I've looked all over TWoP for this show without success, so I'm starting a thread for it. It's made it to a second season, so I can't be the only person watching it.

Storm Chasers (on the Discovery Channel) follows 2 groups of, well, storm chasers, who chase tornadoes every spring. Primarily, they are in 'tornado alley' which I believe covers parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas.

The first group includes university professor of meteorology Josh, who chases to gather scientific data, and movie maker Sean, who is trying to make an IMAX movie about tornadoes, and is still missing his 'money' shot - actually being inside a tornado.

The second group, new this season, is led by meteorologist Reed, a former student of Josh's, who chases to make a living by filming tornadoes to sell to local TV stations.

Josh and Sean must be the saddest group of sad sacks in history. Both the first and second season have shown Josh making poor decisions about which storms to chase, and equipment failures are rife in both of the specialized vehicles this team have: Josh's DOW, which is equiped with radar and numerous computers, and Sean's TIV, which is an armored truck customized for filming inside a tornado.

Reed, who has only one vehicle, a much smaller team, and who depends on NOAA radar via the internet and his own intuition, is much more fun to watch. There is a vague reminder of the movie 'Twister' with it's pure science vs. commercialism sub-plot. And anyone who remembers the efforts to get Dorothy up inside the tornado in the movie will appreciate a very similar effort to get data retrieving pods in the tornado's path in real life.

I got really pissed at the dumbass in the TIV recently. I couldn't believe that he ordered his driver to travel the wrong way down the highway just to film a tornado. They almost caused a head-on collision! The last thing a highway driver needs when escaping a tornado is some ignorant jackass going the wrong way in a fucking tank.

I don't mind Reed making money off of tornado videos because they also report tornadoes to local authorities. I live in Tornado Alley and have seen several tornadoes that were reported by storm spotters before they showed up on Doppler. Every second counts with a tornado and I have a great deal of respect for real storm chasers, not dipshits in crappy homemade tanks that fall apart all the time (seriously dude - your stupid vehicle breaks just going down the road and it's supposed to withstand a tornado?). Plus, Reed mentioned in an earlier episode that his team is trained in CPR and they stop to help when there is damage.

I might be in the minority but frankly I don't get the whole hoopla over tornado chasers. I also hated the movie TWISTER. I find the whole thing *yawns* boring. You seen one twister, you seen them all.

Thanks, LogCabinPat! I've been looking for a thread for this show.

I'm totally addicted, despite the times...

a) Josh makes a bad call.
b) The TIV breaks down.
c) The DOW breaks down.
d) There's dissension in the ranks because of all the above.

I'm also sympathetic to Josh and Sean, because their objective is very different from Reed's. Reed wants to get close enough to film a tornado. Josh and Sean want to actually get into a tornado, not be killed, and while they're at it deploy a bunch of data collection pods. Given how erratic tornados are, what they're trying to do is much harder.

Am really looking forward to next week. "I see debris. Wait, it's a cow!" That said, I'm really annoyed at Discovery because they tend to put random twister footage into the previews to make it look like they'll finally have a big intercept when they really don't.

ETA: I really liked Reed's girlfriend...Jenne/Jenny/Jenay. You can tell she's a meteorologist by how she reacted to playing hide and seek with a tornado. "Let's try to get away.... Oooh, look at that cloud formation!.... We're probably right next to the tornado. We could be sucked up into the air and die horrible deaths... Wow, that hp's amazing!"

This is one of the shows I make sure to watch each week, mostly for that sweet, sweet HD tornado footage.

My favorite human parts are the chinstrap beard guy with Josh's team (Jason?) who has somehow convinced his wife to go with him. Her constant "What the hell am I doing here?" face and voice tone crack me up.

Oh, I love this show!!
I live in NJ, and thank god I've never seen a tornado, so this whole thing fascinates me. I could never, ever, be a storm chaser. So...good for them.

I've only caught this show off and on (one night I watched a marathon for a good 3-4 hours) but I'm still not clear on who is who. So last night when I saw that girl reach out and touch chinstrap's arm I thought, "Oh. What's going on there?" So, I guess they're married?

