S. Tahoe storm chaser dies in Oklahoma
By Kathryn Reed
Storm chaser Carl Young of South Lake Tahoe is one of several people who died Friday in an Oklahoma tornado. He was 45.
Young worked on Discovery Channel’s defunct “Storm Chasers” series.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of Tim Samaras (55) his son Paul (24) and their colleague Carl Young,” Discovery Channel said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to their families.”
The network is dedicating tonight’s documentary premiere of “Mile Wide Tornado: Oklahoma Disaster” to the three men.
Carl Young of South Lake Tahoe died May 31 chasing a tornado in Oklahoma.
The three died while tracking the EF3 tornado that ripped through El Reno, Okla., on May 31. Six other people died in that tornado, too.
This is Young’s bio on the Discovery Channel website: “Although Carl is a native Californian, he was called east in 2000 after a spell working on Hollywood film crews. He decided to take off on a two month storm chasing adventure in the Great Plains hoping to catch a glimpse of a few tornadoes but ending up with over a dozen twister encounters. Experiencing the raw force of nature in Nebraska was unlike any pyrotechnic display on a high-tech Hollywood set! This inspiration led Carl to the study of tornado dynamics and ultimately a master’s degree in atmospheric science from the University of Nevada, Reno. While attending a meteorological conference, Carl met Tim Samaras who encouraged him to collect meteorological data from inside tornadoes as the principal focus of his thesis research. Every spring since 2003, Carl has headed out with Tim, and together the team has tracked down over 125 tornadoes.
“Carl’s finest moment came on June 11, 2004, near Storm Lake, Iowa. Working with Tim, they defied the odds and deployed their probes right in the path of a tornado. The six-camera video probe captured amazing footage from multiple angles while the sensor probe recorded data that revealed just how fast wind speeds are close to the ground. Since then Carl remains eternally optimistic that they can repeat the same feat despite the huge challenges for successful deployments.”
Young taught geology on occasion at Lake Tahoe Community College. He was one of the school’s distinguished alumni. He earned a bachelor’s in economics at Cal and a master’s in atmospheric science at UNR.
He worked for a while at the League to Save Lake Tahoe on the program team.
“Carl was a very good analyst and passionate about Lake Tahoe and doing the right thing to protect the environment. He had lot of integrity and concerns for things being done the right way,” John Friedrich told Lake Tahoe News. Friedrich hired Young.
Young took over as program director at the League when Friedrich left.
“Carl did lot of good for Lake Tahoe and the world. He wanted to make the world a better place and gave a lot of himself to make things better,” Friedrich said.
Karl always had a smile for me. I considered him a friend, in the circles of those who are involved in water clarity. Like Lily & Dennis, with a heavy heart, he will be missed.
This is a picture of the truck Carl, Tim and Paul were in when the tornado caught up to them
This comes from Reed Timmer’s Fan Page on Facebook. Reed is a fellow storm chaser/researcher.
https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/480120_666497006710443_163253227_n.jpg
Please take that pic of the truck down. I didn’t need to see that. Wish I could unsee it.
Lake Tahoe Community College faculty, staff, Board of Trustees, and administration express their heartfelt condolences to the family of LTCC distinguished alumnus Carl Young. Carl and his former “Storm Chaser” colleagues star Tim Samaras and his son Paul Samaras were killed on Friday, May 31 while chasing storms in Oklahoma.
Carl taught geology at LTCC and was admired by his peers and students. Bruce Armbrust, LTCC faculty, reflects, “I will miss seeing him around the college, and our students will miss having him as a teacher. My only solace (which isn’t much), is that he died doing what he loved and that his research on tornadoes has and will continue to help others.” The LTCC Board of Trustees named him the Distinguished Alumni for 2010 for his noted accomplishments in his field and impact on the Tahoe Region. “Carl’s groundbreaking research in the field of meteorological data will no doubt ultimately lead to the saving of future lives. We will be requesting that the Board of Trustees consider dedicating this year’s graduation in honor of Carl’s career and life work,” noted LTCC Superintendent/President Kindred Murillo.
Carl was solid gold. I talked with him many times over the years about Tahoe environmental issues but never took our conversations much beyond that. My loss–what a dynamic and multifaceted person he was. Always tragic to lose one of the best and brightest…………
I’m with LTCC and hikerchick. I took a class with him on severe weather and learned so much. He was so smart, quirky, kind. And SOLID like hikerchick said. We became friends and i had the chance to hear his thoughts on Tahoe environmentalism and he was a grounded soul with interesting insights. Carl, you will be so missed.
I cut Carl’s hair for over four years in South Lake Tahoe. Right down to his haircut, Carl wanted to do it right. It was very important he looked the same every time for the show. One of the most amazing people i have ever known. Smart, kind and beautiful. He will be missed!