Note: BEWARE OF POISON IVY. I learned the hard way.
May 2013 was a memorable time in central Oklahoma. May 19 saw an EF5 tornado rip through Moore Oklahoma just south of Oklahoma City. That storm killed 24 people and causing an estimated $2 billion in damages.
Then, just 11 days later, Oklahoma was rocked yet again, this time by the largest tornado in recorded history. (See this page for info on the tornado from the National Weather Service) An EF3 tornado, it was measured at 2.6 miles wide with winds over 200 miles per hour and traveling at up to 50 miles per hour. Eight people were killed, all in vehicles. Three of the dead were storm chasers, meteorologists that drive near severe weather to report on the storms for news and weather services. Storm spotters had been killed before while chasing storms, but in traffic accidents. This was possibly the first time that they were killed by the tornado they were chasing.
The tornado was wrapped in rain, making it very hard for storm spotters to tell where it was and where it was going. The storm also behaved strangely. Most tornado storms track southwest to northeast, but this storm tracked almost due east, and then turned almost due north. Added to the high speed the storm was moving proved deadly, as three storm spotters were overtaken by the storm just as it was reaching it's maximum. The vehicle they were in was lifted, then smashed repeatedly (about 6 times) into the earth, coming to rest at the site of this memorial. The driver was found, still belted into his seat. The two occupants had been sucked out of the vehicle.
The memorial has three parts: the smaller portion on the west (left) side is the actual spot that the Chevy Cobalt was found. It is marked by three crosses and a small concrete marker. Many visitors have put mementos on the ground in front of the marker.
The larger part is two granite markers on a concrete base. The larger marker has memorials to the three storm spotters. The smaller monument tell of the research project the spotters developed and were working on at the time of their deaths.
large granite
Paul Timothy Samaras - NOV 12, 1988
Timothy Michael Samaras - NOV 12, 1957
Carl Richard Young - MAY 14, 1968
MAY 31, 2013
PAUL
Paul grew up in Lakewood, Colorado where he developed a passion for the outdoors and a variety of sports. He was best described as a deep thinker who had a keen eye for natural beauty. These gifts inspired a path toward photography, through which he honed his artistic talent, capturing the world in unique and breathtaking ways. Paul also acquired a degree in animation from Animation Mentor, specializing in motion graphics and visual effects. He put these skills to great use when he teamed up with his father, Tim, to become a videographer for TWISTEX. Paul's images of severe weather and nature are spectacular, rivaling some of the best weather photography of all time. Aside from his work, Paul was a gentle spirit who loved all living creatures - especially cats - and cherished his family and friends. Paul's kindness and sensitivity will be sorely missed.
TIM
Tim became interested in weather at a very young age, and spent his early years learning all he could about the weather. He was also interested in electronics, and he taught himself how to engineer instruments. This led to a 35-year career as an electronics engineer, during which he designed equipment and worked with explosives - which he accomplished without ever attending college. With his strong engineering experiences, Tim decided to merge his passions by inventing electronic devices to study severe weather. Two of his most successful designs were the "turtle" probe and the "Big Kahuna"; the former acquired valuable data within tornadoes, and the latter was designed to capture lightning at 1 million frames per second. Tim holds the Guinness World Record for measuring the lowest pressure drop inside a tornado (over 100 mb). In 2006, Tim partnered with a group called ANSWERS, which led to the formation of TWISTEX in 2007. Tim will be remembered for his stunning ingenuity, passion, and above all, humility.
CARL
Carl was raised in South Lake Tahoe and Carmel Valley, California. Carl obtained an Economics Degree fro University of California, Berkley. Carl's passion for the outdoors and weather led to a Master's Degree from the University of Nevada (Reno) Desert Research Institute in Atmospheric Sciences. Carl was Program Director at the League to Save Lake Tahoe and taught extreme weather and geology at Lake Tahoe Community College. Carl enjoyed hiking, water skiing, Italian westerns, Depeche Mode concerts, kayaking, dancing, videography, photography, music and was a world traveler. In 2000, Carl's curiosity about storm chasing started a 13-year quest, which resulted in a friendship with Tim Samaras in 2001. During the time with TWISTEX, Carl alternated duties between chase vehicle driver and navigator as the on board meteorologist. His pleasant, outgoing personality and warm smile will never be forgotten.
small granite
The idea for TWISTEX started in 2004 when Tim Samaras met Cathy Finley of a project called ANSWERS. In 2006, the two research groups joined efforts and was officially called TWISTEX (Tactical Weather-Instrumental Sampling in/near Tornadoes Experiment) in 2007. TWISTEX successfully collected and analyzed data near and within tornadoes in an effort to gain scientific understanding of why/how tornadoes form.