History Series / StormChasers

* '''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joshua_Wurman Dr. Josh Wurman]]:''' A giant of tornado science, Josh was the first man ever to mount a Doppler radar on the back of a truck to study tornadoes. He's the chasing partner of Sean Casey in the first two seasons, but is OutOfFocus in later seasons due to heading up the [=VORTEX2=] project for the US government.

* TheAllegedCar: Both [=TIVs=] have a lot of technical difficulties. [=TIV1=] is built on a used Ford F-450 dualie and is just old and worn-out: it's put in the shop by a bearing failure in season 1, and by the beginning of season 3 it's a rustbucket. [=TIV2=] is new and custom-built, and has a bunch of teething problems that lead to it spending a whole extra year in the shop after breaking an axle and then losing two wheels off the rear axle in separate incidents, ''then'' busts a sway-bar almost immediately after he gets it back.

* DontTryThisAtHome: Each episode starts with a disclaimer stating that the teams are all trained storm chasers and what they do shouldn't be attempted at home. Josh also once says it to the cameraman.

* RealLifeWritesThePlot: It need hardly be said that Mother Nature isn't exactly interested in helping a documentary reality show: large parts of the series consist of the various teams aimlessly driving back and forth across the plains, failing to intercept tornadoes, or worse, [[SceneryGorn looking on in horror as they wipe entire towns off the map]].

An American documentary RealityTV series on Creator/DiscoveryChannel that follows several teams of storm chasers throughout the Midwestern United States. The show debuted in October, 2007 and was cancelled in January 2012.

!!Provides:

* DontTryThisAtHome: Each episode starts with a disclaimer stating that the teams are all trained storm chasers and what they do shouldn't be attempted at home.

!!Tropes:

* CoolCar: A large number of them, including but not limited to the Tornado Intercept Vehicles (TIV and [=TIV2=]), the Dominator, the Doppler On Wheels (DOW) trucks, etc.

* DeathFromAbove: Tornadoes, lightning, and hail produced by supercell storms.
* DoNotTouchTheFunnelCloud: Averted as they have vehicles specifically designed to go into them (the TIV, the [=TIV2=], and the Dominator)
** Subverted on a couple of occasions with the Dominator, as it's not intended to go into the strongest tornadoes. One time a window was blown out (see Eye Scream below) and another time the vehicle was shifted sideways several feet.

* DontTryThisAtHome: Each episode starts with this disclaimer.

* EmergencyBroadcast: Given the subject matter, it's inevitable that you'd hear one of these at some point.

* HeroicBSOD: Sean Casey came close to this; the devastation he witnessed during season 5 made him question his desire to continue chasing. A pep talk from his wife set him straight, however.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Reed Timmer. The series frequently shows him to be overbearing, abrasive, needlessly argumentative, and spastic, with the crowning moment being when he kicked driver Joel Taylor out of the Dominator 2 on a Nebraska interstate and left him stranded after a serious disagreement over whether or not they should have chased a storm. That being said, he will drop everything to pitch in and help tornado victims when they come across devastated towns, and is genuinely sympathetic to the victims.

* OhCrap: Frequently in both clean oh crap and less air-able for prime-time TV obscenity versions like when the above happen and when chasing tornadoes mostly when rain-wrapped (heavy rainfall bands obscuring visibility) tornadoes suddenly pop into view at distances less than acceptable for safety.

* SeriesGoal: IMAX filmmaker Sean Casey commissioned the [=TIVs=] in order to get inside a tornado for the purposes of capturing footage for his MagnumOpus that will also provide financial security for his family. For season 5, he's filming in 3D for a new movie. Accomplished in the IMAX documentary ''Tornado Alley'' which is essentially TheMovie.

** Played tragically straight a year after the show's cancellation when TWISTEX team leader Tim Samaras, his son Paul, and fellow chaser Carl Young were killed by an [=EF3=] tornado near El Reno, Oklahoma on May 31, 2013. [[note]]The tornado was originally rated an [=EF3=] before being upgraded to an [=EF5=] primarily due to a DOW wind speed estimate of 296 mph. However, this rating was later controversially downgraded back to an [=EF3=] when damage surveys (which determine all tornado ratings) failed to find evidence of [=EF5=] or [=EF4=] damage. Although many in the storm chasing and scientific communities dispute its accuracy, the tornado's [=EF3=] rating remains official. Regardless, the tornado is still widely and erroneously reported in many places to be an officially-rated [=EF5=].

