Howdy y'all!

I'm Chad and as many of you know I founded HLEW about 4 years ago after Facebook forced me to go public. Interesting to note this page never had any interest in being public but given we had no other choice, we were left with few options.

That said, to my surprise the page ballooned out of nowhere and has become the most popular weather page in the STL. It's a place where weather enthusiasts can come together and give their thoughts without judgment and as a team we help to educate those who truly wish to know more about the weather.

As far as my background I come from a very elite group of weather enthusiasts and meteorologists in the underground who have taught me so much along the way. My interest in weather began at a very young age of only 5 years old and since then I have studied numerous weather patterns which have really helped us as a team hone in on weather systems to be as accurate as possible.

Our goals here put safety as our #1 priority and our second is to educate and inform our audience in the most truthful way possible. In other words, we lay everything out there for you all to see what we are seeing and don't hype up storms like many other sources try to do.

I love extreme weather and have been able to chase several tornados and hurricanes over the years which I have live streamed for you all. I am trained for these scenarios and do not recommend anyone doing this but feel showing you all the power of weather from my point of view is a true asset to understanding how dangerous these storms can be so you all can be better prepared.

With that has come a lot of time, effort, sleepless nights and dedication in order to watch out for you all. As things have evolved over the years we have put together a super team who all work together in the background to give you all the best forecast possible. There's power in numbers and having a team that offers different perspectives for each scenario are what help keep our accuracy scores pretty darn high.

In the end though, we can't win them all though as Mother Nature ultimately has the final say as to what goes. When this happens, unlike any other source out there we like to advertise our busts to the public, admit wrong, and try to find answers to determine what we may have missed. I can say with confidence that we are the most truthful weather source you will find on the internet.

Together you all have made this page what it is today with all your fantastic up to the minute weather reports and photos you send in which only helps us improve real time weather even further. I thank you all for being family and could never have imagined how this page would be such a primary weather source for oh so many of you all.

THANK YOU!!

-Chad

“Science, especially the weather, has always been my jam. It’s the one topic (other than baseball) that brings me so much joy and feels like it was specially woven into my soul.

I began to consider meteorology as a serious hobby and potential career in high school after a cloud photography project. That steered me toward starting an Atmospheric Science degree at Mizzou, where I participated in the Meteorology/Storm Chasing club. We honed our forecasting skills and heard from guest speakers in the field, it was pretty rad. Ultimately, I finished with a Bachelors of Science degree in Education because I really enjoy helping others become confident in their own understanding of science and meteorology. I especially love it when I can help ease someone’s storm anxiety—knowledge is power!

Aside from working with students, as a hobby I’ve kept up with the world of weather and forecasting by reading current research and partaking in online symposiums—there are so many great resources out there. I will not admit how many hours (and what hours of the night) I’ve spent looking at forecast models just for the sake of it, haha. Oh man, especially when a snow storm or severe weather outbreak looks to brew…

I have really found my tribe being a HLEW Team member. Everyone brings something different to the table, and keeps it real (usually with a great deal of humor). I’m so thankful Chad asked me to come on board!”

I may be the only one in this fabulous group who does not have a weather background. I didn’t study weather, I don’t know what the cloud types are, and I measure rain using a ruler and a cup in my backyard. A fun childhood memory I have is asking my mom every evening, “What’s the temperature tomorrow?”. She’d know every time. I still enjoy knowing the temperature to this day. That (in a nutshell) is my formal weather training.

So, why am I in this group if I know nothing pertinent about weather? Great question.
What I do love is snow and data! In the education field, we live for snow days. (Don’t get me started on AMI days!)

I followed HLEW for quite a while and loved that they loved snow days as much as I did. I was hooked on the forecasts and would frequently refresh the page to see if I needed to set an alarm that evening.
My passion for data runs right up there with my love of snow days. I lovingly say I am a behavior analyst by day and a weather data analyst by night. Granted, in order for me to be a weather analyst, we need snow (so my days of analyzing are limited)!

A year ago, Chad posted the need for someone to organize snowfall totals. Be still my heart: Snow and numbers combined?! I answered the call. A year later, I still organize snow totals.
After the 2022 snow season ended, I was asked to write a weekly “Rewind” section for the HLEW page. On top of loving numbers, I love telling a story. Weekly challenge accepted. Almost a year has gone by and writing about weather history has been a fun, eye-opening learning experience.

