 2010, begins and ends with a dedication to Wichita native Matt Hughes, who had attempted suicide on May 14, 2010 and died twelve days later at age thirty in Valley Center, Kansas. To better understand what motivates these individuals to seek out cataclysmic events, Mental Floss spoke to three extreme weather specialists. In real life scenarios, its far worse than anything they show in the movie. A chasers first priority, he says, is to stop and help anyone who might need assistance. Usually, Tim would be in a large GMC diesel 4 x 4. The only thing they have in common is that they go out chasing one day and get bit by the bug. He died in the 2013 El Reno tornado. What if we could clean them out? For many chasers, the movie was a milestone, prompting a lot of people to get into the field themselves. I worry Im setting a bad example. They can do a lot of damage., Mottice also tends to be wary of hail during storms. "When the tornado appeared," he recalled. [citation needed], On January 21, 2012, Tim Samaras and Sean Casey confirmed on their Facebook pages that Storm Chasers was cancelled by Discovery Communications. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration told USA Today last year that law enforcement has seen significant increases in distracted driving in recent years. Where is the Storm Chasers cast today, and what are they doing? Most people assume hurricanes and tornadoes represent the pinnacle of danger when it comes to storm-chasing. He obtained a Pentagon security clearance by 20, testing and building weapons systems. Samaras, 55, along with his son, Paul Samaras, 24, and chase partner Carl Young, 45, were killed Friday night by a tornado in El Reno that turned on a dime and headed straight toward them. The vehicles on the roads had broken windows., In the storm-chasing community, theres much debate over what separates a professional from an amateur. When National Geographic caught up with the author at his home in Dallas, Texas, Hargrove explained why Tim Samaras was much more than just a storm chaser; why the Great Plains are the worlds premier breeding ground for tornadoes; and why the storm that eventually killed Samaras was so deadly. In a severe hurricane [the eyewall] is quite incredible, he says. The intense gustiness can cause rapid pressure changes that can really hurt your ears, he says. Heres everything you need to know about Storm Chasers, which concluded in 2012 after five seasons. The thing that keeps me up at night is the driving, not the tornado, he says. Allegedly, Tim Samaras revealed that after the show was canceled, he was thrilled as it focused more on interpersonal drama and conflicts, rather than scientific discovery and the capture of extraordinary and rare footage of weather phenomena. More will die: The ethics of up-close tornado chasing, You can only roll the dice so many times: Tim Samaras lived life like a twister. The series followed several different and unrelated teams of storm-chasing scientists, meteorologists and drivers. Discovery Channel released an officialstatement following his funeral:We are so saddened to hear about Joels passing. The series ran for two seasons, with a special season entitled Ultimate Tornadoes. Tornado chasers come from all walks of life. Storm chaser Tim Samaras displays his 1,680-pound, 1.4-million-frames-per-second camera. Chasers need their version of a Batmobile. Its certainly possible that chasers are at greater risk simply because of the sheer number of miles they drive. [29], Meteorologists at the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) issued a statement saying they were very saddened by Tim's death. ), According to Montana-based storm chaser and National Weather Service meteorologist Cory Mottice, experienced chasers know to fear traffic more than the weather. "There was just no place to go. (HANDOUT/REUTERS). Margaret was born in 1929 and died in 1996. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. My whole life is hunting that feeling again and again, he tells Mental Floss. His goal was to expand the lead time on tornadoes, which he said is about 17 minutes. Ill miss you forever, Joel. Storm chasers are usually meteorologists and scientists who deliberately pursue severe weather phenomena for adventure, scientific investigation, and curiosity. [4] Tim Samaras was reportedly relieved when the show was cancelled as he thought it focused more on interpersonal drama than on the storms themselves.[5]. "I did get married, briefly, only for a few months, and I think that chasing storms is my lifelong passion," he revealed to the outlet. He showed that we can get data from the core of a violent tornado and that was a huge step. When hearing of a storm chasers death, many conclude that he might have been caught-up in a chase that he couldnt handle. With just 13 hurricanes hitting the continental U.S. since 2010, chasing hurricanes requires a passport and a willingness to spend days making connecting flights to international destinations. Youre not seeing countless hours at truck stops sleeping on the hood of a truck doing nothing., Severe weather can cause high winds and flooding, but its not always nature that winds up being physically threatening, especially because chasers spend so much of their time traveling. It can be brutal and often dangerous work that's not for the faint of heart. Johnson also says he