He also has a 501c non profit that helps a ton in tornado hit places. He really shines when the weather is bad so the less I see of him live, actually the better.
Him along with Max Velocity are my two go to weather guys either live or just doing forecast videos.
Max is great! I appreciate everything Ryan does, but sometimes his attitude towards his viewers bothers me. He lets chat get to his head fairly often. Andy is amazing, I always watch Ryans streams when he's on.
Out of the two Max is definitely my go to! He is in college so sometimes his streams are later in the day when schools in, but times like now he's been very consistently covering severe weather and the current hurricaine. Plus, hes a lot more laid back and chill with his viewers in my opinion. Both of them do amazing things for the community.
True, Max seems more energetic and excited about it, which makes watching easier, but Ryan’s main purpose and intent is to warn people. I will say, Max covers absolutely everything, if there’s a day without tornados but just strong thunderstorms, he’ll be streaming talking about bullshit of what the storm COULD do, but is extremely extremely unlikely to do
Gonna give another shoutout to Max Velocity. Calm and even-keeled and I like that he raises money for the victims. Living in WI we have had some tornado warnings lately and he’s always my go-to.
He gave me some serious peace of mind while we were hunkered in our basement. I was trying to watch the weather channel, but they were showing like... Ice road truckers or something. It's amazing how random folks on the internet are better than the paid professionals in a studio.
I don’t live in a traditional tornado alley. Locally, I actually have found locally active storm chasers/spotters to have better ground intel than the local news. I still like the local news, but I’ve found that some of the storm chasers/spotters in my state call things roughly 10-15mins before the news. I think this is why it is good to have a few different sources of weather info. Spotters and chasers called out an EF3 a full 12 minutes before the storm had a tornado warning and any information from the local news. I was standing outside watching rotation in the wall cloud over my house getting pelted with golfball sized hail and there was nothing on the news.
Spotters and the local chase community got sirens set off in the nearest town and were all over Facebook saying the same things I was saying to neighbors on the phone, since we lived 3 miles from the nearest sirens. “This looks bad. This is a dangerous storm, please get into shelter. This is not going to be a weak tornado.”
Literally my only critique is that pronouncing town names correctly IS important for the sake of warning, especially if he covers repeat areas. Otherwise, definitely prefer Max over Ryan.
I follow both Ryan Hall and Max Velocity. Probably go to MV more, but I'm newer to both, so don't have a strong feeling about either honestly. But definitely have enjoyed both their works. I know MV has been live daily for the last like 12 days straight with morning updates as well, and RH (maybe due to vacation?) Went quiet for about 8 of those days. But I sub to both and enjoy watching both from what I've seen.
I did see his footage of Greenfield I believe. That was the crazy multivortex one that destroyed the windmill? Gnarly looking, but amazing to see at the same time?
>reed timmer
I got destroyed for this opinion once before, but I truly don’t understand why people like him.
Oh look, yelling and cussing at other drivers while he himself is driving like an asshole. 10/10 must watch
Reed is insane. Not in a bad way...just in the same way you might view a tornado in the middle of nowhere. Is it a little scary and rambunctious? Yes. Is it doing any serious harm? No, not really, and it's pretty cool to watch as well.
in a bad way. he can speed past main streets going 50 in a 30 zone not wearing seatbelts driving into the middle of a tornado all he wants, but its irresponsible
Didn’t he just recently put a passenger in serious danger?
https://www.reddit.com/r/stormchasing/s/4HZoLuUA3Y
so, ya know, yeah it could do serious harm. It hasn’t yet, but his behavior and antics are ripe for the opportunity
When he destroyed a rental vehicle on purpose chasing gorilla hail I decided enough was enough and stopped tuning into him. Some of the chasing community has been getting a bit out of line this year and it's very disappointing. I consider him one of those who needs to start behaving better.
It’s as simple as he finds more tornados then anyone else basically. IMO Ryan hall has fell off a lil. He doesn’t seems to have cams on the ground near as much as he used to so you end up watching radar for hours most the time.
Rees Timmer has ADHD, and as someone who also has ADHD and absolutely FLIPS OUT when I experience something incredible, I get it.
I get this excited whenever my friends talk about getting married or having a baby or reaching a goal. Heck, I make Reed look calm!
