Storm Chasers

April 27th, 2011 will go down as the deadliest tornado day in well over half a century. Hundreds of twisters are touching down all over parts of Mississippi and Alabama known to chasers as "Dixie Alley". There were multiple EF5 tornadoes, the most powerful classification. Teams Dominator, TWISTEX and TIV are all in Dixie Alley and on the hunt, with front row seats to some of the day's most breathtaking storms. Acting as storm spotters, they're reporting the tornadoes and attempting to get warnings out. But when a violent twister tracks toward the heart of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, all three teams are faced with death and destruction on an unimaginable scale. Chronologically occours between episodes 3 and 4 of season 5.
 

It's the most violent tornado season in over fifty years, with death and destruction savaging the Midwestern Plains before chase season has even begun. Now there's a powerful storm tracking toward downtown St. Louis, and after a hot start to the season, Reed Timmer has suddenly lost his mojo. A series of bad decisions leaves team Dominator out of position and at each other's throats. After completing an IMAX film that was ten years in the making, Sean Casey is using his armored TIV to film a sequel in 3D but first he needs to find the right storm. Tim Samaras and team TWISTEX follow the path of destruction into the St. Louis area, and in an attempt to place their probe in the path of a tornado they end up chasing too close.
 

After failing to find a twister on two consecutive chases, Reed Timmer and the Dominator team are desperate to chase one down. They're even desperate enough to pursue a powerful storm into an urban area after dark, one of the most dangerous possible chasing scenarios. Team TWISTEX's truck threatens to keep them on the sidelines on a promising tornado day. While team Dominator pursues an intercept, the TIV team is hoping to finally shoot their first ever 3D tornado footage... but tension in the vehicle has everyone on edge, and the crew is finding out that the only thing worse than having a chase ruined by the slick, Texas mud is to be helpless in the path of a tornado.
 

In the wake of the deadly and very large tornado outbreak (April 27, 2011), all three chase teams take time to help with the recovery effort. Team Tiv is in Smithville, Mississippi, and Team Dominator and Team Twistex are in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Motivated by the death and destruction they've witnessed, all three teams are rededicated to improving warning times and doing vital research on these deadly storms. Team Dominator fields a new, improved vehicle: the Dominator 2 and tracks a storm right toward one member's childhood home. Team TWISTEX outfits their truck with a brand new probe and a mobile Doppler radar, but mechanical issues threaten to sideline them again. Team TIV adds a mobile tornado siren and chases toward the heart of a twister to warn people while shooting 3D twister footage.
 

Team Dominator takes the day off, but when Team TIV scores a victory in Reed's own backyard, Reed vows to chase with a vengeance. Meanwhile, tensions within Team TWISTEX continues to rise as Tim grows more wary about his new equipment while chasing storms in Kansas.
 

A tornado outbreak in Elk City, Oklahoma, threatens to wreak havoc in team Dominator's backyard. The TIV team follows their navigator's bold prediction, with the success of their mission hanging in the balance. Tension over too much caution threatens to derail team TWISTEX's chase on a huge day.
 

Team Dominator risks everything to warn people in the path of a violent storm, but internal conflicts causes driver Joel to leave, complicating Team Dominator's operations. Still gun shy after witnessing devastation this season, Sean Casey starts to lack the passion of chasing storms, until a visit from his wife and a successful chase reignites Team TIV's fire. Team TWISTEX tries to brave the elements by chasing a tornado through a hail storm, but after their vehicles suffer damage, Tim has to swallow his pride and abandon the chase.
 

It's the last chase of the season, and Mother Nature is going out with a bang. Team Dominator's D2 is 100% ready the 1st time this season and they are chasing a monster tornado for a radar intercept. Team TWISTEX has one last chance to successfully deploy their probe while TIV still needs 3D footage from inside a twister. But how do you pick one that won't kill you?