** Played tragically straight a year after the show's cancellation when TWISTEX team leader Tim Samaras, his son Paul, and fellow chaser Carl Young were killed by an [=EF3=] tornado near El Reno, Oklahoma on May 31, 2013. [[note]]The tornado was originally rated an [=EF3=] before being upgraded to an [=EF5=] primarily due to a DOW wind speed estimate of 296 mph. However, this rating was later controversially downgraded back to an [=EF3=] when damage surveys (which determine all tornado ratings) failed to find evidence of [=EF5=] or [=EF4=] damage. Although many in the storm chasing and scientific communities dispute its accuracy, the tornado's [=EF3=] rating remains official. Regardless, the tornado is still widely and erroneously reported in many places to be an officially-rated [=EF5=].[[/note]] (This is the same tornado as the above-mentioned one that tore the Dominator's hood off.)

** Subverted on a couple of occasions with the Dominator, as it's not intended to go into the strongest tornadoes. One time a window was blown out (see Eye Scream below) and another time the vehicle was shifted sideways several feet. In 2013 one storm in Oklahoma tore the Dominator's hood completely off.

* RealSongThemeTune: The show used Music/BonJovi's "Blaze of Glory" with seasons three and four.

* SeriesGoal: IMAX filmmaker Sean Casey commissioned the [=TIVs=] in order to get inside a tornado for the purposes of capturing footage for his MagnumOpus that will also provide financial security for his family. For season 5, he's filming in 3D for a new movie.
** Accomplished in the IMAX documentary ''Tornado Alley'' which is essentially TheMovie.

* HeroicBSOD: Sean Casey comes close to this; the devastation he witnessed during season 5 making him question his desire to continue chasing. A pep talk from his wife sets him straight, however.
* InMediasRes: The first episode of season 4 (the 2010 chase season) starts off in the immediate aftermath of the tornado that destroyed Yazoo City, Mississippi, on April 24, 2010, before moving back to a few days earlier. The ''entire'' first episode of season 5 (the 2011 chase season) covers the devastating tornado outbreak that tore through Mississippi and Alabama on April 27, 2011, with the next couple of episodes showcasing events that took place before then.
* {{Jerkass}}[=/=]JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Reed Timmer. The series frequently shows him to be overbearing, abrasive, needlessly argumentative, and spastic, with the crowning moment being when he kicked driver Joel Taylor out of the Dominator 2 on a Nebraska interstate and left him stranded after a serious disagreement over whether or not they should have chased a storm. That being said, he will drop everything to pitch in and help tornado victims when they come across devastated towns, and is genuinely sympathetic to the victims.

** Matt Hughes, a member of the TIV 2 team, finally achieves his goal of getting inside a tornado, only for the viewers to find out that, according to the show, he was fatally injured in an "accident unrelated to chasing" a few days after the episode was filmed. He actually committed suicide.

** Played tragically straight a year after the show's cancellation when TWISTEX team leader Tim Samaras, his son Paul, and fellow chaser Carl Young were killed by an [=EF3=] tornado near El Reno, Oklahoma on May 31, 2013. [[note]]The tornado was originally rated an [=EF5=] primarily due to a DOW wind speed estimate of 296 mph, however, this rating was later controversially downgraded to an [=EF3=] when damage surveys (which determine all tornado ratings) failed to find evidence of [=EF5=] or [=EF4=] damage. Although many in the storm chasing and scientific communities dispute its accuracy, the tornado's [=EF3=] rating remains official. Regardless, the tornado is still widely and erroneously reported in many places to be an officially-rated [=EF5=].[[/note]]

An American documentary RealityTV series on DiscoveryChannel that follows several teams of storm chasers throughout the Midwestern United States. The show debuted in October, 2007 and was cancelled in January 2012.