Ok **long story short**
Ryan Hall has come up in a lot of controversy, most importantly two major factors
1. He is not a meteorologist, nor has an education for it
2. He tends to get himself in some rather precarious situations such as:
- His chase car being totaled because of a blown stop sign resulting in a crash (he wasn’t the driver however)
- The whole click bait doomcasting portrayal of some weather events, resulting in being called out by [James Spann](https://spann.substack.com/p/fear-porn-in-the-weather-enterprise) and other meteorologists
What needs to be said is he has a crew of actually educated meteorologists working for him and that he does bring lots of support to areas hit by storms. There's no reason you shouldn't watch him live, however, I'd always use a second source for his precautionary content.
Hope this helps!
(Edit: Reformatted and clarified about the crash)
I love "Meteorologist Andy Hill." He looks like he's about 16, but he definitely knows his stuff so I believe the title. If Ryan didn't have Andy, his channel wouldn't be nearly as popular as it is.
Agreed! Andy is awesome! I watch sometimes just to see him working the radar. He reads radar faster than any other meteorologist I watch.
He has his own channel on YouTube now as well.
I was wondering why I haven't seen his usual clickbait YouTube preview screens of late. He's been very quiet about Beryl and its potential for mainland US. Getting called about by Spann is definitely a wake-up call.
I agree about the titles on his videos. They are pretty typical for youtube, because the title and thumbnail are the most important aspect of grabbing viewers. I suppose from Ryan's POV - it's a good thing because more views = more awareness and more subscribers, which can translate into more money for channel maintainence, employees, the non-profit etc. Not saying it's right or wrong. But yeah, I wouldn't use any single source for information if I'm expecting severe weather. Nobody should.
***"THIS NEXT WEATHER SYSTEM IS GOING TO FUCK US RIGHT UP THE FUCKING BUTTHOLE."***
But seriously, I get it, just the nature of youtube/social media unfortunately.
Here’s the thing though. He’s not talking about advanced meteorology topics. He’s reading the radar and explaining it to the viewers in real time. When a more difficult / technical thing comes up, he tosses it to Andy. That seems entirely fair to me.
As for the doom baiting.. that’s just YT. It’s how the platform has developed over time. It sucks, but the more clicks you get the more eyes you get the more money and the more people who get warned. If we have to deal with click bait titles for all of that.. oh well.
Your first point is essentially what I tried to get at with my conclusion ha, guess I should probably go re-word it.
And yeah it's unfortunate how YouTube works and stuff, it's still worth mentioning as it's a major part of the controversy in the past few years.
Yeah. Like if you watch Reeds videos on weather events and stuff he’s just talking about all of these terms and advanced stuff that.. no lay person has any idea what that means. Ryan is like “purple dot bad. Big wind.” (Basically)
And I agree on the YT thing. I also hate the fucking thumbnails now. (Not Ryan’s) with the comical over the top expressions of shock or whatever they look like bobble heads.
I appreciate the description of Reed’s streams. I have several meteorology textbooks on my bookshelf, which started when I began chasing and heard a couple talks from Reed. The glossary started as my most used section. From someone who also gets extremely excited and dumps every little bit of relevant info on a person, I feel like Reed does the same thing, but with about 3 decades of info in a couple seconds.
When I started getting really interested in severe weather, we had a local retired aviation meteorologist who taught a single meteorology class at the community college and was very willing to answer questions. You could tell it was his passion. He started in the field in Vietnam and was old enough to remember meeting Fujita and the F scales’ development. Really fascinating to get all that history in one guy who would just chat with you over coffee for hours. I would ask him questions about concepts I heard briefly on an episode with Reed (back when Reed had TVN media.) My old prof loved to go into great detail about things but also was great at translating them into more digestible small chunks. Microbursts were his absolute favorite phenomena to explain. I found him really helpful at giving me more old school style knowledge and that was great, though I also remember doing a lot of shear and probability calculations on paper. Now I catch things on Reed’s streams and it feels almost like an inside joke.
Spann has offhand mentioned things like flashing red lights and sirens during live streams as well as the thumbnails. Ryan and team completely redesigned how they present warnings after Spann’s comments. The siren and flashing red lights are gone. The new presentation is softer, much less likely to trigger those who have storm anxiety, but still very effective. The language on the thumbnails has gotten less click baity as well.
