The Storm Chasers Tell Their Stories - with 2009 updates!

Tim Samaras - TWISTEX Lead Principle Investigator
"My passion for storms and tornadoes started at a very early age. I’ve always wanted to know how things worked. Between the ages of six and eight, I was sneaking appliances into my bedroom and taking them apart to see how they worked. One evening during this period, I was taking apart my mom’s blender when she came pounding on the door for me to sit with her to watch a musical on TV. Since my mother wanted me to become a well-rounded individual -- and I was feeling a little guilty -- I went along and watched what at first I thought was a rather boring show. It was an old black and white movie about a teenage girl and her dog somewhere in Kansas. When I was just about to fall asleep, it came…the tornado! It's true! That tornado in the Wizard of Oz lit the fire that still burns inside me today."

"When I was nine, my mother tried to get me to join a softball team, but I was so fascinated with the storms that often developed over the Rocky Mountains west of Denver -- and the softball field -- that I usually tuned out of the games. The coach stuck me way out in the outfield where I could generally avoid touching the ball, bit I missed enough pop-flys -- watching mother nature perform her magic with developing thunderstorms -- that the coach finally told my mom to not bring me back for any more games."

"Chasing has been a part of my life for over 25 years. I actually started scientific chasing about 10 years ago when I developed the next generation of tornado probes that provide meteorological data from inside of tornadoes. To date, I’ve been able to deploy my probes in a dozen tornadoes, where a bounty of first-ever datasets of tornado core measurements have been collected and published."

"Perhaps the most memorable chase was on June 24, 2003 where I dropped a probe in the path of an F-4 tornado that produced an astounding 100 millibar pressure drop. Our measurement of this record pressure change still stands today and helped confirm research models data that had predicted such ranges. I dropped that probe only 60 seconds before the tornado passed over our location. Certainly too close for comfort! I’ve also developed another probe that has seven cameras on the inside. Six of the cameras are arranged in a ‘ring array or circle each having a 60 degree field of view. With these six cameras, a complete 360 degree cover is possible as the tornado passes over the top of the probe. The seventh camera provides an incredible view looking straight up."

"We currently run a scientific field program called TWISTEX (Tactical Weather Instrumented Sampling in Tornadoes Experiment, www.twistex.org). This field program collects data from the tornado and parent thunderstorm using precision instrumentation. This helps us understand why tornadoes form and how they can become so powerful."

Carl Young - TWISTEX Meteorologist
“Most people are probably familiar with the phrase ‘Go West, Young Man.’ Even though I'm a native Californian, my inevitable calling was to actually head east to observe extreme weather phenomenon. In 2000, after working on Hollywood film crews, I embarked on a two-month storm chasing adventure in the Great Plains hoping to catch a glimpse of a few tornadoes. Instead, I witnessed over a dozen twisters. Experiencing the raw force of nature in Nebraska was unlike any pyrotechnic display on a glitzy Hollywood set! This inspired me to study tornado dynamics and obtain a Masters degree in atmospheric science at the University of Nevada, Reno. While attending a meteorological conference, a serendipitous meeting with Tim Samaras directed my focus to collect meteorological data from within a tornado. This ambitious quest was a dream come true and provided all the data needed to compose my thesis! Every spring since 2003, I have partnered with Tim, navigating in close proximity to over 125 tornadoes. This has resulted in many historic events, including the June 11, 2004 deployment near Storm Lake, Iowa. The probe captured video from six different cameras inside the tornadic circulation and demonstrated just how fast winds speeds are close to the ground. Calculating the risk at every stage of an operation, we proceed daringly into the path of a tornado, estimate the tornado’s movement, carefully position the probes, and swiftly depart. In reality, the challenges for a successful deployment are numerous, yet I remain eternally optimistic that every day in the field offers the potential for another success!”

Tony Laubach - TWISTEX Meteorologist
"Growing up in Circleville, Ohio rarely exposed me to the type of weather I seek today, but my passion for the weather was evident very early in my childhood. I’m told I was born with a wind vane in one hand and a sling psychrometer in the other. True or not, I was very fortunate to have the support and excitement of my parents and peers as I grew up and even more fortunate that my first tornado intercept came with my Dad behind the wheel on our very first chase in my home state. By this time I was pretty well hooked for life! It was less than a year later when I moved to Colorado. Shortly thereafter, I began college and my professional storm chasing career. I pursued a double major in Interactive Media and Meteorology at Metropolitan State College and found that my storm chasing blended both majors beautifully. My early years were filled with learning the ropes as I became a road warrior, chasing down anything with a cloud. As a lifelong fan of the Washington Redskins, I started wearing the number of my childhood idol, Art Monk, hoping that I’d somehow bring new meaning to “hail” to the Redskins. And it seemed to work in 2004 when hail wasn’t the only thing that came; it was my first big tornado season! Since then, I have logged over 100,000 miles across 25 states and have seen the most amazing sights that a person could witness. In 2007, I joined Tim and the TWISTEX crew and took on the lead spot in the M3 vehicle, sometimes taking the position as the mesonet team leader for Bruce Lee in his absence. I also serve as a backup, assisting Tim in deployments and filming while helping to keep the group on their toes as we cover vast area in search of tornadoes."