** Played tragically straight a year after the show's cancellation when TWISTEX team leader Tim Samaras, his son Paul, and fellow chaser Carl Young were killed by an [=EF3=] tornado near El Reno, Oklahoma on May 31, 2013. [[note]]The tornado was originally rated an [=EF5=] primarily due to a DOW wind speed estimate of 296 mph, however, this rating was later controversially downgraded to an [=EF3=] when damage surveys (which determine all tornado ratings) failed to find evidence of [=EF5=] or [=EF4=] damage. Although many in the storm chasing and scientific communities dispute its accuracy, the tornado's rating remains an [=EF3=]. Regardless, the tornado is still widely and erroneously reported in many places to be an officially-rated [=EF5=].[[/note]]

** Played tragically straight a year after the show's cancellation when TWISTEX team leader Tim Samaras, his son Paul, and fellow chaser Carl Young were killed by an [=EF3=] tornado near El Reno, Oklahoma on May 31, 2013. [[note]]The tornado was originally rated an [=EF5=] primarily due to a DOW wind speed estimate of 296 mph, however, this rating was later controversially downgraded to an [=EF3=] when damage surveys (which determine all tornado ratings) failed to find evidence of [=EF5=] or [=EF4=] damage. Although many in the storm chasing and scientific communities dispute its accuracy, the tornado's rating remains an [=EF3=]. Regardless, the tornado is still widely and erroneously reported in many places to be an [=EF5=].[[/note]]

** Played tragically straight a year after the show's cancellation when TWISTEX team leader Tim Samaras, his son Paul, and fellow chaser Carl Young were killed by an [=EF3=] tornado near El Reno, Oklahoma on May 31, 2013. [[note]]The tornado was originally rated an [=EF5=] primarily due to a DOW wind speed estimate of 296 mph, however, this rating was later controversially downgraded to an [=EF3=] when damage surveys (which determine all tornado ratings) failed to find evidence of [=EF5=] or [=EF4=] damage. Although many in the storm chasing and scientific communities dispute its accuracy, the tornado's rating remains [=EF3=]. Regardless, the tornado is still widely and erroneously reported in many places to be an [=EF5=].[[/note]]

** Played tragically straight a year after the show's cancellation when TWISTEX team leader Tim Samaras, his son Paul, and fellow chaser Carl Young were killed by an [=EF3=] tornado near El Reno, Oklahoma on May 31, 2013. [[note]]The tornado was originally rated an [=EF5=] primarily due to a DOW wind speed estimate of 296 mph, however, this rating was later controversially downgraded to an [=EF3=] when damage surveys (which determine all tornado ratings) failed to find evidence of [=EF5=] or [=EF4=] damage. Although many dispute its accuracy, the tornado's rating remains [=EF3=]. Regardless, the tornado is still widely and erroneously reported in many places to be an [=EF5=].[[/note]]

** Played tragically straight a year after the show's cancellation when TWISTEX team leader Tim Samaras, his son Paul, and fellow chaser Carl Young were killed by an [=EF3=] tornado near El Reno, Oklahoma on May 31, 2013. [[note]]The tornado was originally rated an [=EF5=] primarily due to a DOW (Doppler On Wheels) wind speed estimate of 296 mph, however, this rating was later controversially downgraded to an [=EF3=] when damage surveys (which determine all tornado ratings) failed to find evidence of [=EF5=] or [=EF4=] damage. Although many dispute its accuracy, the tornado's rating remains [=EF3=]. Regardless, the tornado is still widely and erroneously reported in many places to be an [=EF5=].[[/note]]

** Played tragically straight a year after the show's cancellation when TWISTEX team leader Tim Samaras, his son Paul, and fellow chaser Carl Young were killed by an [=EF3=] tornado near El Reno, Oklahoma on May 31, 2013. [[note]]The tornado was originally rated an [=EF5=] due to a DOW (Doppler On Wheels) wind speed estimate of 296 mph, however, this rating was later controversially downgraded to an [=EF3=] when damage surveys (which determine all tornado ratings) failed to find evidence of [=EF5=] or [=EF4=] damage. Although many dispute its accuracy, the tornado's rating remains [=EF3=]. Regardless, the tornado is still widely and erroneously reported in many places to be an [=EF5=].[[/note]]

** Played tragically straight a year after the show's cancellation when TWISTEX team leader Tim Samaras, his son Paul, and fellow chaser Carl Young were killed by an [=EF3=] tornado near El Reno, Oklahoma on May 31, 2013.
*** The tornado was originally rated an [=EF5=] due to a DOW (Doppler On Wheels) wind speed estimate of 296 mph, however, this rating was later controversially downgraded to an [=EF3=] when damage surveys (which determine all tornado ratings) failed to find evidence of [=EF5=] or [=EF4=] damage. Although many dispute its accuracy, the tornado's rating remains [=EF3=]. Regardless, the tornado is still widely and erroneously reported in many places to be an [=EF5=].

