Tim Samaras, Son Paul Samaras, Chase Partner Carl Young Killed In Oklahoma

Tim Samaras, his son Paul, and Carl Young were chasing storms as they had done for years. On June 4th, they were overtaken by a multi-vortex tornado that changed directions quickly and took their lives. Tim and his team were known for safety and the science behind storm chasing, and this tragedy is another reminder that these storms and tornadoes are difficult to predict. Tim and his crew were featured on the television series “Storm Chasers” and were actively involved in collecting ground-breaking data to help better understand and predict these phenomenon.

We’ve watched these guys in action, and it is a terrible loss for the storm chasing community. There are some that chase for the trill, and others that chase for the science and hope of saving lives. Tim and his team were after the science, and they gave their lives in that pursuit. Tim Saramas founded the TWISTEX team (Tactical Weather Instrumented Sampling in Tornadoes EXperiment) that was devoted to the scientific exploration of tornadoes. They made truly groundbreaking discoveries, and hold the world record for the largest pressure drop ever recorded.

Hopefully, we can all learn from Tim and his crew and give these storms the respect and caution they deserve. We are saddened to hear about the loss of one of the great pioneers of storm chasing.