It wasn't a singled out thing but rather towards the clickbait genre as a whole in weather. The link is embedded in the message, but here's it again
https://spann.substack.com/p/fear-porn-in-the-weather-enterprise
He called out people LIKE Ryan Hall. He didn't need to say names (would probably get sued). We all know who he was talking about. There are some on YT who are even worse, but I lump them in with the HAARP and chemtrail crowd and ignore them.
So Ryan read an article, reflected on it, thought it could possible apply to him, and corrected his behavior.
Which is exactly what all of us should be doing to live life correctly.
Iirc, he wasn't driving the truck when it crashed. He was the passenger. His driver missed the stop sign in the heavy rain. Thankfully, nobody was hurt.
I mean do you really need a meteorology degree to be able to understand the weather, models, and NWS guidance? All he is doing is translating that in layman terms for people who are curious about the weather. He’s not making the actual forecasts.
Question, if he's giving people advanced warning and he's routinely spotting unwarned tornadoes, and gives solid advice and analysis repeatedly...then why should anyone care about his educational background? I work with lots of engineers (and am one myself), there are plenty of highly educated morons out there.
I would honestly credit Andy for calling out most of the unwarned tornadoes. He seems to have a preternatural sense for storms (not unlike Reed). The other day he worked with Max and was calling out early tornadogenesis and unwarneds that Max was missing.
It might seem like splitting hairs since he's part of Ryan's team, but I think he deserves some stand-alone acknowledgment of his amazing work.
It’s controversy because he’s honestly been unfairly scrutinized/hated on by the weather community. They used the stop sign crash event as an opportunity to bully him for having the dumb wrap and lights on his truck. Then they overreacted about the clickbait titles because they didn’t want to be wrong about their negative first impression. People remain overly skeptical to this day because of their negative first impression, and they don’t want to admit they are wrong.
He was going to school for meteorology but dropped out to pursue basically what he’s doing now, not wanting to pursue television. Not sure how late in the process he left but if I recall it was fairly far into it so while he doesn’t have a degree he does have a good bit of formal education in meteorology.
James Spann does not call out Ryan Hall in his pit. He talks about social media and weather in general and displays some thumbnails from a number of channels, one of which looks like one of Ryan’s. He does not name any individual or channel. Using that article as an indictment of Ryan in particular is a big stretch.
As something else to add. He portrays information he provides during forecast videos as his own and not from the meteorologists he employs. Along with this he also says something on the lines of “and the NWS/SPC agrees with me”. This, to me, makes it come across as above actual forecast professionals.
Ryan does alot of good but he is not without flaws.
I happened upon Ryan through a local subreddit during local severe weather. I appreciated that. A few days later, during more severe weather, I looked for Ryan but came upon Max Velocity instead. Turns out that Max goes live much more than Ryan. Max has been live nearly every day for the past week and a half, simply because there’s been so much weather to talk about. Because of this, my go-to is Max. He has one more year left of obtaining his Bachelors in meteorology. I love his oomph for weather, which he says he’s had since childhood. I’ve become a fast fan. I’ll still watch Ryan if he comes on. It just isn’t often imo. I suggest to check them both out and enjoy them both.
I love Max, but he hasn't been streaming every day because the weather is that crazy, he's been streaming every day because he's a college kid on summer break with nothing better to do but rake in some cash from donations and ad revenue. Which is no shade to him, it's his job and I respect the hustle. I love his low-key streams without severe weather because he engages a lot with the chat and those are the streams I learn the most about weather because he has time to explain radar and pull up examples and such.
I don't think Max has been on completely for the hustle. I think it's more along the lines of your description of being a college kid on summer break who likes to hang out with the people in the chat when he needs some company. Making some money on the side while he's doing so is a perk (though I don't absolutely love the increase in sponsorships in general).
His live coverage is usually two steps ahead of the NWS when it comes to calling out dangerous storms and even tornado emergencies.
Especially when Andy Hill is on the stream.
Hill is a wizard.
I saw him call a tornado warning minutes before it was issued from *two pixels* on reflectivity.
In a situation where minutes make a difference, Hall's live streams are valuable.
