Stars of Discovery Channel's STORM CHASERS Killed in Oklahoma Tornado

Stars of Discovery's Reality Show STORM CHASERS Tim Samaras and Carl Young, as well as Samaras' son, Paul, were killed on Friday, May 31, during a storm in El Reno, Oklahoma.

Discovery Communications Tweeted this morning, June 2nd: "We're heartbroken by the loss of @Tim_Samaras, son Paul & Carl Young and all those lost in Friday's storm in Oklahoma."

Tim Samaras' brother Jim took to Facebook to express his thanks for friends, family and fans' support. "They all unfortunately passed away but doing what they LOVED. Chasing Tornado's," he wrote of the trio. "I look at it that he is in the 'big tornado in the sky...'"

Tim Samaras' bio on Discovery's STORM CHASERS website reads: "Chasing has been a part of Tim's life for over 25 years. Ten years ago, he developed his own tornado probes to record meteorological data inside of tornadoes. On June 24, 2003, Tim dropped a probe in the path of an F-4 tornado where it measured an astounding 100 millibar pressure drop - a record that still stands today. Tim runs the scientific field program, TWISTEX (Tactical Weather Instrumented Sampling in Tornadoes Experiment, www.twistex.org). Their mission is to help understand why tornadoes form in order to increase warning times in Tornado Alley. Last year, Tim had a successful probe deployment on the last chase of the season in Grand Island, Nebraska. This year, TWISTEX is introducing new instruments to help them meet their scientific goals, including a new probe called TOWER. This new probe features multiple anemometers to measure wind SPEED and direction, cans of smoke to track circulation, and a brand new 360-degree camera mount. In addition, Tim is conducting research for Boeing, testing the effects of large hail on the company's new aircraft."

Meteorologist Carl Young is described on the STORM CHASERS website: "Although Carl is a native Californian, he was called east in 2000 after a spell working on Hollywood film crews. He decided to take off on a two month storm chasing adventure in the Great Plains hoping to catch a glimpse of a few tornadoes but ending up with over a dozen twister encounters. Experiencing the raw force of nature in Nebraska was unlike any pyrotechnic display on a high-tech Hollywood set! This inspiration led Carl to the study of tornado dynamics and ultimately a masters degree in atmospheric science from the University of Nevada, Reno. While attending a meteorological conference, Carl met Tim Samaras who encouraged him to collect meteorological data from inside tornadoes as the principal focus of his thesis research. Every spring since 2003, Carl has headed out with Tim, and together the team has tracked down over 125 tornadoes. Carl's finest moment came on June 11, 2004 near Storm Lake, Iowa. Working with Tim, they defied the odds and deployed their probes right in the path of a tornado. The six-camera video probe captured amazing footage from multiple angles while the sensor probe recorded data that revealed just how fast wind speeds are close to the ground. Since then Carl remains eternally optimistic that they can repeat the same feat despite the huge challenges for successful deployments."

Photo of Tim Samaras courtesy Discovery Communications.

To post a comment, you must register and login.