Dominate the Storm: A Heart-Pumping Evening With Reed Timmer, PhD

Dr. Reed Timmer is an extreme meteorologist and storm chaser who specializes in intercepting the most powerful storms on the planet to collect valuable scientific data. Graduating with a PhD in meteorology from the University of Oklahoma, Timmer is not only a hard core storm chaser, but also a scientist driven to unravel the mysteries behind these destructive storms and how they are changing over time. With a life devoted completely to storm chasing and extreme field research, Dr. Timmer has intercepted over 1,000 tornadoes and over 50 hurricanes over the last few decades, and is one of the few people in history to chase both an EF5 tornado and Category 5 hurricane. He considers the up-close chasing of tornadoes an art form that is perfected over decades of experience. The famous, tank-like storm chasing vehicles, called the Dominators, were invented by Timmer in 2009 for the purpose of recording data inside these most dangerous storms.

Still in full operation today, the Dominators are outfitted with state-of-the-art meteorological sensors, and protected by an aerodynamic, armored outer shell that can anchor to the ground with hydraulic spikes. Reed has pioneered delivery mechanisms for deployment of sensors into tornadoes and hurricanes, such as ground-based probes, drones, balloons and even model rockets. Dr. Timmer has driven directly inside 10 tornadoes in the Dominator 3 since 2020 to become the storm chaser who has been inside more tornadoes than any human in History.

Reed Timmer’s most memorable storm chases include the intercept of a strong tornado in southern Nebraska with Dominator 1 on June 17, 2009, with on-board sensors and mobile radar measuring a 140 mph wind gust from inside the vortex; and last year, when a trackable sensor was launched by model rocket into a mile-wide EF4 tornado in eastern Kansas using the roof-mounted rocket launcher of Dominator 3. The sensor, as attached to a parachute, was lofted up to 39,000 feet by the EF4 tornado at speeds of up to 190 mph, while recording unprecedented high-resolution (10 Hz) meteorological data throughout the 30-mile journey inside the vortex. Notable hurricane intercepts over the last 20 years include Hurricane Katrina in Slidell, LA, Rita in Orange, TX, and category 5 Hurricane Michael in October 2019.