“Dominate the Storm: A Heart-Pumping Evening” with Reed Timmer, America's Most Famous
Storm Chaser will kick off the “Ruth Pauley Speakers 2026-27 Season” on Tuesday, September
22 at 7 p.m. in the Owens Auditorium at the Bradshaw Performing Arts Center, 3395
Airport Road, Pinehurst, NC.
Having intercepted more than 1,000 tornadoes and a dozen powerful hurricanes since
he started chasing 20 years ago, Reed Timmer is well-known as the most successful
and extreme storm chaser in the world, and is one of the few people in existence to
document both an F5 tornado and the most devastating hurricane in U.S. history - Hurricane
Katrina.
Reed's "hands-on" experience with a vast assortment of hazardous weather and natural
disasters, as well as his extensive education in the science of meteorology, have
made him one of the world's most respected experts on severe weather forecasting,
safety, and survival. Reed is a strong advocate for extreme weather and disaster education
and conducts storm spotter seminars for the National Weather Service, emergency managers,
and the public. In 2015 he completed his Ph.D. in Meteorology.
As a star on Discovery Channel's Storm Chasers in 2008, Reed became the first person
in history to capture high-definition video inside a tornado. The eight-episode series
had a record 19 million viewers during the 2008 season and was one of the highest
rated shows on Discovery Channel. Reed has also appeared on all major news networks,
including Good Morning America with Diane Sawyer, CNN with Wolf Blitzer, CBS, NBC,
and The Weather Channel.
Reed is CEO of Weather Fusion, LLC, offering forensic meteorology and consulting services,
and extreme weather media. His tornado, hurricane, and blizzard footage has been licensed
to over 100 production companies and television networks since 1997 and has been seen
by hundreds of millions of people worldwide on television, internet, and mobile video
devices. He is also the lead meteorologist for WarningAware.com, an extreme weather
customized alerts company, and storm chaser for AccuWeather.
Admission to RPS events is free, but tickets are required. Free tickets for Reed Timmer's
Ruth Pauley Speakers presentation will be available beginning Aug. 21 through TicketMeSandhills.
The lobby door and box office open one hour before curtain. Concessions are available
at this performance: beer and wine (for ages 21+ with ID), and soda and snacks. Items
purchased at BPAC Concessions may be taken into the theatre. No outside food or drink
are permitted. Free parking is available on the Sandhills Community College campus.
Since 1987, Ruth Pauley Speakers has provided residents of the North Carolina Sandhills
and surrounding areas with the opportunity to benefit from a roster of renowned thinkers,
statesmen, artists, experts and other extraordinary speakers — at no charge. Ruth
Pauley Speakers does not censor language, images, or performances, or make any guarantees
of lecture content. We encourage parents to use their discretion when deciding if
a lecture is appropriate for their child. All children under 13 must be seated with
an adult at this RPS event. Children under 5 will not be permitted into the theatre.
Additional RPS events include:
- Dexter Ingram on October 20, 2026
- Cpt. Tom Murphy (USN Ret.) on November 10, 2026
- Lisa Briggs on March 23, 2027 of National Geographic Live With Briggs
- Lisa Doughten on April 27, 2027