One of the other gals seems really screechy and scared. And I certainly don't blame her for a second but, why do it then? Maybe the guys feel that way too but they're just better at hiding it.

Interestingly enough, on Sunday afternoon Discovery had a separate show on tornadoes, and while watching it I heard someone talking in the background and I thought 'that sounds like Reed from Storm Chasers', and then he said 'Joel, you've got to call that in' which confirmed it for me.

SnowDog, can you provide a better description of what states are included in Tornado Alley?


Talk about the basis for a drinking game...... Seriously, has there ever been a bigger disaster on wheels than TIV 2? The brakes go out, the axel breaks, the wheels fall off? Did Sean put it together in his garage at home?

ETA: Does anyone understand what the deal is with 'Tomorrow is the last day of tornado season'? I understand that there is a particular time of year when tornadoes are more prevalent, but tornadoes can happen at any time of the year if the conditions are right. They make it sound like deer hunting season, your license to chase ends on a particular day.

I'm thinking it means either A) It's the last day Discovery is filming (and if they're not there, it didn't happen!) or B) The last day scheduled for Josh's team and the TIV. They obviously run on grant funds, and probably can only operate during the most active period of the year. Reed chases year round, though.


Here's a map of Tornado Alley

Interestingly, here's a map of where tornadoes cause the most fatalities: Map

I used to "chase" for the local FEMA and Police/Fire Stations in Illinois, which makes this even more interesting!

Yes, thanks for opening this thread, I'd been looking for one! Mr. Latsmile and I tripped over this show last year I think and saw one or two episodes and then when we found it again a couple of weeks ago it became must see TV. And now we find it's ending.

I like the young guys who seem to drive while looking at their laptops. For some reason they're really fun to watch. The guy putting on all the padding to go out and pick up hail was a riot! I've never seen hail bigger than a baby pea. That was crazy-big hail! Cracked me up when one guy stuck his head out of the car and got bonked.

Yuh, I think the two women who they highlighted this past week were a bit freaked. One was the girlfriend who just joins them for part of the season and I agree, she was both scared and fascinated. I think the one who was really scared (i.e. normal) was the PhD or post-doc student? Or maybe that was the wife someone mentioned. In any case, I've seen other women traveling with them but they've gotten little camera time (I know there are other guys in the back seats who we never see either). But I'm sure there are some fearless (i.e. crazy) women on there but it was kinda interesting that seeing these women react in fear really brought me into the show and made me realize how freaked out I would be in that situation. Just terrifying.

I was surprised (although I shouldn't have been) to find out that Reed has found a way to cash in on that. Who would think that Boeing would pay people to collect and send them actual hail?


It's hit or miss what you will find if you have OnDemand, and I don't know if that's due to Discovery or Comcast. In the past they have had full episodes on, but I checked just now and there are only a handful of 5 minute clips, including one of bloopers (althought with the TIV and the DOW, sometimes the entire episode is a blooper reel). Last week I selected what I thought was a recent episode and it turned out to be from Season 1. So check every week and you may find the other episodes. I think Discovery also has the DVD's if you are really that into it.


Hey Big Machine, where are you located now? I'm in the western Chicago suburbs. Have you ever gone to Tom Skilling's Severe Weather seminar out at Fermilab?

It's an interesting thing about bad weather. When I was younger, I found it very exciting, particularly if I was in a safe place to watch it. Then, you get older, you have a house and a car, and suddenly you don't want that tree to get blown onto your roof, or hail to ruin your car. Severe weather, even when you're physically safe, becomes much scarier. Last year, unexpectedly I had to drive in a heavy downpour through some very high (up to/over the bumpers) water, including one spot where I felt the car being pushed to one side. I made it home, thank God, and when I did I crawled into bed and curled into the fetal position for the rest of the evening. (And a few weeks later had to replace both rear wheel bearings at a cost of $900.)

I see someone already gave you the info, LogCabinPat. :-)


I got a free car thanks to hail like that. Sure, the outside looks like the surface of the moon.

I'm excited about the season finale. I didn't have a chance to see all of the episodes so is the clip of the guy screaming "Back up! Back up!" from an earlier episode or is it from the new one?

That would be Reed Timmer and that's footage from the season finale.

