Update: Tim Samaras was also a licensed amateur (ham) radio operator and member of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL). His call sign was WJ0G. See a story about him on the ARRL website.

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The meteorological world is mourning the death of respected tornado research Tim Samaras. Samaras died May 31 while conducting tornado research in Oklahoma. Tim’s son, Paul and a team member, Carl Young, also died in the storm.

Tim was a storm chaser. But he wasn’t the kind of storm chaser about whom I sometimes complain. In other words, Tim did not chase storms solely for an adrenaline rush. And he did not put himself or his crew in danger unnecessarily.

Tim was a true scientist and engineer who designed instrumentation to gather data about tornadoes. You can read more about his great work on the website of the TWISTEX organization he founded.

Tim’s loss is a major blow to the science. I pray the blessings of comfort for his family and all those who knew and loved him.