Adventures of a real life storm chasing professional

"It costs nothing to dream, and everything not to." (Unknown)

The sky between Johnson and Richfield turned a frightening green. I now accepted there would be no swift escape. The fun of chasing vanished. We were facing the stark reality of our pursuits. Survival was now the issue. To the east lay a landscape of wheat fields flowing like a white-capped ocean. But this route offered no escape, for the fields were lined with only a handful of tractor access roads that would soon turn to thick mud. Behind us, and to the west, was the vivid bolts of lightning, giant hail stones and the oncoming tornado. No shelter anywhere. Our only escape was due south, where the sun smiled pleasantly in the distance." From Warren Faidley's best-selling Storm Chaser.

Reality check

Warren Faidley was the first person to pursue severe weather and natural disasters in full-time capacity, as a journalist, consultant, cinematographer and photographer. He has recently been labeled as "Americas Top Storm Chaser" by the media.

Warren is viewed as an adversary to the recent rash of negative publicity surrounding stormchasing. Most chasers agree that the advent of reality television chasing has misrepresented how the majority of storm chasers carry out their activities. Shows often focus on careless amateurs preforming "stunts" for promotion and YouTube glory, not for any actual scientific or pubic safety purposes. Warren has joined forces with other storm chasing professionals, including researchers and storm spotters to shed light on the growing problem.

All in a day's work

As a fulltime, extreme weather journalist and storm survival expert, Warren has likely experienced more assorted severe weather and natural disaster events than any other individual on the planet. His anecdotes of adventures and deadly encounters could fill volumes. The list includes Hurricane Andrew's 170 MPH, debris filled winds and a very close encounter with an EF5 tornado in Kansas. His resume notes hair-burning firestorms, grapefruit-sized hail escapes, earthquakes and heart-jolting, near-by lightning strikes. There are also those odd and darkly humorous moments: Being chased down the road by pitchfork waiving farmers (long story) and being attacked by a pack of wild dogs while making a roadside pitstop.

One of his favorite "unusual" moments occurred while photographing the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew in Homestead, FL. "I suddenly heard all kinds of sirens and saw helicopters flying over me. I thought I was going to be mistakenly arrested for looting a flattened video store. All at once, a line of 'official' cars stopped and out stepped President (HW) Bush. He walked up to the building and started shaking hands. What timing for a journalist!" (See picture left).

Outwitting Mother Nature

One of the unexpected offshoots of Warren's long and arduous career has been from hands-on knowledge gained during his experiences with severe weather and natural disasters. "There are so many things you can only learn in the field. Foul weather and natural calamities are dynamic and ever changing. The 'normal survival rules' do not always apply. You have to alter the plan as things develop. You need to be flexible, think quickly and calculate the physics while keeping track of time."

His experiences have made Warren a highly sought-after severe weather and natural disaster expert and consultant. You have likely seen Warren on news programs like CBS's Early Show, The BBC, The O'Reilly Factor, CNN and Fox "Breaking" News reporting on severe weather and discussing his adventures.

A career ignited by curiosity

Warren's amazing career began as a toddler in Tucson, AZ where he developed a "strong fascination with scary weather."

At age 12 his curiosities nearly killed him after he was swept away by a flash flood. After recovering from the near drowning -- he moved on to dryer pursuits, like riding his bicycle into the heart of dust devils. (Small, tornado-like desert whirlwinds). "Another game I would play involved purposely leaving a valuable item in the desert, a mile or so way from the house. As the afternoon monsoon thunderstorms would approach, I would wait until the last moment to go and rescue the item. I would rip across the desert on my bike, gab the item, then race back like a wild child to see if I could beat the dust, rain and lightning. One time, a lighting bolt hit a tree across from me and I wiped out, knocking my wind out. I thought I had been hit. At one point, my exploits became so outrageous, some moms forbade their children from playing with that 'Faidley kid.' I would care less, I was hooked on scary weather."

While working as a photojournalist for the Tucson Citizen, Warren conducted his first tornado chase in 1987. His premier Tornado Alley expedition landed him in Saragosa, TX, a small farming community that had been swept away by a violent tornado. "Many children were killed in that tragedy. It has never left me. It was humbling, and a catalyst for teaching others about severe weather safety.

After graduating from the University of Arizona, Warren worked for various magazines, wire services and newspapers. His 'professional' storm chasing career was launched in the March of 1989 after Life Magazine published an amazing photograph he took of lightning hitting a light pole in an oil and gasoline tank farm in Tucson, AZ. (Picture upper right top). The shot nearly cost him his life. The magazine also billed him as a "Storm Chaser." Following the publication, people were calling him from around the world looking for storm and weather pictures. "I really hit the jackpot. No other professional photographer was specializing in storms and weather. There was an instant market. Thus, my photography agency Weatherstock Inc. was born and I never stopped chasing.

Atmospheric Bounty Hunter®

Warren was the first cinematographer ever to capture a tornado on 35mm motion picture film. (McLean, Texas, June 1997). He was the initial character study and consultant for the motion picture Twister. In 2005 Warren rode out hurricane Katrina along the Gulf Coast. "Yet another 'humbling experience,' he says.

In the late 1990's Warren designed and built the world's first "Fortified Storm Intercept Vehicle." (Since called TIV's). The "Archangel" was a SUV designed to intercept and film severe weather and tornadoes with protection from hail and minor debris. (No vehicle can actually survive a violent tornado).

Warren is always seeking new vehicle sponsors. Contact his office here.

Roll the credits.......

Warren has been featured in countless television specials including National Geographic Explorer, The BBC, The O'Reilly Factor and The Weather Channel. He was recently featured on Discovery Channel 's HD Theater His images and footage have been used by diversified clientele including Paul McCartney, NASA, MTV, The New York Times, MTV, The NFL, Sheryl Crow, Life and Time Magazines, NASCAR and USA Today. He is an international lecturer. Warren's popularity is best illustrated on the Internet. His popular website, stormchaser.com has had over 16.5 million visits since 1995. His YouTube video clips top 2.3 million views and a combined Google and Yahoo search engine reveals an average of over 100,000 results.

Warren is the founder and Chairman of the Storm Angel^TM Foundation, an organization devoted to educating and assisting children who are victims of severe weather. He has received numerous awards for his photography, journalism, educational and public service contributions, including certificates from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and a William Randolph Hearst Foundation Journalism Award. He has written two books and collaborated on over 50 literary projects, including many magazine articles and children's books. Warren is an EMT-B and a pilot.