Jim Leonard (photographer)
Jim Leonard | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 17, 1950 |
| Known for | Early hurricane and tornado chaser and photographer |
| Website | cyclonejim |
Jim Leonard (b. February 17, 1950) is an American professional storm chaser, photographer, and videographer. Intercepting severe weather including thunderstorms, tornadoes, hurricanes and typhoons, he was among the earliest storm chasers. He was the first to photograph an anticyclonic tornado.
Leonard is from south Florida and has since 1971 chased tropical cyclones in the United States and the Caribbean, as well as on Guam and Hawaii. He sometimes moved to Guam during typhoon season. He is considered a preeminent tropical cyclone chaser. Leonard began chasing thunderstorms in 1974 and travels across the Great Plains as well as locally in Florida where sea breeze interactions and waterspouts are common in summer. He sometimes moved to Oklahoma during supercell season in Tornado Alley.[1] Leonard's photographs, films and videos have been licensed widely and featured prominently around the world. He has been featured in numerous television broadcasts and magazine articles. He was a contributor to Storm Track magazine. Leonard was also an early and respected storm chasing tour guide, working with Charles Edwards for Cloud 9 Tours, where George Kourounis and Mike Theiss also are guides.
See also
References
- ^ Edwards, Charles (2003). "Who Are We?". Cloud 9 Tours. Archived from the original on 2003-04-07. Retrieved 2014-06-24.