News DetailThe last F-5 tornado -- Our video from an overpass
Posted At: May 11, 2007 @ 12:47 AM
Posted By: Reed Timmer
Related Categories: Tornadoes
We've decided to finally release our video of the May 3, 1999 Moore, OK tornado, the last F-5 to be documented anywhere in the world. This tornado event marked the beginning of storm chasing for TornadoVideos.net, and should be taken as an example of how NOT TO CHASE!!
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OMG that is priceless Reed!! awesomely insane! thanks for showing us.
You are kidding me Reed. YOU ALMOST DIED!
That rocks! XD
Thanks for showing this video reed. Funny I immediately recognized your enthusiastic voice, that's a thing what never changed and probable never will.
I've seen many videos of the F5 tornado that hit Oklahoma but everytime i see one, i'm suprised about the tremendous force. It's probable one of the strongest tornados ever recorded.
Good job putting the disclaimer in that your methods that day were silly and shouldn't be repeated. I trust that you guys will never try an overpass maneuver again.
right on alex, the wind forces are probebly even greater under the overpass because of the funneling of the wind.
Dumb move, yes. Awesome video, yes. In all fairness i think the comment in the video where you said "Is it coming towards us?" shows the difference in the technology you use to chase today versus in 1999. Thank you internet. Thanks for posting that video, still shows the awesome power of that F5.
Forgot to mention. I saw your interview on TWC last night. Very nice. Did you get to hang out with Stephanie Abrams? Sweet!
Pure genius.
Most of your videos are examples of how not to chase. I am not a storm chaser, but I am the daughter of a very respected one. I was raised learning about storms and the mother of children who love watching what their grandfather does. When anything of yours is aired on TV, I turn it off. If they choose to chase, they will do it in a manner that is safe and not in the cocky, glory seeking manner you display.
From a directors point of view Reeds videos are incredibly action packed and intense while still being civilized and informative.
(ps: mothers worry)
I agree, it was dumb, they were new yada yada.
Regardless, everytime I see a picture or video of this tornado, I can't help but marvel at the size and near perfect structure of the tornado and rotating wall cloud. You can see the symmetry. It's ridiculous
I love how anyone who doesn't blindly worship Reed's reckless and suicidal method of storm chasing is jumped on by those who are too stupid to know better.
Case in point - the Manchester tornado. It was coming almost directly at them, yet they either did not realize it or did not care - risking not only their lives but the life of a relative newcomer as well. It just goes to show that college does not necessarily make a person smarter.
As Anne said, nearly every one of Reed's videos is a prime example of how NOT to storm chase. I only hope his death wish does not wind up costing the lives of others as well as his own.
That was freaking crazy. The power of that storm was unbelievable!
Anne:
You turn off the tv, but yet you visit the website?
heres the forcast for my area. here in kentuckey
pop-up storms. I rember when there was an EF0 tornado
with a pop up storm. there was very little damage to
my house.
what time was the may 3rd touchdown???
Thanks for that awesome vid, and also the disclaimer. But damn, if I was walking around in the middle of nowhere during a tornado, and an overpass was my only shelter, it would be very tempting to try to seek shelter underneath it, even with the knowledge that it's actually more dangerous...
Wow, Matt and Daniel were not kidding. Simply amazing. I have got to see the whole thing.
that's right Cors! when winds like the may 3 twister
went through the overpass winds may have accelerated
to 400mph!!!!! the andover ks tornado winds
accelerated to 200mph.
Amazing. That was the best video of this twister I have seen. How close did it get to you guys as it crossed the road??? Incredible.
The first tornado from "storm A" was produced just north of Ft Sill, OK at around 4:45 pm. These tornadoes were F-0 in intensity. We intercepted the storm between Cyril and Apache, and witnessed an F-3 tornado, that had a beautiful white rope out phase as it moved northward just west of Cyril. The F-5 tornado moved into Moore at around 7:00 pm CDT. Here is a link for some detailed track maps:
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/storms/19990503/
Dustin: We were probably about 1/8 to 1/4 mile from the tornado...we had absolutely no idea what we were doing back then. We just drove around like a chicken with our head cut off with no maps!
