Reed Timmers new Dominator 3

[Kaivaira H]

So, from what I've gathered from the time I've joined to now, I'm guessing you guys aren't big believers in tornado intercept vehicles?

I do admit though that deploying in the middle of the road was a bit of an L move on Reed's part. Yeah, there was no one else there - at least from what I saw after watching the video twice - but as my parents always say, never assume you're the only one on the road, even in the dead of night (or in the middle of a tornado in this case). That's how people get killed.

 

[Warren Faidley]

When a specific person has a history of what many would consider dangerous behavior, they need to be called out. It seems like every week some chasers need to be reminded that public roads are NOT closed courses for their enjoyment and profit making only.

 

[Jeff Wright]

Reed actually got a close-range intercept last night! Heavily rain-wrapped tornado by Linneus, MO. It was one of the most epic chase videos I've seen in a while.

Some damage was done by those storms:

Watch: Church Hit By Tornado - Videos from The Weather Channel

A severe thunderstorm spawned multiple tornadoes in northern Missouri damaging multiple structures including a church. - Videos from The Weather Channel | weather.com

weather.com

We are in an era where the most compelling video comes from everyone *but* chasers.

I think drone footage has the best chance to be used for educational purposes:

I might run a cable to a balloon chain with smoke bombs and film how that Mogul like balloon chain gets entrained into the tornado circulation.

A single drone would be trashed—-but remember the lines suspended top to bottom in Pampa? They seemed quite stable compared to the tumbling bits.

Have the dominator deploy a balloon chain like that and he might actually get some good observations of meaning. A drone would be every 20 feet along the length of the chain.

 

[Todd Lemery]

I’m not a fan of anyone parking in the middle of the road or blowing stop signs. That said, I do like yesterday’s video and other videos like the TIV intense intercept. I’m apparently a little more focused on staying alive than everyone getting these types of videos. In the end, the odds are going to even out with this.

 

[Warren Faidley]

It might just be easier to attach an instrument package to one's self and be taken up into the tornado. Please!

 

[Jeff Wright]

I seem to have heard lines like “mesocyclone on the ground” that might be more apropos with this newest video

 

[Jeff Duda]

Love him or hate him, Reed has probably seen more tornadoes than anyone alive. I think he's into the science of storm/tornadoes but he also has to keep the hype up to keep the $ rolling in so that he can chase almost every day of the year. He was doing some cool stuff with ChasinSpin there for a while. No idea if they collected any useful data, but they created some cool hardware to collect all sorts of data.

He has zero publications in any AMS journals or any AMS conferences related to severe weather. The subject of his PhD was actually climate research unrelated to severe weather. The only piece of published scientific information I can find from him are from a single-data point/profile measurement of the wind speed in the Lawrence, KS EF4 from May 2019. While a helpful data point, it is hardly never-before-seen, just unique in coming from a rocket-propelled probe. But that's it. Of all of that money he's taking in, little to none of it is find its way back to the scientific community.

 

[Jeff Duda]

I didn't see anything in that video that looked extreme or novel...maybe Reed's lack of scientific communication and typical screaming at wind and rain. I have yet to see anything from close to a tornado that competes with Brandon Ivey's video from inside that EF4 in TIV2 in 2013. Sean Casey got a handful of neat shots inside tornadoes, too, including Goshen County, WY on 5 June 2009.

 

[Warren Faidley]

He has zero publications in any AMS journals or any AMS conferences related to severe weather. The subject of his PhD was actually climate research unrelated to severe weather. The only piece of published scientific information I can find from him are from a single-data point/profile measurement of the wind speed in the Lawrence, KS EF4 from May 2019. While a helpful data point, it is hardly never-before-seen, just unique in coming from a rocket-propelled probe. But that's it. Of all of that money he's taking in, little to none of it is find its way back to the scientific community.

Thanks so much for clarifying this. Not being a scientist, and trying to remain respectful, I have avoided bringing up the points you mentioned. Most people of higher education are very afraid to mention his credentials and how he applies them to his work. It has always been my opinion that he abuses "science" or uses "grey science" to promote his activities. I've never seen his vehicles filled with researchers, just people who further his YouTube publicity, like professional drone pilots. I know of many people genuinely involved in severe weather who never get a mention, like those at the SPC, NWS offices and local spotters.

 

[Roger Brown]

I've never met Reed but have seen him (and his entourage) numerous times when I'm out chasing. I've seen videos of his chase partners/friends saying he's self centered/arrogant, but I have no firsthand knowledge. I don't understand some of the hate he gets for making money by chasing. From what I see, he got a degree in Meteorology, because he loves weather & storms, and he's using his knowledge to chase and make $. Even if all he does is chase, and never helps with "the science", he has a very large social media following that is now getting a heads up on storms in their area. Who says he has to publish papers or info? Why is it bad that he's doing something he loves and making $ too?

I only get to chase for 2 weeks per year, and I've done it all for myself, never helping with "the science". I take my pics/video/time-lapses and have them for my own enjoyment. Only a handful of people have ever seen anything I've captured. I rarely even post any of it on my social media accounts (a few pics over the years). Does that make me a bad person? If I could make a living traveling the country and chasing weather, I'd probably jump at the chance. I'm betting most people on this site would as well.