I have said those exact words about Andy. "Yeah hey Ryan I'm looking at this storm that looks barely threatening and I think it's going to get warned" *Literally 20 minutes later* "Yeah hey Ryan that random pixel I saw just got warned".
There's a video of him getting emotional about a tornado hitting a town and like, he cares so much. Love whenever he pops up.
I believe that was the one that hit west Ohio a couple months ago. As it moved east he gave a projected trajectory to hit dead center where my daughter lives. I was a wreck because his demeanor was something I had never seen before, choked up. He even said people are going to die or something to that effect and he was right.
I began texting my daughter to warn her and to take it seriously and do not pay attention to the local news reporting it many minutes after Ryan called it... if they reported it at all as it continued to move east along with all the other tornadoes that day. It changed trajectory 20 mins before it hit about 20 mins north of her. It's unnerving to know, from Ryan, each time it was on the ground and when it lifted briefly. The local news is like. The radar looks like we could have a tornado. The storm is moving east. Umm, duh. They are a joke.
Was this the Celina storm? Wapak maybe? I live in Western Ohio and we had a pretty rough spring. The local news is hit or miss depending on who is on duty. Channel 2 has good coverage but are often late to the show. Channel 7 is on top of it, but almost as click-baity as YouTube. When the guy on 7 once said something like "I wouldn't get too concerned about this" while a tornado was on the ground I wanted to reach through the TV and strangle him. I and a few others spotted that storm and I remember I had just gotten off the phone with NWS when he said that. Lol, I'm getting angry again just thinking about it.
That's absurd for a station to do that. There was a video just the other day of an EF1 tornado randomly popping up and flipping a truck. That's almost as weak as they go and it still did THAT. So literally ANY funnel is something to be aware/worried about. YEESH.
Wapakoneta, yes. So those in Central Ohio had a real good idea, from Ryan and people reporting in the comments what they were seeing IRL (certainly not our local news), the damage it was doing and that it was heading our way. There were many other areas also hit but the worst was Wapak. Lots of destruction just outside of Columbus to the west, then north, then east as it skipped along.
Still remember Andy calling out the Locket Texas storm (sorry for spelling) when it occluded and went straight for them. He gave like 9 minutes of additional warning time.
Andy can even call a tornado’s possible movement path just from one scan. I remember one stream probably a year ago when a tornado occluded right for a small town and he called it right before it happened. The way Andy can correctly interpret data in real time is insane to me as a total novice radar watcher.
He called a tornado in my county. As soon as Andy said my county name I told my family we gotta go. We didn’t have a warning yet, a previous one had expired, but i literally told them “if this guy says it’s coming, we gotta go”. My town was hit with a EF-1 tornado not long after.
His Rolling Fork coverage saved actual lives. The more people are weather aware the better. The weather is a spectacle for a lot of people, until it hits their area. Then his streams are on the ground data from storm chasers, accurate radar readings, and strong terminology use being live streamed to you with maybe a few seconds delay.
He is the modern day Jim Cantores imo
If a bad storm was coming to me his stream and Radar Omega are what I'm keeping my eyes on all day.
2nd all this. He’s very good. Purists and gatekeepers view him with hostility because he does not have a meteorology degree and because he self-promotes his channel. I ignore the drama and watch him, as well as others, when severe weather is afoot.
There have been several instances of severe weather in Central Texas where he has gone live, accompanied by multiple storm chasers, to calmly explain the situation and warnings in layman’s terms. In contrast, news broadcasts might feature only one field vehicle alongside a meteorologist. Other YouTube channels often either show only radar images or live-stream their chases, which isn’t always very helpful. The coverage that both of these provide are often a bit more reactionary and sensationalized than his streams, because that’s the way weather has traditionally been broadcasted to people.
A tornado literally hit my town earlier this year. Ryan Hall had us in the basement waiting it out before any warning was issued. The actual tornado had already hit town before NWS and our local news issued a warning, and our sirens never even went off.
It was only an EF0 and my house wasn't hit, but Ryan gained two loyal followers that night.