We helped out with the national guard in Moore for a while...it really was like a war zone.
That was just crazy. Exactly how did you guys not die? That just shows that everyone has to start somewhere, and you started with the mother of all tornadoes; the tornado other tornadoes want to be when they grow up. I do believe I would have pissed myself being that close to that monster.
Anne. Hopefully we'll get lucky and your children will be as stuck up and snotty as you! Cheers! :)
Hey Reed,
Chad has directed me to your website, and I am thoroughly obsessed with it now. I was a jr. at OU during this insanity. I remember checking radar from the computer lab--it was clear--and by the time I rode my bike home to the Alpha Gam house all the girls were in the tv room glued to the tube watching the news helicopters follow these monsters. It was quite horrible. The house meteorology students hold our breath as it came out of Chickasha hoping it didn't turn right!!
Anyhow, thanks for the memories. Nobody here in Ohio can quite appreciate this as well as those of us who were there. Jen
Man thats crazy but was a good video and as to Anne comments i dont think they do it for the fam and crap they do it to show the power of these tornadoes yes they take chances that others wouldnt but thats what sets them apart from all of us other storm chasers.. and i have to say when reed is down here in texas i would follow him cause they know when its time to back off but even when i chase by myself getting close to sumthen that destroys one house but not the next is something that makes us want to get closer and closer to see why it does it.. Yes Reed and them are famous and are always on the news doesnt that tell you something about these guys They are GREAT AND GOOD AT WHAT THEY DO!!!
Anne,
Do u also tell the racers of the Indianapolis 500 that they drive dangerous and are cocky?
The earth is not yours or your grandfathers. Try to life with the fact that people have less fear then u have.
Ah and:
And who are u to tell Reed and Joel how to chase? We don't as k your so calle d respected stormchasing grandfather to approach a storm closer. How about calling him a coward because he is chasing tornados from miles away? Makes sense? no!
lol. Thats how I was when i ran into that F-4. Now I use maps and internet instead of just heading out the door whenever there is a tornado warning. Great stuff bro.
Wow, Anne's comment-
Uhm- all I can say, Anne, being a teacher for Public schools, is this: Education creates less ignorance.
I would rather teach my children how to stay safe than to choose ignorance. We all have the right to an opinion, thanks for coming on here and being negative and attacking with yours. You deserve a cookie.
Note that at least we all are not annonymous, when we have an opinion, we say who we are, what are websites or emails are, and have no regrets. No reason for us to hide who we are- who are you? Last name? Grandpa is who? THAT would be cool to know. That I could respect.
I bring my storm chasing into schools, when I teach middle schoolers, and use it to teach kids safety, and to teach them about REAL science in the REAL world. As I'm sure your Grandpa knows, storm chasing is not 100% safe, no matter how many precautions one takes, or how far away one stays. That's the beauty of the whole thing.
I thank Reed for posting this video, they have indeed come a LONG way, learned a LOT, went through a TON of schooling (if you bothered to actually read the site), and took a risk posting this video. I commend them for it. They do NOT claim to know-it-all, if you've bothered to notice.
We all had to start somewhere, because most of us do not have teachers to teach us about weather, or grandparents to teach us, hell, some of us, believe it or not, don't have mothers or fathers, Anne. So, some of us have to learn on our own. Do we want to? Not really. Is it dangerous? Can be. But is it worth it if it is your passion and your dream in life? Hell yes.
TV guys, thanks for sharing your experiences, so we can ALL learn from them, good, bad and ugly! You are great. It is soooo good to see that we all had to be rookies at some point in time, it is a priceless video. Thank-you.
Wow,that's crazy.
i forgot to add this isnt a site for bashing other storm chasers every storm chaser has their own way of doing things so i dont want to see any more of the bashing on this site i know its not my site but still this is a place for people to see whats going on and all these videos for all to see im sorry but all this dissrespecting and stuff does need to stop here.
I was not trying to be disrespectful, sorry if it was interpreted as such. I do appologize then. Erase my comment please, if it is an issue.
Gene, I don't think Erin's comment was intended for that. If anyone deserves the comment you just posted, I think it should probably be Anne.