 

[Dave C]

I've never met Reed but have seen him (and his entourage) numerous times when I'm out chasing. I've seen videos of his chase partners/friends saying he's self centered/arrogant, but I have no firsthand knowledge. I don't understand some of the hate he gets for making money by chasing. From what I see, he got a degree in Meteorology, because he loves weather & storms, and he's using his knowledge to chase and make $. Even if all he does is chase, and never helps with "the science", he has a very large social media following that is now getting a heads up on storms in their area. Who says he has to publish papers or info? Why is it bad that he's doing something he loves and making $ too?

I only get to chase for 2 weeks per year, and I've done it all for myself, never helping with "the science". I take my pics/video/time-lapses and have them for my own enjoyment. Only a handful of people have ever seen anything I've captured. I rarely even post any of it on my social media accounts (a few pics over the years). Does that make me a bad person? If I could make a living traveling the country and chasing weather, I'd probably jump at the chance. I'm betting most people on this site would as well.

I certainly would not jump at the chance to chase for money. Ruins the experience and you can only make a living doing it if you are willing to be an entertainer. Gone are the days you can live off footage.

It seems like you are making assumptions about why people might be fatigued with certain personalities, bust as far as I can tell no one here is 'hating', and certainly not becaue anyone makes money chasing (are you implying people are jealous of the circus?!). Rather than project ideas, why not ask people why they feel the way they do?

In my experience, no one really cares about people having passion and being successful; this is not upsetting to anyone and is in fact admired by most. No one is calling anyone a bad person either, but it is still ok to call out actions and attitudes that have negative consequences. A healthy society is objective and introspective of its memebers, and cannot succeed if just lead by emotional judgements.

What most resentment comes down to as far as I can tell is: I think many people are just tired of the ever larger chaser circus of bad behavior and unsafe ignorant actions, and the continued draw of more naive and dangerous personalities to the hobby of chasing. Many more people each year are attracted to the 'look at me' segment of the community just as with everything these days (hardly limited to chasing). There are too many fools who want to 'zero meter bro' that have made the experience of watching supercells turn from blissful time with nature to a real nightmare and safety issue for other chasers and even worse for the general public who arguably has more right to any locale than we do. Many chasers just want to be able to enjoy our hobby without a circus, the immaturity, the added danger, and the lack of class and intellect brought by barbarian hordes who are a direct result of personalities, social media, mass media, etc. promoting the hobby as something it isn't.

For the record, the people doing real science in this field are pretty humble about it and you are unlikely to spot their vehicle unless part of a sponsored project requiring identification. The most useful science called for is almost never throwing things or vehicles into tornadoes. This tells us almost nothing we do not already know. Source? I have had conversations with real scientsts on what is actually useful, and not one asked to throw vehicles or probes into tornadoes.

 

[Mark Gressman Jr]

Personally, I find his video's to be pretty incredible. It's just a shame he has to yell and scream like he does.... whether it's for entertainment, or his actual character. For the record, I don't mind yelling if this situation calls for it, as it sometimes adds to the intensity of the moment. But the way he does it rubs me the wrong way.

If he used his platform as a star to try and better the behavior of the masses, I think a lot of people would see him in a different light. I haven't watched through all his videos, so does anyone know if he has ever made the attempt to have a heart to heart with his fans? It seems like a lot of his followers are young, and haven't come to terms with the fact that 99.9% of them will never be good/lucky enough to reach his level of fame. Being a good steward for the activity would go a long way with me.

Some people are always gonna dislike him for "selling out", but I'm not one of them. He does what he enjoys, and I'm happy for him. If he never does anything to further the science, that's his missed opportunity.

 

[Jonathan Scrogham]

Well, he just intercepted a large tornado near Spalding, NE in the Dominator. Looked fairly intense. Although I heard, "DEPLOY SPIKES!" I hope they didn't deploy spikes on that paved road.
Link to video

 

[TonyB]

Y'all must be fun at parties. The Dominator is super cool, and Reed seems to at least be a genuine dude, which is far more than can be said for most TV personalities. Given the level of fame, sponsorship, (and notoriety amonst the fuddiest of duddies on this site) he could be a total a$$ to people. However, he still takes time out to meet people when out there and not actively in a chase, and still loves everything about chasing and storms.

Sure, he's not some world-renowned scientist winning Nobel prizes, but nobody should expect anywhere near that, and it's your fault for expecting different. He's also not a driver's Ed instructor. Obviously we want people to drive perfectly 100% of the time, but we all know thats not possible.

He's a Meteorological Entertainer, and a pretty darn good one at that. Sure the yelling can get annoying, but it's his shtick and can't fault any entertainer for having a shtick. He can be quite entertaining sometimes, and I enjoy watching his streams sometimes.

I don't emulate him cause I don't drive a tornado tank, and anyone who does without one deserves any and all punishment for making such a dumb decision. It's darwinsim and won't feel the least bit bad when it catches up to people like that. At least Reed comes prepared

 

[James K]

I too think the Dominators are pretty cool (and it'll be cool if he actually does get #1 & #2 restored/back operational again)

Generally when I'm watching storm chasing youtube live-streams, I'll have more than one up at a time ... but Reed is always the 1st one I check.
Then there's another half dozen or so regulars I'll check to see who's on & pick a couple.

As for the Yelling, to me that's just Reed .. and Reed wouldn't be Reed without it .lol.