Carl Young (storm chaser)
Carl Young | |
|---|---|
 Young in 2009 | |
| Born | Carl Richard Young May 14, 1968 Oakland, California, U.S. |
| Died | May 31, 2013 (aged 45) |
| Cause of death | Tornado incident |
| Known for | Tornado field research |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Engineering, meteorology |
Carl Richard Young (May 14, 1968 – May 31, 2013)[1][2] was an American meteorologist and storm chaser who worked with the TWISTEX research team. He was one of the first storm chasers in the United States to die during a tornado; he was killed during the 2013 El Reno tornado, along side Tim Samaras.
Life
[edit]Young was born in Oakland, California on May 14, 1968. He graduated from Carmel High School and received a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley in the field of economics.[3][1] Young also received a master's degree in atmospheric science at the University of Nevada, Reno.[4] He began storm chasing in 2000 following work on Hollywood film sets.[5] At ChaserCon in 2002, Young met Tim Samaras; the pair would go on several storm chases together, seeing a total of over 125 tornadoes.[5][6] In 2012, Young helped film the documentary series Storm Chasers, which aired on the Discovery Channel.[7] In early 2013, Young promised to Dalia Terleckaite, who was his girlfriend at the time, that he would cease chasing, although Young continued to chase storms.[8] Prior to his death, Young also helped write Monthly Weather Review publications with the TWISTEX team.[9]
El Reno tornado and death
[edit]In the spring of 2013, TWISTEX was conducting lightning research (including with a high-speed camera) when active tornadic periods ensued in mid to late May. Young drove a Chevorlet Cobalt to the Oklahoma City area along with Tim and Paul Samaras.[10][11]
At 6:23 p.m. on May 31, 2013, all three members of the group were killed by a violent tornado with wind speeds estimated to have been in excess of 295 mph (475 km/h) near the Regional Airport of El Reno, Oklahoma.[12] The TWISTEX vehicle was struck and thrown by a subvortex, which generate the highest winds; some of these were moving at 175 mph (282 km/h) within the parent tornado.[13] Shortly before they were killed, Young noted how there was no rain around the vehicle as the wind grew "eerily calm". Tim Samaras responded: "Actually, I think we're in a bad spot."[14]
The tornado was sampled by University of Oklahoma RaXPol radar as 2.6 miles (4.2 km) wide, the widest tornado ever recorded.[15] The true size of the multiple-vortex tornado confused onlookers by its mammoth proportions containing orbiting subvortices larger than average tornadoes and its expansive transparent to translucent outer circulation. The strong inflow and outer-circulation winds in conjunction with rocky roads and a relatively underpowered vehicle also hampered driving away from the tornado. The tornado simultaneously took an unexpected sharp turn, closing on their position as it rapidly accelerated within a few minutes from about 20 mph (32 km/h) to as much as 60 mph (97 km/h) in forward movement and swiftly expanded from about 1 mile (1.6 km) to 2.6 miles (4.2 km) wide in about 30 seconds, and was mostly obscured in heavy precipitation,[12] all of which combined so that several other chasers were also hit or had near misses.[16] It was the first known instance of a storm chaser or a meteorologist killed by a tornado.[17] Young's body was found 0.5 miles (0.80 km) miles away from the vehicle.[18]
Even before it was known that Young and the two other passengers had been killed, the event led many to question storm-chasing tactics, particularly in close proximity to tornadoes.[20] In addition to the three TWISTEX members, the tornado killed five other people, including local resident Richard Charles Henderson, who had decided to follow the storm.[21]
Atmospheric scientists and storm chasers embarked on a major project to gather information and analyze what happened regarding chaser actions and meteorological occurrences.[22] A makeshift memorial was established at the site soon after the incident[23] and a crowdfunded permanent memorial, spearheaded by Doug Gerten, the deputy who first found the vehicle wreckage,[24] was later established, although it was vandalized in late March 2016, with the monument struck by bullets and the American flag cut away from the flagpole.[25][26]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "Carl Richard Young". Scioto County Storm Chaser Center. Archived from the original on October 3, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
- ^ Hargrove, Brantley. "Into the Vortex: Chasing the Mystery Behind Superstorms". Wired. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
- ^ "Carmel High grad dies while chasing Oklahoma tornadoes". KSBW. June 4, 2013. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
- ^ "Obituary: Carl Richard Young". Tahoe Daily Tribune. June 6, 2013. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
- ^ a b "S. Tahoe storm chaser dies in Oklahoma - Lake Tahoe News". Lake Tahoe News. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
- ^ "Tim Samaras Dead: Oklahoma Tornado Kills Storm Chaser, Son Paul Samaras, and Chase Partner Carl Young | Weather.com". The Weather Channel. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
- ^ "Tornado kills 'Storm Chasers Carl Young, Tim and Paul Samaras". Los Angeles Times. June 2, 2013. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
- ^ "The Last Chase". National Geographic. March 1, 2025. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
- ^ Hargrove, Brantley. "The Dark Wall: Legendary tornado chaser Tim Samaras' last ride". Riverfront Times. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
- ^ "Five Years after El Reno, "The Man Who Caught the Storm" Is a Stunner". Weather Underground. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
- ^ Hargrove, Brantley. "Academic Postmortem of Tornado that Killed Tim Samaras Is Chilling". Dallas Observer. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
- ^ a b "El Reno tornado". Storm Events Database. National Climatic Data Center. 2013. Retrieved October 27, 2013.
- ^ Snyder, Jeff; H. B. Bluestein (2014). "Some Considerations for the Use of High-Resolution Mobile Radar Data in Tornado Intensity Determination". Weather Forecast. 29 (4): 799–827. Bibcode:2014WtFor..29..799S. doi:10.1175/WAF-D-14-00026.1. S2CID 122669043.
- ^ [Inside the Mega Twister (documentary), National Geographic. February 7th, 2014.]
- ^ "Central Oklahoma Tornadoes and Flash Flooding – May 31, 2013". National Weather Service Norman Oklahoma. 2013. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
- ^ Masters, Jeff (June 2, 2013). "Tornado Scientist Tim Samaras and Team Killed in Friday's El Reno, OK Tornado". Weather Underground. Archived from the original on June 3, 2013.
- ^ Livingston, Ian; Ellinwood, Mark (June 3, 2013). "The storm chaser dilemma and choice to sit out the May 31 Oklahoma City tornadoes". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 22, 2014.
- ^ "Final words of screaming father and son killed when tornado launched car half a mile". LADbible. August 11, 2023. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
- ^ "Chasing the Beast: Tim Samaras, Carl Young and Paul Samaras". The Denver Post. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
- ^ Samenow, Jason (June 1, 2013). "The day that should change tornado actions and storm chasing forever". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
- ^ "Tim Samaras Dead: Oklahoma Tornado Kills Storm Chaser, Son Paul Samaras, and Chase Partner Carl Young". The Weather Channel. June 2, 2013. Archived from the original on June 3, 2013. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
- ^ "El Reno Survey – A survey of the tornado of 31 May 2013". El Reno Survey.
- ^ Draper, Robert (May 27, 2014). "Storm Chaser Tim Samaras: One Year After His Death, His Gift Is Unmatched". National Geographic. Archived from the original on May 29, 2014. Retrieved June 1, 2014.
- ^ Konopasek, Michael (May 6, 2014). "Deputy Works To Create Memorial For Samaras Storm Chasing Team". KWTV News 9.
- ^ Keller, Meredith (October 31, 2015). "Twistex Memorial dedicated to 3 killed in El Reno". KOKH. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
- ^ Price, Crystal (April 1, 2016). "Monument for fallen storm chasers vandalized". koco.com.