Warren Faidley
Encyclopedia
Storm chaser
Storm chaser can refer to:*Storm chasing, the pursuit of any severe weather condition*Storm Chaser, registered US Service Mark for Warren Faidley confirmed by the US Trademark Office as the first, full-time, professional storm chasing journalist...
(and accredited journalist) to create a full-time, professional occupation solely from pursuing severe weather. This is in contrast to the majority of "storm chasers" who are, in reality, hobbyists, scientists, students, thrill-seekers and part-timers who chase seasonal events.
Billed as "America's top storm chaser" by MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
, Faidley has made a 20-year career out of pursuing some of the planet's most extreme weather. He is one of the few individuals who has experienced and survived both a Category 5
Category 5
Category 5 may refer to:*Category 5 , an album from rock band, FireHouse*Category 5 cable, used for carrying data*Category 5 computer virus, as classified by Symantec Corporation*Category 5 Records, a record label...
hurricane (Hurricane Andrew
Hurricane Andrew
Hurricane Andrew was the third Category 5 hurricane to make landfall in the United States, after the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 and Hurricane Camille in 1969. Andrew was the first named storm and only major hurricane of the otherwise inactive 1992 Atlantic hurricane season...
) 1992 and an F-5
Fujita scale
The Fujita scale , or Fujita-Pearson scale, is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation...
tornado. (Red Rock, Oklahoma, 1991).
Faidley’s interest in storm chasing can be traced to his childhood, when he spent his time riding his bicycle into dust devils
Dust Devils
Dust Devils is an independently published role-playing game set in the Old West, written by Matt Snyder. It was voted the 2002 Indie RPG of the Year; it also won the Best Synergy of Game and Rules category, as well as placing in the Best Production and Most Innovative Game categories.The game uses...
. His very first tornado chase in 1987 landed him in Saragosa, Texas a small community that had been swept away by a violent tornado. His professional career was launched after he took a photograph of lightning hitting a light pole in an oil and gasoline tank farm in Tucson, AZ. The image was published in Life Magazine, billing him as a "Storm Chaser”. In 1997 the US Trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
Office recognized Faidley’s unique business enterprises by awarding him with a Service Mark
Service mark
A service mark or servicemark is a trademark used in some countries, notably the United States, to identify a service rather than a product. When a service mark is federally registered, the standard registration symbol ® or "Reg U.S. Pat & TM Off" may be used...
for the term "Storm Chaser."
Faidley was an initial motion picture consultant for Twister. He has been featured on numerous television specials including National Geographic, The O'Reilly Factor and The Discovery Channel HD Theater and The Weather Channel. His images and footage have been used by clients including Paul McCartney, NASA, The New York Times, MTV, Sheryl Crow, Life Magazine, NASCAR and USA Today. He serves occasionally as a severe weather consultant and expert for major news cable channels including Fox News and CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
. In 2005 he provided live reports during Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
and appeared with Geraldo Rivera
Geraldo Rivera
Geraldo Rivera is an American attorney, journalist, author, reporter, and former talk show host...
during Hurricane Frances near Juno Beach, FL in 2004.
Faidley is an advocate for extreme weather and disaster education. He is an international lecturer and severe weather survival expert. He is the founder and Chairperson of the Storm Angel Foundation a charity that educates children about severe weather. He has received numerous awards for his photography, journalism, educational and public service contributions, including certificates from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , pronounced , like "noah", is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere...
(NOAA) and a William Randolph Hearst Foundation Journalism Award. He has written two books and collaborated on over 20 literary projects. His 1996 book Storm Chaser was a best-selling nature and science book. Amazon
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
. In 2009 the book was re-released as an eBook. In 2006 his popular safety guide "The Ultimate Storm Survival Handbook" was released. The handbook includes severe weather and disaster survival tips based on Faidley's first-hand experiences.
In 1997 Faidley was the subject of Stephen Kramer's book Eye of the Storm.
Faidley's photographs and footage are frequently used for educational and safety projects, including those of the National Weather Service
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service , once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government...
, the Federal Emergency Management Agency
Federal Emergency Management Agency
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially created by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders...
(FEMA) and the American Red Cross
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross , also known as the American National Red Cross, is a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States. It is the designated U.S...
. Faidley is the CEO of Weatherstock Inc., a stock picture and footage agency and Storm Risk, a severe weather consulting company. He has consulted and/or appeared as a corporate spokesperson for clients including DuPont
DuPont
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company , commonly referred to as DuPont, is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a gunpowder mill by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont. DuPont was the world's third largest chemical company based on market capitalization and ninth based on revenue in 2009...
, SureFire
Surefire
SureFire, LLC. is a Fountain Valley, California company whose primary products are flashlights, headlamps, weapon mounted lights and laser sights. In addition, Surefire also manufactures knives, sound suppressors, Picatinny Rails and batteries. The company is a major supplier of flashlights to the...
and Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson is an American multinational pharmaceutical, medical devices and consumer packaged goods manufacturer founded in 1886. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company is listed among the Fortune 500....
.
Faidley's popularity as a storm chaser and extreme weather photographer is illustrated by his Internet popularity, including an average of over 100,000 references to his distinct name in Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
and Yahoo search engines, combined with over 2.2 million You Tube video views.
Faidley is a graduate from University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
and Pima Community College
Pima Community College
Pima Community College is an American two-year institution of higher education in Pima County, Arizona serving the Tucson metropolitan area. The community college district consists of six campuses, four education centers, and several adult education learning centers. It provides traditional and...
. He is a pilot, and a Nationally Registered EMT-B. He once held an Arizona State Land Wildland firefighter certification. He is a recipient of a William Randolph Heart Photojournalism Award. He resides in Tucson, Arizona. Faidley's personal interests include historical sword rapier
Rapier
A rapier is a slender, sharply pointed sword, ideally used for thrusting attacks, used mainly in Early Modern Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries.-Description:...
play and instruction, world travel, physical fitness training and cycling. (He is a former Tour de Tucson 25 mile champion).
"The Defamation of Storm Chasing"
In 2011 Faidley began a blog and public relations campaign to voice his concerns regarding the popularization of reality television shows focusing on storm chasers. Faidley has become an outspoken critic of such productions, emphasizing some shows "Promote reckless, inaccurate and irresponsible storm chasing behavior, thus diminishing severe weather safety and legitimate work done by actual researchers, storm spotters and responsible storm chasers." A growing number of well respected professional storm chasers and researchers have voiced similar opinions in criticizing the "Jackass Show" style chasing antics portrayed as "reality" on television. During a 2011 radio interview Faidley said "He rarely uses the term "storm chaser" anymore to label his occupation due to the defamatory and sophomoric image now associated with the terms.