Now I think if this continues, a lot of us my start to resent each other, and I don't want that to happen. So I agree with Gene that this needs to stop here.
That was supposed to say "may start", not "my start".
Has anyone else noticed that Andrea is gaining strength?
hmm..... hay Connor have u ever seen a tornado
or waterspout even a dustdevil? I better put my lap top
up now there is a nasty pop-up supercell heding my way.
It may disapate before it gets to me. no wonder there
is pop-up storms. todays high was 89.
Caleb, I have seen two tornadoes, and many, many dust devils. I remember driving through a dust devil on the highway. That was fun :).
Thank you guys for posting that video. I've been so curious ever since hearing mention of it on another comment page. That was some awesome footage for you guys considering your noobieness at the chasing scene. Goodbye Geo. That had me laughing. And Reed chasing the damn thing at the end. I could sense the adrenaline in that one for sure.
Sorry for the negative comment. Won't happen again.
The first tornado I saw was illuminated by lightning during the two tornadoes that hit Springfield, IL on March 12, 2006. It came within a block of the house; and it would have been spectacular if it wasn't destroying the houses of my neighbors and shredding Iles park. We were extremely lucky that they weren't any stronger than F-2 (very briefly) and were rapidly moving.
First, I must say that is some amazing footage.
However, you guys are foolhardy (and still are), and I can't say I'd be surprised if you ended up dying in a tornado one of these days.
Amazing Reed! your sooo funny when you see a tornado/
"I'm going to get It" "Im going to get it!" - what do you think your going to do, chase it down or somthing?
Joey now is that something really necessary to bring up? You could have Just left it at amazing footage and left that negative thinking out.
To(Reed & crew) - I have only recently discovered your site, but is this the first time so many folks have been negatively commenting?
yeah like chris not Chris Bray but a different chris
he typed "I HATE TORNADOES AND CALEB GO TO
HELL!
and hmmm....Joe If u were reed and he typed that
how would you fill?
I didn't mean to be mean in anyway, I love Reed! I ment to be funny. Im sorry if my words affended anyone- i guess i should read it over before i post.
Yes well... everyone remember they where not as educated as they are now. Never EVER hide in a overpass your better off in a ditch. Of course thats is you cant get out of its path and you get suprised on the highway or somthing like that. If your in the kill-zone don't try and outrun it.. cause it WILL kill you.
That was Just PIMP
In regards to Reed's "recklessness":
I for one, feel we should be GREATFUL of the endeavors we get to see of Reed and Joel, and view their video of seeing the tornado "too close". We would not otherwise. Let's thank them for giving us that opportunity.
There was another Joey who posted before me. I didn't see that. I was like cheese, why everyone got to be so mad at me? lol... Now i got a question, is this video on the 2003 tornado highlight video or did they release it for the first time? I just orderd a copy of thier video
(it's about time), i just love the way they chase. Anyone know of some other tornado videos/documentrys worth watching?
Hi guys! Wow! Thanks for the video! I've always tought that under a overpass was safe...thanks for warning me! Even if i'm living in the province of Quebec, tornadoes are very rare here, i think it's important to know... We don't know, maybe i will realize my dream and see a tornado one day?
I saw a big dust devil yesterday ! For the first time ! The "trafic watchers" on my car radio said it was "little tornadoes"... All to stress the population... ;-) But it was cool to see! It passed over the highway just in front of me and the sky turned all yellow because of the dust! I saw the "column" and it was weard because it wasn't under a cloud...
Notice that Lady Anne hasn't returned...I find it very amusing that she refuses to watch the "cocky" videos and yet takes the time to come to this website and be so self-righteous. Hypocrite much?
Anyway...this is not meant to be in a negative fashion at all, but...OH, THE CRAZYNESS!!! *holds head and weeps, eyes closed* I probably would have had a heart attack if that had been me! Your enthusiasm was already off to a start, huh? ;) I'm just glad you guys made it out safely.
Despite the great danger shown in this vid, it really shows that we all have to start somewhere, no matter what we choose to do in life, and sometimes when we compare our beginnings to our current achievements, it's just insane! xD
Gotta love the crazy guys of tornadovideos.net! Hee.
