Hurricane Ian slams the Florida coast, and Reed records the worst of it from Pine Island. The eyewall is incoming and the storm surge progression is unbelievable (Reed Timmer). YouTube Tips ⓘ
On Wednesday, September 28, 2022, storm chaser Reed Timmer faced the storm surge from Hurricane Ian head-on at Pine Island, which is just west of Fort Myers. The eye of the hurricane hit the area of Fort Myers, near Cape Coral, Sanibel Island, and south of Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda (Note: There is another Pine Island north of Clearwater and Tampa, which was not the site of the direct hit from Hurricane Ian). As might be expected in a Category 4 hurricane, some events didn’t go as planned.
At some point Wednesday, Timmer’s vehicle “Dominator Fore” got washed away in the surge. Timmer arrived in Florida on September 26, 2022 in his hail damaged, beat-up Subaru (held together by MagnaSeal or Flex Tape). Initially it was unknown if Dominator Fore was recoverable.
Dominator Fore Before
#DominatorFore arrives in Florida @ReedTimmerAccu here to chase #HurricaneIan pic.twitter.com/wNzAm8vU8u
— Chris FL Tornado (@ChrisFLTornado) September 27, 2022
Dominator Fore After
Dom4 getting a saltwater bath @ReedTimmerAccu #HurricaneIan pic.twitter.com/hXXDN7iojR
— Chris FL Tornado (@ChrisFLTornado) September 28, 2022
Abandoned dominator fore. Salvaged science bag. Retreated to shelter. Very intense @ChrisFLTornado @accuweather
— Reed Timmer, PhD (@ReedTimmerAccu) September 28, 2022
MORE DOMINATOR INFO BELOW …
^^ MOBILE? USE VOICE MIC ^^
20240105-1435future
The SRV Dominator is the name given to a series of vehicles used by Reed Timmer, and featured on the Discovery Channel series Storm Chasers that ran from October 2007 until January 2012. SRV stands for Storm Research Vehicle. In April 2013, Reed Timmer — designer and operator of all three Dominator vehicles — joined KFOR-TV’s 4WARN Storm Team, any of the three vehicles used by the TV news station were given the signature “Dominator 4.”
The Dominator was built as a modified 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe.
Dominator 2 was built as a modified 2011 GMC Yukon LX.
Dominator 3 was built as a modified Ford Super Duty pickup truck.
The newest Dominator in the fleet was announced in January 31, 2022 as Dominator Fore or Dom Fore, which is a modified Subaru.
When asked on Twitter, “How come you switched?” … Timmer replied, “Economic reasons for me. I have hit zero many times in life”
Live update targeting Tampa area to Cedar Key, Florida for intercept of #HurricaneIan. NHC experimental storm surge forecast increased to 5-10’ for the Tampa area including barrier islands, periphery of Tampa Bay and old Tampa Bay. Hurricane Ian intensifying rapidly @accuweather pic.twitter.com/OeAXatB5jG
— Reed Timmer, PhD (@ReedTimmerAccu) September 26, 2022
Today, I will be making final preparations to my vehicle, the Dominator Fore, for intercept of Hurricane Ian next week. These include gas transported from outside the disaster zone and waterproofing via Flex Tape. I will also be charging up the storm surge and Gravitron sensors pic.twitter.com/9yop4V4Hpf
— Reed Timmer, PhD (@ReedTimmerAccu) September 25, 2022
Enjoying the healing power of the SUN next to Dominator Fore today. Soon, hurricane chasing preparations begin pic.twitter.com/HWM40Ucyrt
— Reed Timmer, PhD (@ReedTimmerAccu) September 23, 2022
Pine Island, just north of Sanibel Island