Last Saturday, February 4th, we lost a part of the TVN family.

While en route to his home in Minnesota after chasing in Texas and Oklahoma the previous two days, Andy Gabrielson was the tragic victim of a vehicle accident outside of Tulsa. I am unable to adequately describe the way in which these terrible circumstances have affected those who knew and loved Andy. It has been a difficult time for many, to say the least.

Since word of the tragedy spread last Saturday evening, the extended chaser and weather enthusiast community has come together in a big way. The outpouring of support for Andy's friends and family has been considerable, and a fund has been set up to benefit his young daughter, Reegan (more details found here).

Today, February 9, 2012, the TVN online store is holding a benefit as well, with 100% of the sales going directly to Andy's memorial. As explained on a recent post to Reed's Facebook page, we felt this was an easy way to help out, for those wanting to contribute in even a small way. It should be noted that Andy's incredible 2010 DVD is offered through the store, in limited supply. I watched several chapters of this DVD in Reed's living room last year while he and Andy had a ridiculous argument about whether the Wilkin County, MN, tornado should have been considered a waterspout for some of its lifespan. - It's obvious that Reed will never get over missing that tornado!

There are others whose posts you're used to seeing here who considered Andy among their best friends. They'll share their thoughts when they're ready. I'm not the best person to offer an adequate account of who Andy was as a person, but what I can say about Andy is that, simply put, he was a storm chaser, one with an unsurpassed drive for being there, for seemingly every storm, day or night, high risk or see-text. In 2010 alone, he saw over 80 tornadoes--an unfathomable number for a few months' worth of effort--and captured what many consider as some of the most amazing, extraordinary video of all time. He was also very dedicated to storm reporting, as anyone who has Spotter Network knows, and served as an in-field correspondent for The Weather Channel's Tornado Hunt. He was the best there was at what he did, and was one of the most humble people you could ever meet. That's what I admired about him the most.

Andy's friends and family appreciate your continued support through this most difficult time. I'll leave you with these links where you can help with his memorial, as well as a video that hopefully shows how much fun he was to be around. We'll sure miss him.