I feel bad for Sean and Josh, driving in the path of a tornado doesn't sound that difficult but when you think about it, it's crazy. They need a TIV that can drive on land because how often is a tornado on the highway? That being said, I find the show very entertaining. It is just too short of a series. I am glad they are following Reed this year, it gives a different perspective. Plus, Reed and his driver (whom I just refer to as OU guy) are hilarious.

I'm a downstater, born and raised. Never been up there before, just did the local training. Those were my wild, youthful days.

It's kind of surprising that I like Reed and his team. When I first started watching this season, i was sure they were just douches. They do know what they're doing. Between them and the Ghost Adventures guys, I fully support the "Frat Guys Doing Things on Camera" Movement. In a completely non-sexual way.

It looks exciting, missknowitall. I've had to outdrive a tornado before (not recommended!!) and that part of the promo brought back memories.

Do tell, SnowDog!

I agree, at first Reed reminded me of the jerk frat boys I had to deal with in my college days, but he comes off as a good guy and seems to be more of a natural leader than Josh. I'll also be curious to see if Reed's probe gets picked up by the tornado, it seems a very difficult thing to do.

I wouldn't compare Reed to the guys on Ghost Adventures though. If Reed was like the GA guys, he'd be shouting obscenities at the tornados, all "You think you're so tough tornado! Well screw you and your rear flank downdraft! You want to beat up on innocent girls and their little dogs, how about beating up on us!" Then the tornado starts heading in their direction and they'd scream and run.

Heh, there's not much to tell, LaraAriadne. I was driving down a farm-to-market road during a tornado watch and glanced over to see the funnel on my left. I thought "Oh fuck" and gunned it to get past the place where the funnel would cross. If there was any shelter out there, I would've stopped which is what you're supposed to do. I got lucky.

Yeah, I was prepared to dislike Reed but he's really grown on me. When they stopped to help people in one of the earlier episodes, it changed my opinion of him and his group. They're not in it just for the money, they're also out there to help people. They stopped to help redirect traffic and to remove debris so first responders could reach a house that had likely suffered damaged.

They do get a little closer to tornadoes than what I would feel comfortable with but that's probably because I don't spend tornado season chasing the nasty devils. I'm excited and a little nervous about the season finale because you can really hear the fear in Reed's voice when he's screaming "Back up!" It's not something I've heard from him before and now I wonder how close they really got to getting creamed.

She looks like she is going to shat her pants at any given moment, it must be love because anytime a tornado watch is in effect I am ready to hightail it to the basement. Years ago a tornado went through a small town where we just happened to be having a outing in a park, we all were in a ditch praying for our lives. I was in high school and I am still traumatized by it. I have a tornado kit ready to go and have become pretty annoying to my husband, but unless you have been through it you have no idea.

For anyone that missed some episodes, Discovery is running a Storm Chasers marathon right now, running right up to the season finale at 9pm CST.

Sorry for the late notice.

Wow, the visuals and camerawork in this episode were amazing. That wall cloud over the town looked like something out of sci-fi, not to mention the last storm that kept throwing down funnels. If every episode were like this, it would be Emmy Nom-worthy for sure. Then again, if every episode were like this, one of the would get severely injured or die.

This show almost makes me want to move out to the Plains for a season. Almost.

Or at least go on a "Storm Chasing" tour. ;)

Some of them also had that creepy green tinge, which I believe is a harbinger of either tornadoes or just extreme weather in general.

The look on Josh's face when Sean took off his shirt and threw it at him was priceless. He rarely shows emotion. It was ever apparent during this episode just what big geeks these people really are, especially Reed. I have never seen someone get so excited over a video, which to me looked like a bunch of wind.

I'm in KS and have been to Greensburg KS where the F5 hit in May or June 2007. Cataclismic is the word. I'm intrigued by the driver trying to turn around on the highway. Everyone is yelling at him to turn the vehicle around like it's a miata he's driving. Also, was he driving the wrong way on the interstate? Gawd, I hope not.

My town was hit by a mile-wide F4 tornado when I was 2, rhys7. I couldn't imagine dealing with an F5. I don't think the tank dude was going the wrong way in the season finale, but I do know he was in a previous episode. He almost caused a head-on collision too.