I find him more... entertaining I guess to watch than actual storm chasers. Storm chasers these days are just wannabe cops with their speeding and all the lights on their cars. I have a real problem with how they conduct themselves
My biggest worry with novice storm chasers is that so many rely on other chasers for guidance. Like, they don’t know which direction to go in for safety, but the white car that drove by seems to so let’s follow him! I can just see it resulting in a cavalcade of chasers driving straight into a tornado.
Reed Timmer tweeted where he was chasing yesterday, then when there's so many chasers, both professional & local in one area, Reed's boy Brian had the nerve to chastise people because poor Reed got in a bit traffic jam & had to slow down.
Believe it or not, many local fire depts have trained spotters out in the mix of 'chasers' & they have as much right to be on those roads as Reed Timmer & his latest Dominator.
Reed made storm chasing popular & now he's angry because he's not the only one on the road. Can't have it both ways.
Oh! I am not saying there is no fault with veteran chasers. In fact, I would even postulate that the influx of novice chasers is a direct result of how some storm chasers present themselves on social media. People see storm chasing as a way to chase clout. On that note, I am also aware that not every storm chaser is there to chase money and fame and I am also not saying that every novice storm chaser is an idiot with no reason to be there.
The issue is with the crowd itself and mob mentality. I forget which storm chaser talked about it- I want to say Pescos Hank- but there seems to be a real problem with storm chasers falling into the lemming effect. A bunch of people who are not sure on which way to go/don’t have the experience or trust in themselves sees someone who appears to be confidently driving off into one direction so they figure that is the right choice and follow. The more people following that one car, the more people think that the crowd must be correct and may go against their own judgement to follow. To me, this seems like a set up for disaster when there are nados involved.
Ryan is a good dude and runs a good channel. You have to figure that most people in rural areas aren't paying for cable so youtube and a smart phone can be a lifeline. Ryan was ahead of the game in regards to realizing that. With declining cable and radio viewership I believe his channel and the format is the future of weather news and forecasting. As was mentioned previously, ryan and andy sniff out tornadoes minutes before the NWS at times. I totally understand the flak he catches for the clickbait titles but that is an endemic Youtube problem so while most don't condone it I certainly can't blame him for doing so.
That's my favorite thing about Hall.
He understands the importance and the limits of communication effectiveness during severe weather events.
Given that a lot of people under severe weather may not have a good data signal, his constant pleas for viewers to call anyone they know in impacted areas to spread the warnings have probably saved lives.
I look at his clickbait like this... He's saving lives. If clickbait gets people to watch, it may be their life he saves. But to be honest, I've never read a title thinking it was clickbait. This is serious stuff and I bet the people who's entire towns have been wiped off the map don't think its clickbait either. If people want to call it clickbait, okay, but I dont.
I’ve always felt like Ryan’s been absolutely professional and dignified with his mission. Like people here have already said, he leads the pack with the nowcasting — something which the Weather Channel has forgotten over the years in their pursuit of ad money and … whatever the hell you call their reality tv shows. Unlike TWC, he doesn’t play favorites — if there’s a storm in your area, he’ll cover it, where TWC has the habit of omitting coverage for lightly populated areas in preference for commercials and Ice Road Truckers. Multiple times already this year alone he called out probable tornadoes minutes in advance of NOAA warnings, which most certainly has saved lives. On top of that, like another person said, he runs a 501c non profit that renders aid to storm victims, which is really freaking awesome.
… that and I don’t ever feel compelled to mute his channel, unlike certain storm chasers who pretty much become audibly obnoxious.
When your town is threatened by the tornado he is focused on, he’s a good choice. If your town happens to be threatened by any of the other tornadoes that he is ignoring, time to switch to Max Velocity.
I actually had no idea until today that Ryan isn't himself a meteorologist because I've often credited his ability to explain weather machinations in plain English.
Sadly, the folks who are easier to watch and listen are probably all enthusiasts. The good meteorologists with camera presence are all pros.
But for tornados specifically, Ryan and Andy do a great job as a team without sending your dog running into the bunker every time a plastic bag flies through the air.
I remember him saying he worked as a meteorologist for the local news station before he decided to do it on YouTube - how was he able to do that if he doesn't have a degree for it? I thought he did until reading this thread today too.
I've only been watching them for a couple months, but aside from the thumbnail they seem pretty informational and honest. Maybe they were different before then.
