A famous American storm chaser has paid a visit to the Isle of Man in order to find out more about his Manx ancestry.

Reed Timmer, who holds a PhD in meteorology and has spent nearly three decades storm chasing across America, has millions of followers on social media and is best known internationally for intercepting tornadoes and hurricanes, often livestreaming events to help raise public awareness of severe weather.

Based in Oklahoma, a region frequently affected by tornadoes, he has intercepted more than 75 tornadoes in each of the past three years.

The Isle of Man visit marked a welcome break from his thrill-seeking adventures, travelling to the island with his mum Susan to track down his ancestors.

The pair worked with Nikki Sperring from Albany House in Peel, which specialises in assisting visitors with family history research across the island.

‘She is an expert on the history here with families and records, and she's been guiding us around the island,’ Reed said.

‘We found the church pew of our ancestors, whose surnames were Killey and Clarke. My mum sat in the same pew which was quite surreal for her. We also found their gravestones, which looked like they were buried on top of a Viking mound. It was very interesting!

‘I really recharged while I was in the island. I was burned out from the last three years of storm chasing since 2023, which was definitely the craziest three years I’ve had in my entire 27 years of doing it.’

The crazy nature of Reed’s work was clear to see during an incident in northern Alabama during the 2025 storm season.

His storm-chasing vehicle ‘The Dominator’ suffered damage when a powerful suction vortex - a smaller but often more intense circulation within the main tornado - unexpectedly emerged from the larger system.

The suction vortex struck the vehicle with winds estimated to be at up to 200 miles per hour, which Reed believed would cause the vehicle to become airborne.

Thankfully, the encounter lasted only seconds before the tornado moved away. ‘That was the closest I’ve come [to dying],’ Reed commented.

During his stay in the Isle of Man to recharge from such incidents, Reed connected with local weather enthusiasts such as ‘Gary Mann Weather Hub’ and the Isle of Man Met Office, while he also delivered a public talk on storm chasing.

The event drew attendees from across the UK, including one follower who travelled from London to meet him.

Other highlights from Reed’s trip included visits to a range of towns, coastal drives, hill walks and sightings of seals.

‘You have great food over here - it’s all very natural food which is a lot different to where I’m from in America,’ Reed added.

‘The natural beauty in the island just blows me away. I ran up to Corrin’s Tower in Peel one day and ended up crying out of happiness because of the views - it was so beautiful.’

To find out more about Reed’s storm chasing endeavours and his visit to the island, you can visit his Facebook page at ‘Reed Timmer Extreme Meteorologist’.