There was another show on last year called Twister Sisters with two women who had turned their storm chasing into additional income by taking people on storm chasing tours. The show was a combination of storm chasing & the reactions of the people along for the tour. The number of people was limited to those that would fit in the SUV (along with the camerman & the "sisters"). Their prime focus was finding a storm & seeing a funnel cloud while getting some pics but not really studying it like the chasers here do.

I remember when Sean told his driver to turn around, I originally thought he wanted him to cross the median (even though that is normally illegal). The fact that he instructed him to turn around on their side and drive the wrong way on a highway in a tornado still blows my mind, and I'm surprised that there was never any flak from that. The driver should have refused. It's one thing to take risks with the TIV; blatantly breaking the law and risking people's lives is something else.

I totally admit to being completely smitten with the show. I was shocked (in a good way) to have gotten hold of the season 1 & 2 DVDs from Discovery. I was watching and started seeing small pieces of footage that I am almost positive weren't aired during season 2 (I think the same is true for season 1) in the actual episodes. Just a few seconds here and there, but wow, that was a nice surprise.

Plus, the DVDs are such good quality that you can actually see the spinning clouds, some of the actual tornados, etc. that were just 'clouds' when watching on TV. Maybe it's the lack of having an HD TV, but I saw actually could see the tornado that pelted Danny & Aaron with corn stalks! I can't wait to sit down and just watch the rest of the episodes.

Sigh...it's probably going to be October before we see season 3...

I was looking for this forum under Non-Fiction weeks ago and just ran into it here today under Candid Reality (I didn't expect that but it makes sense). Anyway, I just started watching this season and have really enjoyed it. That said I could see it being one of those shows that I love initially and then tire of after a couple seasons. Dirty Jobs and Deadliest Catch were like that for me - after a while you've seen it all. I would imagine that Storm Chasers will follow the same pattern for me.

I've been meaning to post here again and keep forgetting. Can't wait for Season Three. Things I'd like to see in the next season include:

1. Less dangerous and illegal driving from the TIV. Hey guys, it's all fun and games until you cause a car accident. I don't care if you're making the second coming of Citizen Kane, film footage just isn't worth someone's life.

2. Less infighting amongst Team Josh.

3. More tornado science. I love saying "Rearflank Downdraft" and sounding like I have a clue what I'm talking about when I stormwatch (I don't have a clue, but I can pretend!).

4. Less mechanical difficulties.

5. A couple really amazing TIV intercepts. But don't kill yourselves or anyone else doing it!

I know some of this the guys don't have control over, but maybe luck will be more on their side next year.

A couple of other notes:

* A few weeks ago I was watching re-runs of the show while working on the computer. I had my back turned to the TV when the Emergency Broadcast System sounds. Now the EBS sounds on several occasions throughout the series so I didn't pay much attention to it until I glanced over my shoulder and realized that it wasn't from the show, it was from my TV. Even though I don't live anywhere near tornado alley, I immediately freaked out until I realized it was only a test.

* Been watching a lot of disaster videos on Discovery lately and during the episode devoted to incredible tornado videos, it was pretty much the Reed Timmer Hour.

There's a season 1 & 2 marathon today and tomorrow (Friday July 18 & 19). It started at 11am.

Saw the new season last night. Overall, it looked good. I can't believe that Reed now has his own TIV. At least his looks like it might actually run for a few days without breaking down. They got some great footage of the storm but it was in their usual manner -- I didn't see any advantage to their vehicle this first time.

Sean is still a doofus. He gets new meteorologists who apparently have no idea what he wants them to do & then he doesn't want to do what they tell him anyway. Plus, do his own drivers NOT have a portable GPS? And do they NOT have a laptop & wireless card (ala Reed) for doing their own radar research? His entire team is a laughingstock.

Not sure what to think about the new guy -- Tim? He & his team seem pretty together & they fill the scientific research part of the program -- their goal is to launch something rather than to get footage. I believe they will be a good addition to the show.

I'm not sorry we lost the guy who used to direct Sean -- while Sean is an ass, the other guy didn't seem overly competant for chasing.