It's the people who are willing to take risks and stick they're neck on the line who advance human understanding and can educate others about natural hazards such as tornados.
Great work Reed and Joel and thank you for posting this video! Look forward to seeing many more in the future!
I could only wish any of my chases back in the day went this well. I got stuck in the mud under an overpass, last time I have ever stopped under one. Missed the F3 near White Deer that day, because I didnt have any technology, didnt even have a radio in the car. Amazing how the times have changed in just 10 years. Storm chasing is a whole new game now. I have seen people chasing in convertible cars twice now (Miata and a Firebird), thats not including the Geo Tracker, which I still find as the funniest vehicle ever taken on a chase.
Amazing footage!! Without footage like this, we wouldn't get a feel for the amazing force and power of them up close. Just listening to the sound gets the adreniline pumping.
I'm flying out to Oklahoma at the end of the month to go tornado chasing and hope to get some great footage.
Keep up all the good work, it makes you feel like you're actually there with the way you film.
This is my first look at this website. I thought the video was absolutely amazing. I frankly have never heard of these two before today. I live on the east coast so really don't see any videos. But last Spring was the worst. Had one in the area every weekend for about a month. I hope to never see that again.
So far so good this spring. I will put this website on my favorites so I can keep up with them.
My daughter recently moved to Killeen Texas and has had some scares.
Thank you both for your contributions in this field. May God keep you both safe.
Hi guys,
I'm in the fairly safe UK and love watching your videos. Well done for posting this one, it shows people like me how dangerous and violent these things are.
It has been said before but your helping find information out about these amazing things and that could help save lives.
Keep up the good work.
Jo
thank u for appolagising joe.
Awe-some video! I just happened across this site and I am glad I stopped to take a look. You guys are in my del.icio.us now and I will be back. I loved everything about meteorology and tornadoes when I was a little kid and still do. Thanks guys!
WELL ROSE YOU BETTER PREPARE TO SEE SOME
AWSOME TORNADOS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Reed, fantastic footage, had to laugh at how young you look! The wind under the underpass must of been insane.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion about Reed and Joel's style but having chased with them I have to say that I felt very safe in the hands of two very experienced chasers. As for danger, of course there's danger but the adrenaline rush you get from chasing and seeing the power of nature is second to none!
---------------------------------------------------------------
WANTED! Chase Partner for the spring 2008 season onwards, in the Southern Indiana area
(pref. Bloomington(IU)).
Just had a bit of a surprize, I just saw you 2 on the insider, Wow, You 2 are celbs arnt you. :)
PS, Not that it matters, Ignore the fools who come on here and embarace yourself
Reed did you see any other storm chasers like
Jeff petroskey? during the tornado that hit moore.
P.S. I was 2 years old when it hit. every sence the F5
tornado I've liked you. thats how I got into tornadoes.
Watching the footage these guys have shot makes me wish I had pursued my childhood dream of being a meteorologist. I guess there is still time to go back to school and start over.
Reed, I have always wanted to see that video ever since I came upon your web sight. That is incredible video, and it looks just like the EF-5 that hit Greensburg.
That was absolutely crazy in every single way, but yet amazing at the same time. Now that you guys track safer and with more sanity (or at least I would think so) it would be so awesome to join you guys in a chase. Great job:)
When I was young and inexperienced, I did something similar. But the lessons learned on 3 May 1999 taught us all a lesson that will linger forever due to the deaths that occurred at overpasses. They are not safe during a tornado of any strength or size!
Now Reed, while the public service announcement is graphic and excellent, shouldn't you be working on your dissertation research?
WOW. Thank you for sharing that experience.
That was in my neighborhood, not 3 miles from my house where you took that footage. I had always wondered what the perspective from that bridge would have been on that day. I'm thankful you released this video, as I knew many that perished and lost belongings that day. It's a testament to the many lives that changed that day.
Reed Timmer is a homo. He likes boys.
theres a reason why I don't kids should be allowed to use the internet and that would be why. Last poster... I suggest you go see a shrink because you seem to have some real issues there.