Warren Faidley

Warren Faidley (born May 11, 1957) is an American extreme weather journalist, storm and disaster survival expert, photographer and cinematographer, Faidley was the first storm chaser (and accredited journalist) to create a full-time, professional occupation solely from pursuing severe weather.

Faidley’s interest in storm chasing can be traced to his childhood, when he spent his time riding his bicycle into dust devils. His childhood "chases" nearly killed him after he was swept away by a flash flood. His very first tornado chase landed him in Saragosa, Texas a small community that had been swept away by a violent F4 tornado on May 22, 1987. 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, Arizona. The image was published in Life Magazine, billing him as a "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 survival expert for major news cable channels including Fox News and CNN. Faidley provided live survival instructions on Fox News as a violent tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma on May 20, 2013.

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 (NOAA) and a William Randolph Hearst Foundation Journalism Award. He has written two books and collaborated on over 20 literary projects, including his early life, pictorial autobiography "Storm Chaser," in 1996. (Storm Chaser was re-released as an eBook in 2009). In 2006 Faidley authored "The Ultimate Storm Survival Handbook." The handbook includes severe weather and disaster survival tips based on Faidley's first-hand experiences.

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