This is a good assessment. I enjoy the live coverage but the way the forecasts are titled on YouTube is like the world is ending. Usually the forecast itself is not ‘world is ending’. I do understand that they have to sensationalize the forecasts/videos to get people to watch.
This, 100%. His doom-forecasting is horrendous and he sincerely needs to stop because it isn't helpful content. His live streams are fantastic when Andy Hill chimes in, that man is incredible at what he does. I will say Ryan seems to focus too much on a single tornado instead of continuously going between the warnings though. It's like, one of them gets a PDS tag and he ignores everything else even if those also get upgraded.
I really appreciate all of the feedback, and most of all, for all of the civility in giving the feedback. I’ve given him a sub and will be watching his content, as well as Max Velocity who I just found out about thanks to you all. This subreddit truly is *rare* for Reddit lol thanks again and God bless,friends! Be safe!
Having read a lot of comments I'll chime in my two cents. We've been having some wild weather where I live, and sometimes I need to keep an eye on what is going on. Local news does their best, and honestly, they're great in a pinch, but when my cable goes out, I can still watch Ryan or Max Velocity on YouTube without any interruption. It's been great peace of mind when bad weather is rolling through.
I don't care that neither are meteorologists, because while that would be great, they're getting information out to people quickly and with little fanfare, no waiting through commercials or other dross. They might not always be right, but if they're getting someone to their basement a little quicker, that helps a lot.
You have to take any information that anyone gives with a grain of salt, but it's not difficult to spot when something bad is happening and if you watch them, you're going to get decent information. It might not be perfect, but it's better than nothing when you have no power, and can't get a live weather stream from your local forecaster. I appreciate what they do, and I don't pay attention to the drama, because there is SO MUCH DRAMA on youtube, it's actually kind of ridiculous.
Do what keeps you safe, and use the opportunity to be weather aware if you live somewhere where dangerous storms happen.
I like Ryan Hall and Andy Hill a lot. I don't really love the rest of the team Ryan has assembled. Ryan is so professional in his setup and streams, and then his team feels like amateur hour. I'm sure Chris and Chandra and Elijah are lovely people, but they seem like children to me and it gives an immaturity to the streams that is jarring to me in the face of Ryan and Andy's extreme professionalism.
Side note that is irrelevant to weather prediction: I appreciate Andy SO MUCH for being an out gay man and doing what he does. As a bi woman, it makes me feel safer, like I have a place and can be accepted in the weather community.
While I get people don’t like the “world-ending” click bait stuff, that’s just smart promoting on a media platform that relies on click-bait.
Journalism does the same thing, we learned that as communication majors in college and it was part of my marketing and advertising classes. Ryan, Max, and all the rest of the YouTube weather guys — they know what they are doing to get people to watch or subscribe. And really, have you seen Reeds?
Weather is important news and information, but some of these guys are also making a business out of it as well. Know your audience.
Ryan Hall, Meteorologist Andy Hill, and Ryan’s crew are top notch.
Max Velocity has been my go-to when Ryan isn’t on.
TRD Pro Storm Chasers as my 3rd.
Reed Timmer has been my version of Jim Cantore for over 15 years. 😂
Ryan is very calm and speaks facts. Himself, Andy Hill and Elijah are all informative.
He conveys urgency when needed.
These are the same reasons I like Max Velocity and Evan Fryberger.
I was so impressed with Evan, was it May or June, when he bailed on his livestream to go do search and rescue because of the tornados that hit his area. He returned later since there was no need for S&R but he was willing to go do it, especially when there were subsequent tor-warned storms moving back into his area. Class act.
Ryan is stable and consistent imo. He has a pattern, and when things are kicking off he makes sure to cover the right areas. Andy Hall is a tornado savant. There are also some funny moments and he can make jokes and not be too serious when appropriate. I’ve never understood negativity about him. His charity does a lot to help too.
Just like with anything else, the people who feel compelled to post about him are generally the ones with extreme opinions. The silent majority just kind of accept his position in the weather community for what it is
I can’t stand his livestream chat lmao I only watch if my area is in a risk zone.