Overall, a good episode & I look forward to the season. From what I remember, it was not a really active season (unlike 2008 which was really active) so I'll be curious to see how successful they were all able to be.

Watch out! Reed's got a TIV! That's like giving a pyromaniac matches to play with. You just know they're going to get into trouble with it.

Reed is growing on me. He reminds me a lot of my little brother, who's also a spastic science geek who spent his younger days dodging death and bodily injury and who's now a more responsible molecular biologist (though li'l bro says when he retires, who's going to study sharks).

I'm probably the only one who misses Josh. It's not easy managing intercepts, especially when you have Sean on your team. Though it looks like Sean's gone off on his own, and the results aren't pretty.

I miss Josh, too. I know he and Sean had their moments, but it doesn't look like it's going to be any smoother with the new team. I thought Sean was secretly wishing he had Josh and the DOW when he couldn't get any updates. His frustration is hard to watch.

I missed Josh, too ... and Karen, Herb, Danny, Aaron, Justin, and Hannah.

No doubt Reed is a great chaser, but he's manic and needs lots of attention and that gets on my nerves. He would be tolerable in smaller doses. Hopefully as the new team members get into the swing of things, there will be a more of them and less of Reed, his mini-TIV, and its special musical accompaniment.

Missed the first episode, but looking forward to catching up with it in re-runs. I want to know what happens to make the window shatter in Reed's (? I think it's him) face. It looks pretty brutal in the promos for the show. I'm assuming that wasn't in the first episode....

But I have to admit, I like the idea of dueling TIV's, racing around the Great Plains.... I would love to see a face-off between the two. See which could absorb the most damage, that sort of thing....

No, the window shattering was not in the first episode. I believe that it is Reed in the promo but the last time I saw the promo was before the new season & I didn't know about his new TIV so I'll be curious to see if that's what it happens in.

Sean's TIV just seems so sad. He always has problems with it. I wonder who built Reed's. Although, Reed's looks more like a reinforced existing vehicle while the TIV itself is built from scratch.

I also thought Reed took a Tahoe or Blazer, and added plate steel on top, along with the blood-red paint. I always felt that Sean should have bought a Hummer H2, added a Imax window on top, reinforced it, and then add a larger fuel tank. That would be more reliable and probably cheaper than building one from scratch (with dual rear axles, no less).

I don't miss Josh because he constantly sent them in the opposite direction of the action. They would wake in the morning, someone would suggest they go south, Josh would say no, go north, and all hell would break loose in the south. By nightfall, Sean would finally be near a tornado...in the dark.

And of course, the government would find it useful to give him a fleet of DOW trucks...

I missed the first 15 minutes, I guess there was no mention of why Josh didn't return. I liked Josh, but I agree that he wasn't very effective. Although, the new guy seems hapless, hopefully he will get better.

Reed is nuts. But I can't really blame him for getting his own TIV, he must have watched the past couple of seasons and thought surely he could intercept a tornado.

We had some serious tornadoes here in Tennessee in April, I am curious to see if they came this way.

missknowitall, they mentioned and showed Josh with his fleet of DOW trucks, (about 6 or more) and that he is there doing research under a government contract. I think the contract prevented him from sending data to a wannabe IMAX filmmaker in a rusty deathtrap.

Where in Tennessee? It was overall a pretty quiet Spring so they might have been that way but I think that would be really out of their normal range. I was surprised when they made it here to Little Rock last year for what turned out to be the Stuttgart tornado. I think they mentioned then that they don't normally come into Arkansas because we have too many hills & trees.

They said that Josh's project will not be ready for another 2 weeks (I don't remember how long tornado season is). They didn't say one way or the other whether Josh will team up with Sean again.


I thought both TIVs had a pickup truck base. They're not built from scratch. Although God knows they look like they were built in Sean's garage.


Yeah, wouldn't you think they would have discussed some of the procedures beforehand? I wonder why Sean does not team up with Reed.

I live in Murfreesboro, about 25 miles east of Nashville. We had an E-F4 Tornado. There was some other damage in surrounding counties, but I think we got the worst. I saw it from a few miles away. Pretty scary. I actually know some idiots who tried to chase the tornado. Thank goodness they were unsuccessful.

