How a Meteorologist’s Email Helped Shape a Young Storm Chaser’s Future
By Amy Howe
On the afternoon of May 22, 2011, the city of Joplin, Missouri, was calm. The sun was out, the breeze was warm and the temperature hovered in the upper 80s. Later that afternoon, an EF-5 tornado carved a path of destruction through Joplin, killing 161 people and injuring more than 1,000 others. But amidst the tragedy, a unique story of mentorship, destiny and human connection quietly began—one that would shape the future of a young weather enthusiast named Chad Crilley.
Chad was just 13 years old in May 2011. Living in sunny San Diego, his fascination with severe weather was born in front of a television screen.
“My parents tell me when I was 3 years old, I was glued to The Weather Channel,” Chad recalls. “By the time I was five, I was practicing doing my own weather reports in front of the television with the sound muted. I feel like I was born with this passion.”
Driven by curiosity and a desire to understand storms beyond the occasional drizzle in Southern California, Chad reached out to several meteorologists across the Central Plains. Most never responded. But one did—Doug Heady, chief meteorologist at KOAM in Joplin, Missouri.
“I mainly remember that I thought it was cool to see a kid with so much passion,” Doug says. “But of course, I thought Chad was just being a kid and not serious about coming to the Central Plains.”
Chad, however, was very serious. He and his mother made travel arrangements to visit Joplin during severe weather season. That decision—guided by intuition, passion and one meteorologist’s reply—placed them in the city on the very day that would change our community forever.
“When I first landed in Joplin a little past three that afternoon, I was excited,” Chad says. “I was watching thunderstorms develop on the radar. At most, I was expecting gusty winds and hail.”
Instead, he witnessed the unimaginable.
“As the weather progressively got worse and Joplin was placed under a tornado warning, I grew concerned and then downright terrified. I could see the radar signature depicting a violent tornado headed for Joplin,” Chad remembers. He and his mom sheltered in the kitchen of an Applebee’s restaurant as the tornado approached. “I remember believing that I was going to die and there was nothing I could do to change it.”
The tornado passed just north of their location. But the devastation was impossible to ignore. For Doug, who had been on-air tracking the storm, the experience was equally intense.
“I could say so much about that day,” Doug says. “One thing that really stands out is getting home around 1 a.m. and standing in the driveway looking at the stars. It was so peaceful—and so hard to imagine what took place just a few hours prior.”
For Chad, witnessing the tornado was life-changing. “While I already knew I wanted meteorology to be my lifelong career, my experience in Joplin gave me purpose. My purpose is to help protect lives in the face of dangerous weather. I knew that right away when I left Joplin.”
The tragedy also forged an enduring relationship between mentor and mentee. Doug and Chad stayed in touch, exchanging texts, calls and eventually visits. A few years later, Doug and his son traveled to San Diego and had dinner with Chad and his mom. When Chad graduated high school, he returned to Joplin and stayed at the Heady house. Doug even took him to Kansas City to meet his own mentors in the field.
“Doug and I have an incredible relationship today,” Chad says. “Doug’s help has meant everything to me and he has helped guide me every step of the way in a sometimes- complicated business.”
Doug feels the same. “Over the years, Chad and I stayed in touch a decent amount. I always knew he would become a meteorologist, so it has been great watching him chase his dreams. I definitely feel like a mentor with him—but also a friend.”
Chad has worked at several television stations across the country and most recently served as a chief meteorologist in Alabama. But with the rise of digital media, he’s leaned into a new frontier: streaming live weather coverage on TikTok and YouTube.
“I’ve been able to take advantage of some of these changes and now work as an independent broadcast meteorologist,” Chad explains. “I enjoy this work even more than traditional broadcast television because of how much more I can interact with viewers.”
Doug, now more than two decades into his own career, understands the evolving demands of the profession.
“Technology has been the biggest role change,” Doug says. “I used to do a 5, 6 and 10 p.m. newscast. Now, social media has taken over and the job is extremely demanding to perform on every single platform and can be extremely exhausting.”
Despite the changes, Doug remains deeply committed to his viewers—a community that’s become even more meaningful since the loss of his son, Christian, in 2021.
“We almost left the area after Christian passed,” Doug says. “But I didn’t want to leave my viewers. I’ve built such a bond with them over the past 22-plus years. They put their trust in me and that’s a lot of responsibility—and I’m proud to have that.”
That same sense of responsibility is something Chad now carries in his own work. He’s taken the lessons he learned in Joplin—both from the tornado and from Doug—and channeled them into his coverage of severe weather events.
“There have been several times that I’ve been covering a tornado warning live and been able to apply those lessons,” Chad says. “Most of what I cover is severe weather such as hail, wind and tornadoes. Although living near the tropics has helped me get acclimated to hurricanes, too.”
Doug reflects on his own mentors when thinking about his role in Chad’s journey. “My mentors always told me to pass it forward,” he says. “I always had great mentors growing up and I just want to make sure I do the same for others.”
And pass it forward he has. One email, one response, one open door—those simple actions helped launch a young boy’s dream into a meaningful, impactful career.
“I am a big universal energy person,” Doug says. “I believe that answering his emails and him coming out here on May 22 was just in the cards.”
Today, that belief has grown into something much larger—a testament to mentorship, resilience and the power of a single moment to change a life forever.
As Chad continues forecasting, streaming and saving lives through his work, he does so with the same passion he had at age three—and with the guidance of someone who once just answered an email from a curious kid.
“When I think about Doug’s impact, it’s overwhelming,” Chad says. “He’s not just a mentor. He’s part of the reason I’m here, doing what I love. I’ll always be grateful for that.”
And as for Doug, he’s just as proud.
“I’m proud Chad has followed his dreams,” Doug says. “But he has a lot of big things to come. He’s a very smart and talented young man.”
Today, Chad Crilley is living the dream he set out to chase as a young teenager, and Doug Heady continues to keep his viewers informed and prepared for the weather every day. Their connection—formed by a single email and strengthened by shared experiences—serves as a reminder that mentorship can leave a lasting impact. What started as a conversation between a curious kid and a local meteorologist has grown into a professional relationship built on trust, respect and a shared purpose: keeping people safe when it matters most.