I am proud to be a part of this group of weather experts and love the constant knowledge I gain. As they continue to inform and teach you about the weather, I will continue to calculate numbers and dig into our weather past.

Been interested in weather since I was about 8. The "blizzard" and big floods of '82 got me into it. Went to SLU for a year of met classes, couldn't get passed the calculus classes, should have tried harder.

Besides the weather, I love Cardinals baseball, love all animals. If you're not kind to animals there's something wrong with you, also enjoy having some drinks with friends. Pretty laid back and try to joke around as much as possible, some don't like my sense of humor and that’s just too bad.

Became interested in weather at the age of 13 when a tornado came through my family’s yard in DeSoto MO on 5-7-03. One of the most frightening moments of my life, but got me hooked on weather, storm tracking, and chasing.

If there’s any form of precipitation in the area, you will find me staring at the radar or outside watching it roll in.

My love of the weather began at the early age of 8. It was the winter storm of ‘82 that peaked my interest at that time. Then the prolonged flooding events of 1986 really cinched my love of the weather and what Mother Nature could do. Ever since then I have been an amateur weather enthusiast. It has turned out to be a blessing as well, as it has helped me with my professional career of being in the lawn, landscaping, and snow removal business for over 30 years.

The old saying here in Missouri is “if you don’t like todays weather, just wait until tomorrow because it’ll likely be different”. That saying has a lot of truth to it!!

Since surviving the "Blizzard of '82" I have been fascinated by the weather, especially winter weather. As a former Middle School Science teacher, I was fortunate to be able to pass my enjoyment and passion of meteorology to my students. They knew that I would be monitoring conditions when winter or severe weather approached. Even today, weather plays a big role in my life since I like to spend my free time in the woods or on the water.

It's great to be a part of this fantastic team!

I was 12 years old when at Busch Stadium with my weather radio on in July 2006, when the famous “Derecho” came though. Most kids were excited for a home run, I was more excited for a thunderstorm. It was on this day I knew I was obsessed with weather. (And baseball.)

I learn something new everyday while being part of Chad’s team and love being a supportive member!

My fascination with weather began with the Great Flood of 1993. Growing up in Arnold I got to see how the flood impacted the area. Being 5 years old, some of my earliest memories are when my grandpa would take me around showing me the paths the water took and destruction that followed. This fascination grew to include all types of weather.

Now my passions include chasing severe storms, hockey, and riding my Harley.

Hi fellow weather folks and friends!

I can honestly say that I feel privileged to join such an outstanding, dedicated, and loyal weather team. A little bit more about myself - Born in Bluefield, West Virginia, our home was along the side of a mountain with a valley called Bulltail Hollow. As a kid I used to sit on our front porch watching the lightning storms over the mountains with fascination. During rainfall I would go and get under thick bushes to watch the rain fall through the branches trailing down to the ground, maybe a little weird, but I enjoyed it.

We moved to the farmland of Wisconsin when I was 10 and I loved being outside watching the storms and occasional funnel clouds pass by. I have been very close to tornados in the vicinity with one happening while camping in teepees with boy scouts at Devils Lake in Wi. The tornado and severe storms came through our area and blew over several of the teepees but the 12 of us boys managed to hold our sides and keep it in place, was a frightening night.

Joining the Air Force in 1973 I went to weather school and after basic training served my first 6 years at Tyndall AFB in Panama City, FL. While there we had a hurricane come through Panama City beach, first hurricane experience. I went from there to Atlanta, Ga for 2 years and then to South Korea for a year. I left South Korea for sunny Florida again, stationed at Hurlburt Field and worked with Special Operations for 3 years. From there to Chanute AFB Illinois as a weather forecast instructor, teaching severe weather, tropical weather, and base operations for almost 5 years. From there to wonderful and beautiful Anchorage, AK for another 4 years. Left Alaska for the mid-west and Scott AFB as a superintendent for computer acquisitions.  After 23 years in the Air Force, I retired and started working civil service, retiring from NGA in 2017.

Over my career I’ve experienced hurricanes and waterspouts in Florida, tornadoes and funnel clouds in Illinois, earthquakes, volcano eruptions and the Aurora borealis in Alaska. Being a weather guy has its advantages! I’ve kept up with the weather and usually answer friends request for their activities.

My wife turned me on to the Hyperlocal Extreme Weather Facebook page and I loved seeing the expertise and passion that the team has for weather. Now that I’m a part of this team I look forward to working with them and forecasting weather using my past knowledge, experience, and input from the team.

Drone / Videographer.