Thanks MrCBM and QuiltFairy, I'm glad to know Josh hasn't disappeared.

I'm guessing it's because Reed would feel tied down trying to direct Sean into the path of the tornado. Reed's "TIV" probably isn't so much a "TIV" like Sean's but probably extra reinforcement to the chase vehicle to make it a "little bit" safer but not be so bulky and heavy that they cannot move quickly. I recall sometime in the first or second season, Reed made the comment that while the TIV is quite innovative, its major flaw was that it could not move quickly enough.

As for Josh not being here this season, I wouldn't be surprised if he threw in the towel due to Sean. I didn't feel Josh was very effective anyway.

Wasn't Josh's team trying to deploy probes & since that involved intercepting a tornado's path, he also directed Sean to that path. I would presume that Josh will continue to do his work but just no longer is partnered with Sean & I don't blame him one bit. Not that Josh was shown in a favorable light himself.


Wow, that would horrendous. Thank goodness y'all are alright. According to Wikipedia, that tornado was on the ground for 30 minutes!

I live on the edge of tornado alley, and I spent 19 years in the Army National Guard as a Combat Medic. I've been activated twice for tornado's, the worst was a series of storms that spawned multiple F3 and F4's and destroyed the small town of Comfrey MN and did major damage to St. Peter. I was working as a home health nurse with a client on a vent the night the storm rolled in and I had my hand held scanner in my truck. I ran out and got it as soon as I heard there was bad weather coming and I really wish I had recorded what I heard. Proper radio procedures were thrown out the window, it sent chills up your spine to hear the police and public works guys try to communicate in the caos.

I called my staffing agency to get a replacement nurse and called my wife to get my gear out. I was near the motorpool so as soon as the new nurse showed up I went and grabed by hummer ambulance and ran home to get my gear and uniforms. My wife was outside looking at the clouds when I got home and it took me about 5 minutes to get dressed and load all my medical bags into the rig. I got there about an hour after touchdown (I still hadn't been officially activated) and I had to follow a snow plow into town there was so much debris on the road.

It was an experience I'll never forget, and every time I watch this show it reminds me of what those folks went through.

The TIV is not for research, it's for entertainment. The DOW is there for science, so it carries more weight with me.
What these teams need is someone who is mechanical, and who can fix the stuff on the spot. Going to a computer store for repairs was laughable to me when the DOW broke down. One guy who is "good with tools" would have these teams up and running, but the eggheads are too proud to admit they're not handy, and they flounder with problems a decent mechanic would have not only thought of, but anticipated and corrected ahead of time. The TIV concept is a good one, but the 2 vehicles he's built are not.

Not to toot my own horn, but if they brought me along I could keep them up and running a whole lot more than they are now, and I'm not that great of a mechanic compared to many I've worked with. Hell give them a farmboy, he'll understand that adding six tons of steel to a truck frame will require some modifications, and he'll not only know how to fix it, he'll do it without grousing about it. At times these guys remind me of the SeaShepards.

I rewatched this ep OnDemand, and I need to correct myself. Although Josh didn't mention it, Sean does say he will not be teaming up with Josh this season.

Though I am not crazy about the changes made this season (I don't miss Josh that much, but I do miss the science perspective) I think tonight's episode may have been the best ever in terms of seeing chasers succeed in getting close to well-formed twisters and capturing great video. I'm glad to see that Tim, the least egotistical of the trio, nailed down the most amazing footage.

Reed and Sean are such little fame mongers, they deserve each other. It's too bad they drag down their respective teams with them.

The farmer who rode up on a tractor to help free stuck vehicles looked like he was sent by central casting, talk about the epitome of "all American". He was on the show for 20 seconds and I think he's my new favorite cast member.

BTW about Josh - though he is not on the show this season, he was definitely chasing. He was leading the big VORTEX 2 campaign this year. There is a rumor that he and Sean re-unite later in the season, but it hasn't been confirmed.

