In Michigan there are real tornado wranglers who are supposed to warn of severe weather

PORTAGE, MI – Storm chasers and tornado hunters were on screen this summer in “Twisters,” a sequel to the popular 1996 film.

Five men in Michigan are the real-life versions of these characters, living on the front lines of severe weather.

Their group called the Michigan Storm Chasers was founded in 2022. Since then, she has experienced a meteoric rise in popularity. The group has almost 150,000 followers on Facebook, YouTube and X (formerly Twitter).

“I didn’t think it would grow so quickly,” said founder Ryan Harriott.

The team broadcasts severe weather forecasts live and tracks severe storms, including tornadoes, on the ground as they touch down.

The goal is to inform residents about severe weather and encourage Michigan residents to pay attention to the weather – not quite like Glen Powell’s character in “Twisters,” where his team shot fireworks into tornadoes.

A new era of alerting the public

Before founding the Michigan Storm Chasers, Harriott worked with an out-of-state storm chasing group. He realized there wasn’t a social media site or storm chasing business in Michigan, so he started one.

“I was in a group chat with a few people on Facebook who are all storm chasers in Michigan, so I just threw the idea out there,” Harriott said.

Harriott says social media is increasingly becoming a way for people to find out about the weather rather than traditional television broadcasts.

“We make our streams accessible on YouTube, Facebook and everywhere, so they can stop by and watch us anytime, anywhere,” Harriott said.

Information about severe storms isn’t always available in advance unless you know how to find it, Harriott said.

Severe weather forecasts for the entire country are issued by the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center in Oklahoma. MSC uses this information and explains it to its followers by mapping which locations are most likely to experience severe weather and how bad it could get.

Chase on May 7th

Harriott was on the ground racing through the streets of Portage on May 7 as an EF2 tornado ripped through the city. MSC Vice President Chandler Boss reported on the storms via livestream from a conference in Boston.

Harriott lives in southeast Michigan but made it to southwest Michigan in time for the storms. An EF2 tornado touched down in Texas Township and crossed Portage at 5:55 p.m. The tornado remained on the ground for 22 minutes and traveled 11 miles.

RELATED: ‘All hell broke loose’: Residents shocked after tornadoes reportedly ripped through Portage

MSC members have weather radios and cameras in their cars to communicate and capture footage of what they see. Boss has a stand equipped to view the live radar during pursuit.

The Portage tornado was harder to track than most because it was shrouded in rain clouds. Portage is also more densely populated than the fields of the Great Plains, where many car chases are featured in the films. Houses, buildings and trees make it difficult to see the tornado, Harriott said.

But the lack of visibility didn’t scare Harriott, he said.

“Knowledge is power in storm chasing,” Harriott said. “We are all comfortable around storms and are not afraid of the storm itself.”

Harriott didn’t realize how close he was to the tornado or how big the tornado was until he parked in front of Portage Central High School, 8321 S. Westnedge Ave. After learning of extensive damage to the FedEx building on Portage Road, he knew he had to go there.

RELATED: Repairs begin on the tornado-ravaged FedEx building. But his return will take months.

“I thought, ‘I have to turn around and go back and help,'” Harriott said.

MSC’s weather radars show where there is rotation in the atmosphere – a sign that a tornado may be on the ground. The radars also show whether debris is being picked up and thrown into the air.

On this day, MSC’s streaming and pre-announcement capabilities came in handy. Boss said they had “wall-to-wall coverage” once the storms intensified.

“This is as serious as it gets,” Boss said during the stream. The full stream of the May 7 tornadoes can be seen below, including live footage from dashcams in MSC members’ cars.

Harriott’s chase, which is livestreamed from his car, begins approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes into the video. With adrenaline pumping, he warned spectators at the scene to seek shelter as quickly as possible.

“Look to your right,” Harriott said after an hour and 44 minutes. “Tornado, tornado, tornado!”

The fact that residents were so well informed about the tornado may have contributed to the lack of deaths from the storm, Kalamazoo County Undersheriff Jim VanDyken said.

Deaths are more likely in strong tornadoes like the one in Portage, which had winds of 135 mph, just 5 mph below an EF3 tornado, Harriott said.

Although MSC knew conditions were ripe for tornadoes, Harriott was still “surprised” by the size of the storm. At 300 yards wide, the tornado was as wide as three football fields.

The Portage tornado was one of four tornadoes that touched down in southwest Michigan on May 7.

“We haven’t had a large tornado outbreak like this in several years,” Boss said.

Scientists say Michiganders need to be prepared for more days in the future when multiple tornadoes touch down. Tornadoes can also occur in places where they don’t normally occur.

RELATED: No, Michigan doesn’t get more tornadoes, but they are changing

Help beyond the storm

“Having trackers on the ground helps meteorologists issue warnings when severe weather hits,” Boss said.

“(Forecasters) often can’t see exactly what we’re seeing directly underneath the storm,” Boss said. “Keeping an eye on the storm at all times is the best way to ensure that false reports are not responsible for tornado or severe thunderstorm warnings.”

Bruce Smith, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Grand Rapids, said observers on site were very helpful and the NWS had already been working with MSC.

“We get a variety of phone calls and different sources of information coming into the office that help us correlate what we’re seeing on the radar,” Smith said. “This helps us make our warnings as accurate as possible.”

The five members of the MSC have different levels of experience. When they’re not hunting, they work day jobs. Harriott delivers packages for FedEx and Amazon. The group makes some money from monetizing Facebook and YouTube as well as subscriber payments, Harriott said. The group also accepts donations on its website.

Boss spent a year studying meteorology at the college level, even though he doesn’t have a degree. Boss works full-time at a car dealer.

MSC Meteorology Advisor Joel Fritsma is preparing to graduate from Central Michigan University with a double major in meteorology and geographic information systems.

Any Michigander can take storm detection courses through the NWS. Classes can be taken online or scheduled through your local NWS office. Smith encouraged others interested in storms to take her along. MSC members have taken the courses many times over the years, Harriott said.

“We’ve had storm watchers in the weather service for decades, we go out and train them and give them information about what things to look for,” Smith said.

Although severe weather can be an exciting phenomenon, Boss stressed the importance of heeding warnings.

“The Midwestern stereotype is that everyone stands on their porch waiting for the thing to come in,” Boss said. “But you have to remember that storms should always be taken seriously.”

Even if there is no risk of tornadoes, winds of 58 miles per hour – the minimum speed for a severe storm warning – could shatter windows and knock down tree branches, Boss said.

“If people don’t consistently heed these warnings, they may end up in a situation where they don’t necessarily have a plan of action, or they may be caught off guard,” Boss said. “If you’re not prepared, that’s kind of on you.”

Harriott said MSC would like to expand its capacity in the future to help with storm clearance and recovery, in addition to providing storm forecasting and coverage.

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