Uploaded June 2023 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
WNDU-TV in South Bend, Indiana produced a week long series that featured the Valparaiso Storm Intercept Team [VUSIT] in mid May 1998. Mike Hoffman, the station's chief meteorologist at the time along with a WNDU crew set out to follow, document and showcase VUSIT during one of the annual Spring storm chase field programs the meteorology department offered. This was an era before high quality cellular video streaming. All mobile broadcasts by WNDU were done via a large satellite [SNG] truck, making it a difficult task at times to keep up with an armada of smaller vehicles. The station managed to produce a nice set of field video features on the students and meteorology department staff. For those from the VU meteorology class of 1997-2001, many familiar faces appear in the segments.
I recorded these daily evening news segments from the original live WNDU news broadcasts in May 1998. Enjoy the time warp to another era!
Video © WNDU-TV
WNDU-TV in South Bend, Indiana produced a week long series that featured the Valparaiso Storm Intercept Team [VUSIT] in mid May 1998. Mike Hoffman, the station's chief meteorologist at the time along with a WNDU crew set out to follow, document and showcase VUSIT during one of the annual Spring storm chase field programs the meteorology department offered. This was an era before high quality cellular video streaming. All mobile broadcasts by WNDU were done via a large satellite [SNG] truck, making it a difficult task at times to keep up with an armada of smaller vehicles. The station managed to produce a nice set of field video features on the students and meteorology department staff. For those from the VU meteorology class of 1997-2001, many familiar faces appear in the segments.
I recorded these daily evening news segments from the original live WNDU news broadcasts in May 1998. Enjoy the time warp to another era!
Video © WNDU-TV
![Storm Chasers [1996] with Matt Biddle and Mark Herndon, CBC](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/NGj6KFwYJXY/mqdefault.jpg "Storm Chasers [1996] with Matt Biddle and Mark Herndon, CBC
The media circus surrounding the topic of storm chasing, storm chasers and the Hollywood blockbuster film Twister reached a crescendo in mid-1996. It seemed wherever one turned, mostly on television, were interviews with seasoned storm chasers [or those intentionally seeking notoriety] about the realities of the topic. This interview by the Canadian Broadcast Company spotlights two chasers whom were directly associated with aiding the some elements in the development of Twister, Matt Biddle and Mark Herndon.
Matt Biddle was working on his MS in geography at the University of Oklahoma and participated in Project VORTEX 94-95, as part of the Probe 3 crew. His eccentric personal vehicle, a decked out Chevy El Camino, along with his Moderate Risk + Some Fear promotional branding and storm chase highlight videotape productions of that era were all fun parts of his personality. Afflicted by numerous health ailments since birth, his determination and drive was inspiring to anyone who knew him. Matt passed away on April 10, 2018.
A tribute to Matt Biddle by Dr. Chuck Doswell can be accessed here: http://cadiiitalk.blogspot.com/2018/04/a-tribute-to-matt-biddle-my-friend-and.html
Mark Herndon signed onto the 1995-96 Twister production as a consultant and storm chaser, leading actors out on actual storm treks and guided film crews [with Biddle] to aid in capturing actual storm cinematography that was intermixed with computer simulations in the film. Herndon, an avid rock climber and self-admitted thrill seeker began chasing in the late 1980s and joined up with Biddle prior to the inception of Twister.
This CBC interview with Biddle and Herndon is an excellent representation of how storm chasing was both achieving a foothold in popular culture, yet still remained in humble territory for what was to come a decade later. In 2014, I interviewed both Matt and Mark for the Storm Chasing Anthology documentary project, but Matts health had taken a turn for the worse which made long conversations problematic. This perhaps is the best interview I am aware of that featured both Matt and Mark.
Video © 1996 CBC, All Rights Reserved. The Twister clips were furnished to media outlets worldwide for promotion of the film and are © 1996 Warner Bros. and Amblin Entertainment.")
