Reed Timmer is an American meteorologist and an extreme storm chaser. For over 20 years, Timmer has intercepted over 1000 tornadoes and many powerful hurricanes. He is one of the few people who risked their lives to document both an F5 tornado and the most catastrophic hurricane in U.S. history, i.e., Hurricane Katrina. His daring experiences have undoubtedly made him one of the most respected weather experts of this generation.
Reed's experience with several hazardous weather conditions and natural calamities can also be seen in various documentaries and series. The professional storm chaser has starred in Discovery Channel's TV series Storm Chasers, the documentary films 'Tornado Glory', 'Nova,' and 'Storm Chasing: The Anthology.' So, today let's talk about the extreme storm chaser, Reed Timmer.
Early Life
Reed Timmer was born as the second oldest child of his parents, Susan Tolbert and Dan Timmer, on 17th March 1980. His big sister, Cortney Timmer, and little sister, Dayna Timmer, grew up with him in Grand Rapids, Michigan, through his early childhood. At the age of 10, he saw the divorce of his parents. Although Timmer has not revealed any information about his parents, he has posted pictures of his father and mother on his social media accounts.
Reed Timmer wishing his mother Susan Tolbert on Mother's day. Photo Source: Reed Timmer's Twitter account.
Since his childhood, Reed was fascinated with science and nature. He grew up in West Michigan, where he developed a passion for extreme weather. Timmer was so intrigued by the changing climate that his parents had to buy him a new TV just to satisfy his obsession with the weather channel. He was indeed a science geek in his childhood who couldn't help but was head over heels in love with the ever-changing weather of his hometown.
At the age of 12, Timmer envisioned being a professional weather reporter when he experienced a severe thunderstorm that dropped golf-sized hail in his yard. It is reported that he even broke his family camera just to shoot the extreme situation. After graduating from Forest Hills Central High School in Grand Rapids in 1998, Reed enrolled in the University of Oklahoma at the age of 18 to study meteorology. He studied there for a long time to earn both an M.S. and B.S. in meteorology from the university. Later, Reed graduated with Ph.D. in Meteorology in the spring of 2015. Until his graduation, he had already achieved vast recognition in his career.
Career
Reed had already shot a ton of videos on various tornadoes and storms. His career took off when he got a phone call from Discovery Channel, which later starred him in its TV program 'Storm Chasers.' He became the first person in history to capture high-definition videos inside a raging tornado. The eight-episode series racked up about 19 million views making it one of the highest-rated shows on the channel at the time. With his longtime friends, Chris Chittick and Joel Taylor, Reed successfully pushed their show 'Storm Chaser' to new heights. In addition to his legacy on Discovery Channel, Reed has also worked with major news networks such as Good Morning America with Diane Sawyer, CNN with Wolf Blitzer, NBC, CBS, and The Weather Channel.
Reed Timmer chasing a tornado on an episode of Tornado Chasers. Photo Source: Social Media.
Timmer and Chittick founded Extreme Tornado Tours in 2008 to pursue extreme storm chasing trips with different people. He also sold numerous storm footages through "tornadovideos.net." To add to his career outline, he started his own TV documentary series called Tornado Chasers on TVNWeather. Although the series had only two seasons, the show displayed many catastrophic tornadoes with the team of Timmer, including Reed Timmer, Sean Schofer, Ginger Zee, Mike Morgan, and many more.
Reed and his team of professional meteorologists have documented their storm chasing stories. Whether it is the Moore 1999 tornado or the Yazoo City Tornado in 2010, Reed has recorded some of the gigantic natural calamities along with his team over the years.
Furthermore, Reed is the CEO of Weather Fusion, LLC, which offers forensic meteorology services and extreme weather media. His captivating footage collection recording tornadoes, hurricanes, and blizzards is licensed to more than 100 production companies and TV networks since 1997 and is seen by millions of people worldwide. He is also the lead meteorologist member for Warning Aware and also an ex-storm chaser for Accuweather.
