Reed Timmer Bio
Reed Timmer is an American meteorologist as well as a self-described “extreme” storm chaser. He starred on Discovery Channel’s reality television series Storm Chasers. Moreover, he previously starred in the documentary film Tornado Glory. He also appeared in TV series Tornado Chasers after the cancellation of the Discovery Channel show.
Reed Timmer Age
Reed was born on March 17, 1980, and is currently 39 years old as of 2019.
Reed Timmer Early Life
Timmer was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.A. He was born to a teacher mother Gracie Timmer and his father Dave Timmer, a small shop owner. Although the family was small and so were the income, they still had a good life. Reed is an American citizen by birth and follows Christianity as his religion. He belongs to white ethnicity.
Timmer had a keen interest in the change in weather and was very fascinated by storms. He was studying in his school days, when once a huge storm came by and dropped a big snowball out front his house, in the garden. After graduating from school, Reed had to work for some time, and he chose to work for a radio company. He was especially focused on the news feed they gave. Then Timmer thought about studying meteorology and was enrolled in the University of Oklahoma, in the year 1997.
Reed Timmer Photo
Reed Timmer Career
Timmer previously was a storm chaser for KFOR-TV’s 4WARN Storm Team, with his SRV Dominator 2 as 4WARN Dominator 4. Timmer graduated with his Ph.D. in Meteorology from the OU in the spring of 2015. He now works as a meteorologist for AccuWeather.
Storm Chasing Vehicles
Reed has designed several Chase vehicles and named each of them “The Dominator”.
Dominator 1
The dominator 1 was modified from a 2007 Chevrolet that was used during the 2008 storm chasing season and later debuted in the chase season 2009.
Dominator 2
Reed and other members of TVN purchased a 2011 GMC Yukon XL, which would be the base vehicle for a second dominator vehicle.
Dominator 3
A third Dominator vehicle was completed in late April 2013. This vehicle, named Dominator 3, began life as a Ford F-350 crew-cab pickup but features a 16-gauge body strengthened with a polyethylene Kevlar composite, thick Lexan windows, and gullwing doors to repel hail. When storms approach, special hydraulic systems lower the vehicle to the ground to prevent wind from getting underneath and drive spikes 8 inches into the ground to secure it.
Reed Timmer Storm Chasers
Reed started his own web series called Tornado Chasers on his website TVNWeather.com, starting it with fellow members of his TVN Team. He has created 2 seasons so far: a 2012 season, and a 2013 season, He is unsure whether the series will return at all.
Season 1
The season consisted of 12 episodes. In one episode reed and his team ended up having the windows of their SUV shattered by large hail. It can be seen in episode 12 of the season.
Season 2
Season 2 had far more tornadoes and footage than season 1, the most notable tornado being the May 31st, 2013 El Reno tornado, which killed Tim Samaras. The season also shows Timmer getting enrolled in the KFOR 4WARN Storm Chasing team. Joel Taylor also returned for episodes 1 and 2, but after a fall out with Timmer, he decided not to return for the rest of the season. Jim Cantore and Ginger Zee also appear on the show.
Reed Timmer Wife
Timmer is married to “Maria Molina” a meteorologist who previously worked for Fox News Channel. The duo tied the knot in 2015. Although the duo is already married, they do not have children from their marital relationship. Further, none of them have mentioned the plans of welcoming kids to their families. He previously dated “Ginger Zee” of ABC’s Good Morning America, a former Emmy-winning weathercaster for NBC 5 in Chicago.
Reed Timmer Net Worth
As of 2019, the net worth of Timmer is estimated to be around $250 thousand.
Reed Timmer Instagram
Reed Timmer Twitter
Reed Timmer Interview
“Interview With Capital Weather Gang”
Capital Weather Gang (CWG): What training did you need to become a storm chaser?
Reed Timmer: Well a love and passion for weather is first and foremost. I’ve also been studying meteorology my entire life and I’m close to completing my Ph.D. at the University of Oklahoma. To become a great storm chaser you really can’t go wrong with some extensive study in the field.
CWG: What websites or tools do you use to pinpoint potential storm/tornadoes?
Timmer: Twisterdata.com is an awesome resource!
CWG: I want a storm chasing experience. How do I do it and do it safely?
Timmer: Actually you can come on one of our Extreme Tornado Tours! Check out the website. That way you can come storm chasing with us – safely!
CWG: What are some of the key questions about tornadoes that chasing investigations can help answer?
Timmer: Besides our love for weather, we ultimately want to save lives. The data we are collecting will hopefully allow engineers to construct more sound structures to prevent massive damage and we hope to create an effective warning system which will warn residents if a tornado is about to hit their area.
CWG: Can you comment on the VORTEX 2 project? I know your team wasn’t involved but you definitely have some insight to the personalities on the team. In your opinion, was the VORTEX 2 project a successfully run operation?
Timmer: VORTEX 2 has a large group of people so when there are that many individuals coordination is going to be your biggest challenge. An example of that is on May 22 which was a perfect opportunity for chasing that wasn’t capitalized on. The funding for supreme storm chasing is certainly there. Hopefully there will be a bit more success on their end at some point soon.
CWG: Also, can you comment on the “Chaser Convergence” issue that took place in Oklahoma in late May. In general, there was a lot of controversy surrounding bad driving behaviors (including the Discovery crew) that prevented the researchers from getting into position. What’s your take on all this?
Timmer: I was in Mississippi at that time so I actually wasn’t there. Team TVN was getting the radar and cannons upgraded for the Dominator [the team’s storm chase vehicle]. Generally when Team TVN chases there isn’t a crowd and scenarios like chaser convergence doesn’t happen.
CWG: What can we look forward to in Storm Chasers 4th season, and why should we watch?
Timmer: This season is our best yet. … [W]e saw more storms than any other year. The drama between the teams is just as intense as the storms we see out in the field. Episode one shows us the first on the scene at Yazoo City, Mississippi where the damage was so extreme and the entire area was completely devastated. We were the ones that actually called in the report to emergency services in order to alert the area that a major storm was on its way.