Jim Leonard (photographer)

James M. Leonard
Born (1950-02-17)February 17, 1950
Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
Died November 3, 2014(2014-11-03) (aged 64)
West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.
Cause of death Cancer
Known for Early hurricane and tornado chaser and photographer
Website cyclonejim.com

Jim Leonard, aka "Cyclone Jim", (February 17, 1950 ‒ November 3, 2014) was an American professional storm chaser, photographer, and videographer. Intercepting severe weather including thunderstorms, tornadoes, hurricanes and typhoons,[1] he was among the earliest storm chasers. He was the first to photograph an anticyclonic tornado.[2]

Leonard, the son of Arthur H. Leonard, Jr. and Marjorie Irene Leonard,[3] was from south Florida and beginning in 1971 chased tropical cyclones in the United States and the Caribbean, as well as on Guam and Hawaii.[4] He sometimes moved to Guam during typhoon season. He was considered a preeminent tropical cyclone chaser. Leonard began chasing thunderstorms in 1974 and traveled across the Great Plains as well as locally in Florida where sea breeze interactions and waterspouts are common in summer.[5] He sometimes moved to Oklahoma during supercell season in Tornado Alley.[6] Leonard's photographs, films and videos have been licensed widely and featured prominently around the world. He was featured in numerous television broadcasts and magazine articles. He was a contributor to Storm Track magazine and his photographs appeared frequently in Weatherwise and other publications. 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

  1. ↑ Ravo, Nick (March 11, 1992). "Chasing the Wild Wind for Thrills and Profit". The New York Times.
  2. ↑ Fujita, T.T. (1977). "Anticyclonic Tornadoes". Weatherwise. 30 (2): 51–64. doi:10.1080/00431672.1977.9931796.
  3. ↑ Miami Herald Obituaries: James Michael Leonard (2/17/1950 - 11/3/2014)
  4. ↑ Svenvold, Mark (2005). Big Weather: Chasing Tornadoes in the Heart of America. New York: Holt. ISBN 978-0805076462.
  5. ↑ Bedard, Richard (1996). In the Shadow of the Tornado: Stories and Adventures from the Heart of Storm Country. Norman, OK: Gilco Pub. ISBN 978-0964952713.
  6. ↑ Edwards, Charles (2003). "Who Are We?". Cloud 9 Tours. Archived from the original on 2003-04-07. Retrieved 2014-06-24.

External links

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