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Reed Timmer's Storm Chasing Vehicles
Reed Timmer has been in some of the most extreme and hazardous situations involving enormous tornadoes, storms, and heavy blizzards in his line of work. He needs a solid ride to protect him in such conditions. He has designed, created, and operated several chase vehicles, each named SRV Dominator.
Reed Timmer's storm chasing vehicles called The Dominator. Photo Source: Reed Timmer's Facebook.
Dominator 1 was modified and crafted from a 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe, which debuted in the 2009 storm chase season. Dominator 2 was a modified version of a 2011 GMC Yukon XL. Dominator 3 was made from an F-350 crew-cab pickup featuring a polyethylene Kevlar composite and was debuted in April 2013. These heavy chase vehicles come with a high price, with some costing more than $100,000.
Reed Timmer Net Worth
Reed has been chasing tornadoes, hurricanes, and blizzards for a long time now. He is a prolific figure in the field of meteorology and has been in the limelight for more than a decade now. His profession could be life-threatening at times, but in America, the risky work also has large payouts. So, how much is Reed Timmer's net worth?
Being a starring member and a dedicated reporter on Discovery's Storm Chaser, Reed Timmer has earned millions of dollars from his salary and other revenues in his career. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Reed Timmer's net worth is estimated to be around $250 thousand. He has banked the majority of his fortune from his storm chasing profession. In an article published in Yahoo Finance, the average storm chaser makes about $74,000 a year, but a star in the field can make more.
Reed has also licensed his jaw-dropping video footage to various media outlets in the country. He could have also amassed a huge fortune from his licensing deals. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, atmospheric scientists, including meteorologists, earn about $92,070 per year. However, a star with such international stature could make a little more than an average meteorologist.
Reed Timmer's net worth is also comprised of his YouTube earnings. He has a decent number of subscribers and millions of views on his YouTube channel. With such a vast fan following in YouTube, Timmer might have collected hefty revenues from YouTube too. According to Social Blade, Reed Timmer's channel generates an estimated $11.6 K - $186.3K per year.
Furthermore, Reed Timmer has built an enormous fan base in his other social media accounts. With 1.5 million followers on Facebook, 485.9K followers on Twitter, and 706K followers on Instagram, Reed Timmer keeps updating his recent activities, which will increase his fan following in the upcoming days. Although there is no official report, having such a huge number of subscribers and followers on his social media Reed could also generate a substantial amount of earnings through sponsorships and promotion deals.
Furthermore, Reed has also published a book about his extreme experiences. The book 'Into the Storm' is available on Amazon with a kindle version for $12.54. Reed could have generated a modest income from his book sales which might have added to his net value in total.
Reed Timmer Relationship History
Reed Timmer has been involved in a couple of relationships in the past. He had one wife and is possibly single after his divorce. He has also been linked up with some of his fellow storm chasers. So, who was Reed Timmer's wife? Did he have any girlfriends? Keep on reading to know his relationship history.
In an interview with MLive, Reed Timmer has claimed that his relationships had not gone well due to his habit of dropping everything to chase a tornado. The article published in 2010 further reports that he was dating fellow meteorologist Ginger Zee. Later on, Reed was also rumored to be in a relationship with a former meteorologist of WKRG, Jene Young.
Reed Timmer with his ex-wife Maria Molina on his wedding. Photo Source: Social Media.
In 2015, Reed married an American meteorologist, Maria Molina, Fox Channel's on-air meteorologist. Although the couple shared the same passion in their profession, their relationship didn't work out, and the pair fell apart after some years of their marriage. In 2018, Timmer and his ex-wife Molina got divorced and parted ways. Since the divorce, Reed has not been linked to any other women. Let's see if any woman is lucky enough to be Reed Timmer's wife in the future.
Trivia and Facts
- Reed suffered a seizure while storm chasing in Nebraska with the KFOR-TV weather team on October 4, 2013.
- His dog Gizmo accompanies him on his extreme chases.
- He has also been featured in TEDx Talks.
- He had praying mantises as pets in his childhood years.
