T.W.I.S.T.EX El Reno Memorial — Attraction in El Reno

This is a beautiful memorial and I'm very glad that they are able to have these plaques placed where their unfortunate death happened. Tim was a genius and very cautious about getting too close to a storm, but the unfortunate part is they weren't driving their normal vehicle, they were in a small compact car that was extremely small that couldn't even get out of its own way, let alone a tornado, plus the tornado switched directions which is what put them in a bad situation, if I remember correctly they were following Reed and he warned them that it indeed switched and was telling them to hurry up, but they were going as fast as the car would go, Reed unfortunately looked behind him and saw the car disappear, a few miles up the road he pulled over when he was in a safe area to wait for Tim, Carl and Tim's son, sadly it never showed up, naturally he thought he turned around or found another road (hoping for the best), but got a call I think from Tim's follower/photographer and got the horrible news.

RIP to team and families. I can't believe it's been 10 years already. How time flies. Tim was and still is a legend.

Storm chasers like these help the national storm center and storm prediction center (SPC) predict storms faster by deploying their weather readers in the path of the storm, or like Reed did and put the same instruments on his vehicles and parked in the storms path, which is easier since he can move it a lot easier versus those pods, course you put yourself in harms way which is why he's spent well over half a million up to even a million just on the vehicle itself. It even has spikes that'll insert itself into the ground (asphalt only) to remove any air from going underneath the vehicle to keep it from flipping over, at least as easily, nothing is fool-proof and if the wind is strong enough EF-3+ is strong enough to possibly push it over, and how everyone knows, once that happens it'll keep flipping and then it's up to the built in roll cage to keep them safe.

If I remember correctly, the weather channel was here as well chasing it doing ride alongs and they got caught in a tornado and demolished their vehicle but they all came out with minor or minor-ish injuries, that huge storm took a few lives other than the twistex team, not to mention a lot of vehicles, just goes to show even tornadoes can switch directions even if you wouldn't think so. (Most don't, but this unfortunately was one), at least here in Oklahoma they usually flow from the southwest to the northeast, or at least west to east.

I enjoy chasing storms as much as anyone, but I keep in the back of my head this particular storm, irregular as it is, doesn't mean it won't happen again, especially with how much the earth has warmed up in the last 10 years, no matter what anyone else says that's just a conspiracy theory, it's true. And it's backed up with science.

Anyone chasing storms, especially amateur chasers, be very careful getting too close to the center of a storm. ESPECIALLY if it's...

As I turned off 81 from a long weekend trip to Texas and going back to Kansas I tried to recognize landmarks from the videos I've watched over and over from that day in May. I'd been home sick that day from work and of course my television is always on something weather related. Hubby was former weather guy in the Air Force and me, a photographer with interest in weather. 😁 Pretty passionate about it after watching Reed and Tim for years! Ive quietly chased in Kansas with only calls to report for my area and photos. The El Reno tornado was definitely one for the books even as I say from home watching from beginning to end. I'll never forget Tims words about it being a very volatile day for pretty severe weather. In a weird way for those who don't understand, it was a very exciting day with anticipation. As I watched this storm forming, it just looked like a carousel of vortexes dancing around the mother tornado. It looked evil. I'd never seen anything like it. I've captured vortexes before and even stood along side a couple of guys that were out looking over Ft. Riley the day we had bad weather and one whipped right in front of us as if to blow a little wind in our faces. Was the neatest thing but to close for comfort when we realized they just do what they want sometimes. And that's exactly what happened to these amazing guys. When I finally got to the memorial site, it was cool from this cold front that moved through. A cold breeze but the sun shining on their faces as I looked at each one. I looked at all the things left behind from folks who wanted to honor them. I had nothing other than a peace of paper to say they still inspire me to this day and three pennies. I looked over the field and it's trees looking for those tale tale signs that a tornado ripped through there. I did see the field next to it and some trees. Oddly it seemed untouched but very peaceful. Yesterday it became more real for me after going there. I prayed for those who felt that loss right away. I prayed for Tim's wife who lost both her men. I could only understand the loss from a mom's point of view. My son was 19. I left a piece of my heart there but brought back more determination to continue to help my community by spotting and reporting. Chasing strong! Prayers for all.

Bobbie...

Twistex was not just a storm chasing team — they were true pioneers who dedicated their lives to science, safety, and the pursuit of understanding nature’s most powerful forces. Led by the legendary Tim Samaras, alongside Paul Samaras and Carl Young, they faced danger not for fame, but for knowledge and to help save lives. Their bravery, intelligence, and compassion changed the world of meteorology forever. Every time a tornado forms and researchers work to understand it, the spirit of Twistex lives on. They taught us that curiosity and courage can coexist — that even in the heart of the storm, there’s beauty in discovery. Rest in peace, Tim, Paul, and Carl. Your legacy will never fade, and Twistex will always be remembered as heroes of science...