Ever since he was a kid, Reed had a fascination with storms. “Initially, I was scared to death of thunder and lightning,” he told the publication. “But there’s a fine line between fear and curiosity, and I just developed a deep passion for storms.”

Reed went on to study meteorology at the University of Oklahoma, where he also received his doctorate in the subject. Although Reed’s known for his own viral videos of storm chasing, he’s also worked within the weather news circuits for KFOR-TV and AccuWeather.