The tornado that changed WDHN Chief Meteorologist Chad Crilley’s life– 13 years later
Editor’s Note: At the age of 12, WDHN Chief Meteorologist Chad Crilley and his mother flew to Joplin—arriving just hours before one of the country’s worst tornadoes ever. Watch the video and see the story of what led him there, how he came face-to-face with this massive storm, and how the devastation shaped the rest of his life.
JOPLIN, Mo. (WDHN) — Exactly 13 years ago this Wednesday, a massive, nearly mile-wide EF5 tornado with winds as high as two hundred miles per hour struck Joplin, Missouri. The storm would kill at least one hundred and fifty-eight people, injure more than a thousand others, and reduce a large part of the city to rubble. The twister was the deadliest since 1947, and the seventh deadliest since record-keeping began in 1950.
After experiencing the tornado firsthand and seeing how Mother Nature can turn lives upside down in mere seconds, I was confident that I wanted to pursue my career as a broadcast meteorologist to help save lives in the face of dangerous weather.
My story of how I ended up in Joplin the day of the tornado started years before that fateful afternoon in May.
For as long as I can remember, I have always had a passion for weather. My mom tells me she remembers me expressing interest in meteorology as young as four years old.
Unfortunately for someone who loves the weather, there was not much of it where I grew up in sunny San Diego, California—most days called for morning clouds followed by afternoon sunshine and a high temperature of about seventy-five. I was eager to learn more about how to forecast severe weather and have the chance to experience some myself.
At twelve years old, in the early spring months of 2022, I contacted Chief Meteorologists across the Midwest, asking if I could shadow them during their severe weather season. Many said no, but one in Joplin, Missouri, said yes. The invitation came with a disclaimer: there was no way to guarantee severe weather during my visit.
My mom and I flew from San Diego to Joplin on the morning of May 22, 2011, and touched down in the southwest Missouri town that afternoon. The weather was hot and humid, and thunderstorms were developing in southeast Kansas, moving into the vicinity of southwest Missouri and Joplin.
The weather worsened as my mom and I sat having dinner at a local restaurant. At 5:17 p.m., a Tornado Warning was issued for Jasper County, including the city of Joplin. As soon as the warning was issued, I took my phone and recorded what I saw and heard.
When I checked the radar, I realized how large and violent the tornado had become, and a pit formed in my stomach. I quickly rushed into the restaurant kitchen and prepared for the worst. A painful pop rang through my ears as the twister neared. The massive EF5 tornado passed less than half a mile from where my mom and I were huddled, taking shelter.
After realizing the full scope of destruction the storm left behind, I began reporting firsthand on the aftermath of the devastating tornado, sending reports back home to TV stations in San Diego. There was no way to prepare myself to see the mangled ruins of what once were suburban neighborhoods scattered across the land. It was true devastation for as far as the eye could see.
Amid the destruction and terror I saw, I also saw people helping one another in powerful ways. Those who had already lost so much gave what little they had left to those who had lost even more.
My shadowing continued as planned in the days after the tornado, just in a much different context than I could have imagined.
Many of the lessons that I learned in Joplin, personally and professionally, are ones I use daily here in the Wiregrass at WDHN as your Chief Meteorologist and will carry with me for the rest of my life.
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