Chase history
Storm chaser full history
Storm chasing didn't start with Twister. Here is 80 years of history — from the very first documented chase to the livestream era.
The pioneers (1940s-1960s)
Roger Jensen (1948)
North Dakota farm boy. Documented as the first person to chase tornadoes recreationally. Started at age 15.
David Hoadley (1956)
Bismarck, ND. Chased his first tornado at age 18. Founded Storm Track magazine. Still chasing into his 80s.
Ted Fujita (1960s)
Not a chaser but the first "aerial chaser." Flew over damage paths. Created the F-scale.
Neil Ward (1960s)
NSSL scientist. Built first tornado simulator. Chased to verify.
The scientific era (1970s)
- NSSL (National Severe Storms Laboratory) started organized chase teams.
- Project TOTO deployed the first ground-based tornado sensor (1979-1983).
- 1973 Union City OK tornado — first documented mesocyclone signature.
- Chuck Doswell, Al Moller, Bob Davies-Jones develop chase methodology.
- First "chasing as science" era.
VORTEX era (1990s)
- VORTEX-1 (1994-95) — first coordinated multi-team field experiment.
- Erik Rasmussen, Josh Wurman lead teams.
- Doppler-on-Wheels (DOW) first deployed 1995.
- 1999 Bridge Creek-Moore F5 measured 301 mph by DOW.
- Chaser population still under 100 nationwide.
The Twister effect (1996-2000)
The 1996 Jan de Bont film Twister — starring Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt — created the modern chaser image.
- Chase groups grew from ~100 to thousands within a few years.
- Chase tour industry born.
- Hobbyist chasers with weather stations, laptops, ham radios.
- Old-school scientists concerned about safety.
The video era (2000-2010)
- Digital video became affordable.
- 2003 Manchester SD F4 documented in detail.
- 2005 Bill Reid, TIV1 armored intercept vehicle.
- 2006 Discovery Channel Storm Chasers show premieres.
- Reed Timmer becomes household name.
- Sean Casey builds TIV2.
- 2007 Greensburg EF5 filmed extensively.
The El Reno era (2013)
May 31, 2013 — El Reno, OK tornado. 2.6 miles wide. 296 mph measured.
Killed 8 people including TWISTEX researchers Tim Samaras, Paul Samaras, and Carl Young. The first documented deaths of researchers by a tornado in US history.
The tornado made an unpredicted sharp left turn. Multiple chase teams were caught. Reed Timmer's Dominator got hit. Mike Bettes of TWC rolled his vehicle.
The chase community's tolerance for risk was permanently changed.
The livestream era (2015-present)
- YouTube livestreams become the primary chase medium.
- Ryan Hall Y'all becomes the biggest severe weather channel.
- Max Velocity, Reed Timmer, Live Storms Media compete for viewers.
- Chaser convergence problem: hundreds of chasers on one target.
- Chase-related traffic fatalities become documented issue.
- NWS pilots more direct connection to livestreaming chasers for real-time reports.
The AI + drone era (2023-2026)
- Drone chasers document tornadoes from above.
- AI-augmented forecasting brings new class of chaser.
- GraphCast and Pangu models used alongside HRRR.
- Autonomous chase vehicles proposed.
- Livestream aggregators emerge.
- Some chasers now full-time content creators.