Go Back
  • For Business
  • |
  • Warnings
  • Data Suite
  • Newsletters
  • Advertising
  • Superior Accuracy™
24 dead, dozens of girls at camp missing after catastrophic flooding in Texas. Read the latest Chevron right
Tropical Storm Chantal forms in Atlantic before landfall in South Carolina. Get details Chevron right

Columbus, OH

91°F
Location Chevron down
Location News Videos
Use Current Location
Recent

Columbus

Ohio

91°
No results found.
Try searching for a city, zip code or point of interest.
settings
Columbus, OH Weather
Today WinterCast Local {stormName} Tracker Hourly Daily Radar MinuteCast Monthly Air Quality Health & Activities

Around the Globe

Hurricane Tracker

Severe Weather

Radar & Maps

News

News & Features

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

For Business

Warnings

Data Suite

Newsletters

Advertising

Superior Accuracy™

Video

Winter Center

AccuWeather Early Hurricane Center Top Stories Trending Today Astronomy Heat Climate Health Recreation In Memoriam Case Studies Blogs & Webinars
Air Quality Alert

News / Weather News

Reed Timmer survives wild close-up encounter with powerhouse tornado in Nebraska

By Brian Lada, AccuWeather meteorologist and senior content editor

Published May 18, 2019 3:23 AM EDT | Updated Jul 23, 2019 8:33 PM EDT

Copied

Extreme Meteorologist Reed Timmer said this is the worst setup for severe weather he has seen in years. So far on Friday he was caught in a tornado and recalls what happened, and what he thought was dirt on his face, was something else.

What's it like to be inside a tornado as it's forming? Few people, if any, have experienced such a sensation, but Reed Timmer is now one who has -- and lived to talk about it after an extraordinary up-close encounter with a tornado on Friday evening.

Timmer started off on Friday with the goal of intercepting a tornado in his Dominator 3 vehicle, and by 6 p.m. CDT, he was staring a tornado in the face just west of McCook, Nebraska, amid a rapidly developing vortex.

"I was unable to get back to the vehicle and couldn't see it, so I just turned my back to the wind and hoped for the best until it passed," Timmer said on Friday after the tornado encounter.

Timmer was about 50 feet away from vehicle when the dust cloud arrived, significantly reducing his vision.

reed intercept

A wall of dust and debris kicked up by the tornado that landed on Reed Timmer on Friday afternoon near McCook, Nebraska.

As the twister bore down, Timmer could barely see more than a few feet away due to the amount of dirt, dust and debris whipping around. Amid the whirlwind, Timmer's hat went flying off his head and became part of the tornado.

“[I] just intercepted the tornado on foot,” Timmer yelled after the twister had passed overhead.

Timmer was left covered in what he initially thought was dirt, only to realize later that it was more likely field manure. Not only was he covered in this manure but so was the inside of his Dominator 3 vehicle, from the doors being left open as the tornado blew through.

"I was digging that field manure out of my ears, and it was covering my face as well, all over the inside of the vehicle,” Timmer said.

IMG_4648.JPG

A photo of Reed Timmer after he was hit by a tornado on Friday afternoon west of McCook, Nebraska. While Timmer initially thought that it was dirt, it turned out to be manure, as he was situated in a manure farm.

Timmer appeared on the AccuWeather Network on Saturday to talk about his experience, and said that he knew the twister was going to be a weak tornado. He also stressed the importance of tornado safety.

"You never want to get that close to a tornado unless you have a vehicle like this [Dominator 3 vehicle]," Timmer said.

This was one of the biggest days for severe weather in the central U.S. so far this year, and Mother Nature shows no signs of stopping.

"Tornado Alley is certainly waking up with significant severe weather," Timmer said on Thursday while commenting on the impending outbreak of storms. Little did he know, a tornado was going to wake up right on him. Timmer, who holds a Ph. D. in meteorology from the University of Oklahoma, is no stranger to close encounters with big tornadoes.

Three years ago, Timmer captured spectacular close-up footage of an enormous EF2 tornado swirling in Wray, Colorado. The footage of the monster twister proved to be a sensation online, going viral and sparking awe-inspired headlines by many news sites. YouTube video of the tornado has amassed nearly 30 million views since it was posted three years ago.

In the past, he has acknowledged the inherent risk of what he and other storm chasers do. "Life is incredibly fragile," Timmer remarked recently, adding, "and I hope storm chasers continue to work hard to practice their hobby safely during this storm season and beyond."

RELATED:

Dozens of tornadoes reported in Nebraska, Kansas as severe weather slams central US
Twister touches down near border of Kansas, Oklahoma
Tornadoes to spin up again on Tuesday as severe weather outbreak continues to unfold across the central US

The tornado that tracked near McCook, Nebraska, on Friday was one of several major tornadoes that touched down across the region.

Late May Severe Weather
Twitter

Timmer will continue to track the severe weather targeting the nation's heartland early this week (note new link), with every day bringing the risk for damaging storms and tornadoes through Tuesday.

Other storm chasers also captured photos and video of the McCook tornado, like the one below shot by storm chaser Greg Johnson and posted on Twitter.

Here is another shot from today's tornado near McCook, Nebraska. We we're roughly 1km from the base of the tornado. I will post video shortly. @USTornadoes @stormfrontfreak pic.twitter.com/ld1iuWqozp

— Greg Johnson (@TornadoGreg) May 18, 2019

Download the free AccuWeather app to receive severe weather watches and warnings on your mobile device. Keep checking back for updates on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.

Report a Typo

Weather News

Weather News

24 dead in Texas, 25 girls from Camp Mystic missing in flooding

Jul. 5, 2025
video

Rescuers save person clinging to an electric pole amid Texas floods

Jul. 4, 2025
Weather News

Record sargassum seaweed piles up on Caribbean islands, Gulf

Jul. 2, 2025
Weather News

Alabama teen in ICU after lightning strike hits boat, causing burns an...

Jul. 2, 2025
Show more Show less Chevron down

Topics

AccuWeather Early

Hurricane Center

Top Stories

Trending Today

Astronomy

Heat

Climate

Health

Recreation

In Memoriam

Case Studies

Blogs & Webinars

Top Stories

Weather News

24 dead in Texas, 25 girls from Camp Mystic missing in flooding

5 hours ago

Hurricane

Chantal to make landfall in South Carolina Sunday morning

2 hours ago

Severe Weather

Severe weather to rumble in the central US through the holiday weekend

8 hours ago

Severe Weather

Storms kill 3 in New Jersey, knock out power across Northeast

1 day ago

Weather Forecasts

Heat, humidity return to the East

2 minutes ago

More Stories

Featured Stories

Weather News

Wildfires are tearing through a popular tourist hotspot in Greece

1 day ago

Weather News

‘Shark Whisperer’ swims its way into our shark obsession

20 hours ago

Travel

Fourth of July gas hasn’t been this cheap since 2021

4 days ago

Weather News

What makes fireworks burst with vibrant colors?

20 hours ago

Health

There is no safe amount of processed meat to eat, new research shows

2 days ago

AccuWeather Weather News Reed Timmer survives wild close-up encounter with powerhouse tornado in Nebraska
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
© 2025 AccuWeather, Inc. "AccuWeather" and sun design are registered trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | About Your Privacy Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

...

...

...