spends much of his time traveling. Im embarrassed to say I dont wear a helmet, Morgerman says. Storm chasers who intentionally drove into the teeth of a tornado Sunday are now facing scathing blowback from their peers. Cameras, live streams, weather apps, other drivers, wet roads and a giant thunderstorm are all things that should not compete for our attention at 70 mph, he said. Joel Taylor Dies: What Is Stormchasers? - Peoplemag Bats and agaves make tequila possibleand theyre both at risk, This empress was the most dangerous woman in Rome. In the lawsuit, filed last week in Lubbock, Tex., Jaegers mother accuses TWC of ignoring warnings from others about the chasers reckless driving habits, which she says ultimately resulted in her sons death. [21] The true size of the multiple-vortex tornado confused onlookers by its mammoth proportions containing orbiting subvortices larger than average tornadoes and its expansive transparent to translucent outer circulation. His probe went into the core of an F4 tornado. Some sound like a train or like wolves howling. He had been studying destructive weather for 35 years. Fans have been pushing me to wear one for years the whole [television] crew is wearing helmets. Its very well-behaved. While a majority of traffic accidents are not fatal, they are very much a part of driving. His research included high-speed photography, such as on ballistics. Live Storm Chasers & Storm of Passion: James Breitenbach, Posted by Live Storm Chasers onMonday, March 21, 2022. [8] The probe was dropped in front of the oncoming tornado a mere 82 seconds before it hit. A passionate weather enthusiast, Andy was one of the most successful chasers, who had traveled over 180,000 miles in 24 states to intercept over 150 tornadoes. Repeats of the series are currently airing on the digital broadcast network Quest. This may be an area where chasers can work to reduce risk. [9][10] Samaras later described the tornado as the most memorable of his career. TIV2 did not return from repairs until the middle of the third season. He was taken to hospital, but succumbed to the injuries and died 13 days later. In May 2019, while performing his usual storm chasing, Reed Timmer got more than he bargained for, after getting trapped in the eye of a tornado formed on the Nebraska plains. On May 31, 2013, three members of the TWISTEX team, Tim Samaras, his twenty-four-year-old son Paul Samaras, and California native Carl Young (aged 45), lost their lives while chasing an EF3 tornado in El Reno, Oklahoma. The news came as a surprise to Storm Chasers fans, who wondered why the show was discontinued. The Most Nostalgia-Inducing Cast Reunions Through the Years, Celebs in Bed! Joel Taylor, who starred on the Discovery Channel series "Storm Chasers," has died, according to his friend and co-star Reed Timmer. One mother now blames the Weather Channel. It was the worst kind of tornado to intercept. He became an amateur radio operator at age 12 and built transmitters using old television sets. (Timmer and others from the cast continued a web series, Tornado Chasers, funded by Kickstarter campaigns.). The special covered the death of Storm Chasers alum Tim Samaras, his son Paul and fellow storm chaser Carl Young, who lost their lives chasing the El Reno tornado. [He had] incredible natural instinct chasing tornadoes and reading the sky, said Timmer of Taylor. In March 2017, a traffic accident claimed the lives of three storm chasers on a road in west Texas. Last week, a $125 million wrongful death lawsuit was filed against the Weather Channel (TWC) and several related parties. The show was concluded in May 2014. Heres what they had to say about airborne houses, armored trucks, and why you wont usually see any of them wearing a helmet. Christina Haack Cuddles With Sons Brayden and Hudson, Plus More Stars Snuggle Up, Meet the Talented Emerging Artists That Should Be on Your Playlists This Spring. 'Storm Chasers'StarJoel TaylorDied of Overdose Caused by Deadly Mix of Drugs, Authorities Reveal, Where to Spot a Star on Vacation: Celeb-Favorite Hotels and Resorts Across the World, 'Dancing with the Stars' Winners: See Them All Through the Years. This seems to be a common sentiment among others who have been chasing storms long enough to know. For hurricanes, they scope out buildings able to withstand the force of the storm. The TWISTEX vehicle was struck by a subvortex, which generate the highest winds and some of which were moving at 175mph (282km/h) within the parent tornado. Samaras coauthored, along with Stefan Bechtel and Greg Forbes, Tornado Hunter: Getting Inside the Most Violent Storms on Earth (.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:#d33}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:#d33}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#3a3;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}ISBN978-1426203022), in 2009. His work was funded in large part by the National Geographic Society (NGS) which awarded him 18 grants for his field work. "Chase-in-progress" includes traveling to the target area before and after the chase. Samaras shows probes he uses to measure tornado strength after a May 2006 twister in Ames, Iowa. Another addition to Casey's team was the addition of the Doghouse, driven by meteorologists and storm chasers Matt Hughes (died 2010) and Brandon Ivey, who chased as part of the TIV team.