Extreme weather enthusiast will take campus by storm

storm chaser
storm chaser
Storm Chaser Reed Timmer stands before one of his favorite weather phenomenons—a tornado.

Extreme weather enthusiast Reed Timmer will regale listeners with his tales of storm chasing and explain how science plays a vital role in the success of his popular Discovery Channel series Storm Chasers Tuesday, March 23, at the High Country Conference Center.

“My first official storm chase was at the age of 13, when I intercepted a severe storm in my front yard and was pelted by golf-ball size hail that destroyed the family video camera,” Timmer told Discovery Channel. “Ever since that day I’ve been obsessed with extreme weather and storm chasing.”

The presentation is part of the Freeport-McMoRan Lecture Series sponsored by the College of Engineering, Forestry and Natural Sciences. The series is designed to highlight the diversity and opportunities in the science and engineering field, said Matt Gage, professor of chemistry.

“I certainly think he’s going to be very fun,” Gage said. “What he does is really nuts, in terms of chasing tornadoes. It is going to be a really enjoyable evening.”

Timmer is a renowned expert on severe weather forecasting, safety and survival with an extensive education in meteorology and years of hands-on experience.

Timmer travels more than 50,000 miles across the U.S. each year chasing, intercepting and documenting the most extreme and massive storms. His goal is to capture the inside of a tornado by successfully deploying a tornado intercept vehicle.

The non-ticketed event is free and open to the public. The presentation will begin at 6:30 p.m., but seating is limited to the first 500 attendees.