“Twister,” perhaps the collective favorite film of the New York jalops, has a shiny new sequel out. One of its protagonists, a loudmouthed storm-chasing YouTuber named Tyler Owens (Glen Powell), is modeled off a real world chaser: Reed Timmer, a man who will apparently — if you ask nicely enough — bring a journalist along for the ride.
Back in May, Timmer brought Natalie Ivis and David Gelles from the New York Times along for an intercept, showing the two exactly what it’s like to drive up to — and inside — a tornado. Gelles’ writing, bouncing between in-the-moment excitement and Timmer’s history, captures just how exciting the world of storm chasing is:
As the day went on, Timmer drove through the Chickasaw Nation reservation and across the border into Texas. The sky darkened as bands of thunderstorms began rolling in from the west. Watching the radar, he zigzagged past cattle ranches and oil wells, trying to stay ahead of the weather. Just southwest of Wichita Falls, he sped through a downpour and a hailstorm, phenomena that often precede and follow tornadoes.
Then, as he barreled down a dirt road in Windthorst, population 342, it appeared. A towering, cylindrical vortex known as a mesocyclone was rotating before him. Small fingers of swirling wind began to descend from the cloud wall. Debris was lofted into the air. “It’s on the ground!” he hollered. “Big time tornado! Here it comes!”
Timmer came to a stop and rolled up the windows, just before a cloud of dust enveloped the vehicle. He was now inside the tornado.
But nothing compares to Ivis’ photos and video. Black and white, capturing windswept hair and pouring hail in harsh chiaroscuro, tornadoes almost shine against the dark sky. They’re truly incredible images to behold.
Give the full piece a read over at the New York Times, even if you just scroll through the images. Seeing tornadoes from up close, from below, still feels so powerful. Someone please take me storm chasing.