Dr. Charles Doswell III - RIP (age 79)

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Dr. Charles Doswell III, pioneer of storm chasing and a great in the field of severe storms meteorology, has died today at age 79.

Announced on Facebook today by Tim Marshall.

Dr. Doswell was part of the foundation, and one of the principal pillars, of storm chasing and our current understanding of severe convective storms. You can't go very far in the chase community or published papers in this field without seeing his name in prominence.

 
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Just saw this on social media.

Chuck was a true chasing legend. I had the fortune of crossing paths with Chuck many, many times in the 1990's. He was never shy about chastising me anytime I did something questionable, making me a better chaser in the process. I remember the time we were at the NWS in DDC when an earlier-than-expected SVR outbreak commenced. Along with Alan Moller, they went to work in the office, delaying their chase until the office could be fully staffed.

RIP my friend.
 
So very sad to see this news. Dr. Doswell was one of the first names I became familiar with back in the mid 1990s when I first started chasing. His essays on safe and ethical chasing were high-profile in the chasing community back then. I still have some printed email exchanges with him from way back then; he was kind enough to answer some of my questions, although he didn’t know me from Adam. If I remember correctly, he used to participate on the WX-CHASE listserv. I saw him speak live at ChaserCon back in 2014. He was a larger-than-life figure that did not suffer fools gladly. Unfortunately he is probably not as familiar to the current generation of chasers; as we all know, most of the pioneers withdrew to their own communities like CFDG. I’m sure he was saddened by what chasing has become for some…

Sadly, we are approaching a time when we will start to see more and more of the pioneering legends move on…

Some interesting weather and non-weather stuff on Dr. Doswell’s blog, which has been inactive for a few years. Chuck's Chatter
 
Chuck Doswell was the specific individual that finally taught me fluid dynamics at his OUN kitchen table in 2015, well post my geoscience undergrad and beyond the era we chased together via Tempest Tours. Randy Zipser was the individual who informed me of his passing today as I am off most social medias sans YouTube and TT until the ban tomorrow.

Here is my video recollection on Chuck. Please feel free to share if so inclined. So many memories, so much to say. He was my parents age exactly. I will sincerely miss Chuck and am thankful to have been on the same plane of existence within the weather world, regardless of differing opinion ;0)

In addition, I just wrote and posted this expanded journal in memoriam about Chuck.

My sincerest condolences to Vicki and the entire Doswell family today.

All the best,

Blake


BLAKE WILLIAM NAFTEL
Artist, Comedy Writer, Meteorologist
616.643.7762
blakenaftel.com
threereelfilms.com
 
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When I first heard of his passing, I was not only saddened, but at a loss for words. I recall drinking some red wine with Chuck Doswell, Gene Rhoden, and RJ Evans at the internet studio for the show High Instability in Norman, OK in 2010. Chuck drove his Mustang Cobra 5.0 and arrived first, and I arrived later in my Mustang GT 4.6. I was outgunned in more ways than one:). He produced and dealt our drug of choice...photos, videos, & studies on severe storms & tornadoes. I remember reading about his early chases in the initial accounts from the original, paper StormTrack.
 
Dr. Charles Doswell III, pioneer of storm chasing and a great in the field of severe storms meteorology, has died today at age 79.

Announced on Facebook today by Tim Marshall.

Dr. Doswell was part of the foundation, and one of the principal pillars, of storm chasing and our current understanding of severe convective storms. You can't go very far in the chase community or published papers in this field without seeing his name in prominence.

The picture of Chuck in a field on a recliner with a bottle of two buck chuck, originally photographed by Elke Edwards, will always be etched in humorous memory as it encompasses the essence of him on so many levels. I laugh every time I see it shared, of which is a happy memory.

Blake


BLAKE WILLIAM NAFTEL
Artist, Comedy Writer, Meteorologist

616.643.7762
blakenaftel.com
threereelfilms.com
 
The picture of Chuck in a field on a recliner with a bottle of two buck chuck, originally photographed by Elke Edwards, will always be etched in humorous memory as it encompasses the essence of him on so many levels. I laugh every time I see it shared, of which is a happy memory.

Blake

There’s got to be an interesting story about how/why that recliner was put in a field! Did they put it there just for the picture? Or was it randomly found and they decided it would be a great photo opp if they added a lamp and table for the shot? I wouldn’t be surprised if it just happened to be there in a field. I’ve seen lots of crazy stuff on the Plains. In fact, one of them involved a recliner! One chase vacation, there was a recliner in the center lane of I-40 near Amarillo, facing oncoming traffic, somehow aligned exactly parallel with the lane markers such that it was directly facing me as I drove toward it.
 
I also salute Chuck for having the courage to stand up to the lunacy and misleading behavior that was becoming the image of storm chasing over the last couple of decades. He was the only scientist of standing who was not afraid to expose the issues and offenders, often writing about it in his blogs. He took multiple hits for doing this, especially with his connections to OU.
 
Here’s another of Dr. Doswell’s blog sites. Lots of treasures here. Let’s hope this stuff doesn’t disappear, lost to the fragility of the digital ether like so much else.


I have archived all of his chasing-related blogs. I consider them VERY important references concerning specific realities of storm chasing.

It would be a total discredit to the history of storm chasing if his blogs were lost, especailly those related to ethics. There has been an effort to erase or alter negative historical elements.
 
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Very sorry to hear this. He was one amazing guy. I totally agree with Warren's two posts above. I was very fortunate to meet him a couple times at Chasercon and, yes, to drink some red wine with him. His talks there on chaser safety were wonderful, though there were some who did not want to hear the message.
 
Aw man. He gave a talk here at U of MO in the late 90s (when Grant Darkow was still here) and showed a bunch of the Pampa footage. I'm glad I got to chat with him and read his stuff. Absolutely one-of-a-kind.
 
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