Carl Young (storm chaser)
American meteorologist (1968–2013)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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, alongside Tim Samaras and Paul Samaras.
May 14, 1968
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, ejected from the car |
| Known for | Tornado field research |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Engineering, meteorology |
Life
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
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 Chevrolet Cobalt to the Oklahoma City area along with Tim and Paul Samaras.[10][11]
At 6:23 p.m. on May 31, 2013, 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]