** Played tragically straight a year after the show's cancellation when TWISTEX team leader Tim Samaras, his son Paul, and fellow chaser Carl Young were killed by an [=EF5=] tornado near El Reno, Oklahoma on May 31, 2013.

Sadly, TWISTEX team leader Tim Samaras, his son Paul, and fellow chaser Carl Young were killed by a 2.6-mile-wide EF3 tornado near El Reno, Oklahoma on May 31, 2013. A tribute episode was aired on June 5, 2013 in their honor documenting the 2.6-mile width tornado, acting as a touching finale to the series.

Sadly, TWISTEX team leader Tim Samaras, his son Paul, and fellow chaser Carl Young were killed by an [=EF3=] tornado near El Reno, Oklahoma on May 31, 2013, just three days after a mile wide [=EF5=] ravaged the same area. A tribute episode was aired on June 5, 2013 in their honor documenting the 2.6-mile width tornado, acting as a touching finale to the series.

Sadly, TWISTEX team leader Tim Samaras, his son Paul, and fellow chaser Carl Young were killed by an [=EF5=] tornado near El Reno, Oklahoma on May 31, 2013, just three days after a mile wide [=EF5=] ravaged the same area. A tribute episode was aired on June 5, 2013 in their honor documenting the 2.6-mile width tornado, acting as a touching finale to the series.

* OlderIsBetter: Of a sort. [[CoolCar TIV 2]]'s frequent breakdowns and failures forced Sean's team to use the original, less advanced and featured TIV for a season and a half.

* OlderIsBetter: Of a sort. [[CoolCar TIV 2]] kept having frequent breakdowns and failures forcing Sean's team to use the original less advanced and featured TIV for a season and a half because the original TIV kept working when the TIV 2 kept breaking down.
* OminousFog: One episode of season 4 had Team TWISTEX chasing a tornadic storm in South Dakota that was shrouded in a dense fog bank. Several members commented on how the low visibility may be hiding a tornado such that they might not see it until it was too late. When the fog clears, however, they're in for a nasty surprise: the storm had produced ''two'' tornadoes, [[OhCrap one directly ahead of them and one right behind them]].
* OhCrap: frequently in both clean oh crap and less air-able for prime-time TV obscenity versions like when the above happen and when chasing tornadoes mostly when a rain wrapped (heavy rainfall bands obscuring visibility) tornadoes suddenly pop into view at distances less than acceptable for safety.

* TooDumbToLive: Some of the civilians the teams encounter; standing around ''outside'' during severe weather or driving right towards a clearly-visible oncoming tornado even with the teams screaming at them to get to shelter.
* WhamEpisode: Matt Hughes, a member of the TIV 2 team, finally achieves his goal of getting inside a tornado, only for the viewers to find out that, according to the show, he was fatally injured in an "accident unrelated to chasing" a few days after the episode was filmed. He actually committed suicide.
** ''Mile Wide Tornado: Storm Chasers Tribute'' plays this horribly straight- three Storm Chasers died shortly after the tornado hit when their Chevrolet Cobalt was shredded by another tornado. Though the series was cancelled, this could be considered its GrandFinale.

* OhCrap: frequently in both clean oh crap and [[ThisTropeIsBleep less air-able for prime-time TV obscenity versions]] like when the above happen and when chasing tornadoes mostly when a rain wrapped (heavy rainfall bands obscuring visibility) tornadoes suddenly pop into view at distances less than acceptable for safety.

** Played tragically straight a year after the show's cancellation when TWISTEX team leader Tim Sameras, his son Paul, and fellow chaser Carl Young were killed by an [=EF5=] tornado near El Reno, Oklahoma on May 31, 2013.

Sadly, TWISTEX team leader Tim Sameras, his son Paul, and fellow chaser Carl Young were killed by an [=EF5=] tornado near El Reno, Oklahoma on May 31, 2013, just three days after a mile wide [=EF5=] ravaged the same area. A tribute episode was aired on June 5, 2013 in their honor documenting the 2.6-mile width tornado, acting as a touching finale to the series.

* {{Jerkass}} / JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Reed Timmer. The series frequently shows him to be overbearing, abrasive, needlessly argumentative, and spastic, with the crowning moment being when he kicked driver Joel Taylor out of the Dominator 2 on a Nebraska interstate and left him stranded after a serious disagreement over whether or not they should have chased a storm. That being said, he will drop everything to pitch in and help tornado victims when they come across devastated towns, and is genuinely sympathetic to the victims.