And about EF-4 tornadoes in Tennessee. I have had far too much experience with those for my taste. I was nearly taken out by the EF-4 tornado that ripped across western Tennessee in February of 2008. It was part of a massive storm outbreak on Super Tuesday. I was on my way to California, most of my possessions stuffed into my car. Just before 7PM I decided to pull in for the night because I could see heavy lightning in the distance and I didn't really feel like driving after dark through a storm. I exited the interstate and pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant in Jackson, so I could get my bearings and find a motel. When I came to a stop I realized I could hear sirens. The sound didn't register with me at first, I thought it was just a fire truck or something. Then I realized I was hearing the sirens from all around me, and I had this terrible sinking feeling when I realized what was happening. I had been through a tornado when I was a young kid, and the one thing I never forgot was how still it was just before and after it came through. And I realized I was experiencing that same stillness again.

I quickly drove to a motel I'd seen just up the street, walked into the lobby, and saw the lady at the front desk staring at the TV with a very frightened look on her face. The local weatherman was on and he was indicating that a large tornado was heading right for Jackson. At this point my instinct was to run, but I had no idea where - I wasn't from the area, it was pitch dark, and I was just as likely to drive into the tornado as I was for it to come through wherever I holed up at. So I checked in, went to my room, called my parents, and turned on the TV. Within 5 minutes the power went out. So all I could do was sit there, in the dark, staring out the open window, watching what little of the sky I could see and listening for that telltale "train passing by" sound. But because the busy interstate was right outside, I couldn't hear a thing. So I just sat there and waited until I fell asleep.

I woke up a few hours later - the power was back and the weather had improved. The local news was reporting that a very large tornado had crossed the interstate at least once and had flipped several vehicles, including loaded 18 wheelers. It then proceeded to pass through the northern part of Jackson, and made a direct hit at Union University. Some of the dorms had collapsed and there were students trapped inside the wreckage.

The next morning the local Starbucks was full of shaken up looking students and parents, some of them talking about friends who'd been injured. I took a drive around town and discovered that the dorm that had been destroyed was practically line of sight from my motel, maybe 1/4 or 1/2 of a mile due north. The EF-4 tornado had tracked northeast, crossed the interstate just west of Jackson, and passed directly north of my motel when it struck the university. What scared me even more than that is I realized that if I had kept on driving that night I almost certainly would have met with the tornado when it crossed the interstate. I was so glad I stopped, yet it could have just as easily come a hair south and struck the motel. You never know. I was just glad that I made safely and that none of those poor students were killed.

In the grand scheme of things it wasn't that traumatic an experience, but what amplified it was the darkness and the trees. I couldn't see or hear a thing. That helplessness of being in the dark, knowing there is a big tornado out there, made it so much worse. When the episode of Storm Chasers from last season aired that was about the teams chasing in the dark, through the trees of eastern Arkansas, I practically had a panic attack watching that show. Especially when the tornado practically came down on top of Josh's team. That was way too familiar.

I haven't been through a tornado but we now live in an area that gets watches & warnings all the time so I worry about them. I *have* been through Hurricane Katrina & that was quite enough. I really don't want to deal with any more weather-related trauma.

Last night's show was great. The footage was awesome & the chases were exciting but the funniest part was Sean being all pissy about Reed's "red shoe". And calling Reed "The Dominator". Is he just extremely jealous or what?? Too bad Reed doesn't have an Imax camera. He could probably get footage from inside a tornado in one season & then he could sell it to Sean.

Absolutely. I see now why Sean doesn't hire Reed. There was a lot of antagonism in the air. "I see you still haven't worked on your handshake." ?

I liked Reed last season but now he's bit over the top. There is something brewing with him and Joel. I find that surprising, they always seem to get along so well.

What amazes me is that, considering how stupid most of the plotline was in "Twister", that's exactly what these guys are doing, i.e., setting out instrument packs in hope they'll record data from inside the tornado.

Neon Tetra, scary story. I grew up in Illinois and spent a large portion of my summers in the basement and had a huge fear of tornadoes until I moved to CA many years ago. We don't have them here =).
I thought Sean was a creep last night. Hateful, petty, jealous. Really unattractive. Reed gets on my nerves but he doesn't seem to have the mean streak that Sean does. I didn't see this side of Sean last year. His frustration level really has ramped up.