Mods will link/list the rules then proceed to tell people to block people who are breaking the rules if it bothers them. I typically watch with chat on just because people will say if someone has something on their feed etc. but yeah it just gets annoying🙄it was really frustrating though to be watching him while in a high risk zone with sirens going off and him ignoring the warning going off, you don’t have to sit and explain just be like hey this area, get in your shelter!! I’ve seen multiple times of him ignoring confirmed tornado warnings to continue speaking about the one he’s on, you already acknowledged it, acknowledge the other people please. I ended up having to turn on the local weather and another YouTuber
No kidding. Watching his chat panel during an outbreak is so depressing. Tornado in Nebraska? Someone in Virginia will ask when the tornado is hitting them. Either people failed geography in class or they're trolls. Then people get mad because Ryan won't provide the forecast for Poughkeepsie when the tornadoes are in Texas. Then there's the HAARPers and chemtrailers. YT chat brings out the worst in people.
For me.... I love the low key production vibe of Max Velocity filled with his detailed knowledge. He can be ready to go in very short notice. Even when he is meant to be on vacation -- kudos there!
Ryan is now such a big production that I feel he has passed his ability to connect with viewers. He looks so tired all the time. He has lost so much excitement and passion :(( It feels like each stream needs day to prepare for... and as we have all seen lately severe weather is less predictable than ever. Ryan will likely miss big opportunities because of this.
Does anyone remember David Schlotthauer? I enjoyed many of his severe weather streams back in the day : ))
Regardless, I appreciate all streamers getting the warnings out :)))
He also has an infant and a toddler. Even though his wife is probably their primary caretaker, having kids that small demands so much energy it would exhaust most parents. Add that to the channel and the charity, and I'm not surprised that he looks tired.
His streams do have a lot of moving parts, so it does take longer to put one together. And yeah, some things will get missed. It's a trade-off and he's got to draw the line somewhere. I've only heard of Max Velocity recently from some other thread here, but he seems a lot more agile in that respect. That's neither good nor bad; they both have their benefits.
Honestly the biggest issue is that his fans are rabid. I see spam posts with his "Hall Yall" everytime something weather related is mentioned. Ryan himself seems fine but he has a cult like following nowadays.
Personally, I don't find the streams helpful in an actual emergency unless I'm too busy to watch myself. Max Velocity and Ryan Hall tend to focus heavily on the worst tornado at the time with Max Velocity being a bit better at flipping around to different tornadoes. The two times I watched Ryan for my area it was an outbreak and Ryan has completely missed a few EF1 and EF2 tornadoes out my way. Luckily, I am pretty dangerous with radar and tracked them myself and it missed by a half mile. Again, completely acceptable but this should be noted that you can be much faster than them (when seconds are valuable) to notice tornadoes with an app and a couple hours of research on different radar scans.
He’s just a dude who does forecasting and livestreams severe weather with commentary on science and the chasers in the field. He’s educated but didn’t complete his meteorology program I believe, but he’s had people in his chat share personal stories and he’s factually saved lives.
It’s sort of like if you have a local news channel and you like the personality of the meteorologist vs if you don’t. If you do, then you’ll grow to view them as a trusted and reliable source to seek out when info is needed, and potentially in the worst case scenario, a person you’d trust with your safety. If you don’t like them, you’ll just find another channel.
No big controversy with him that I’m aware of. I personally really like the guy, watching his streams reminds me of hanging out in my college dorm listening to the engineering guys talk about infrastructure. He just gives the really chill vibe, and many are into that. He also has a really great non profit that’s awesome about responding to disasters. As a Mississippian, I was so proud of and warmed by his response to Rolling Fork. He’s a cool dude.
I wouldn’t let fandoms, followers, or commenters influence your opinions on something unless they’re pointing out that the object of hate/adoration is like, a closet serial killer or something. Fandoms are militant these days and I would’ve missed out on some great personalities if I’d let them influence so heavily who I followed. With Ryan it’s gonna be really based on whether you like his personality or not and you find him a trustworthy source.
Edit: people are mentioning Max Velocity as well and he really is such a gem, very different vibe from Ryan too lol. I watch them both!
2nd edit: and also Andy Hill. Ryan is worth watching just for Andy tbh
For me personally, Ryan is located in Pikeville, KY, so he focuses on local weather a lot more than most of the other guys, because it affects him too. I really like Max Velocity as well if I'm just watching storms that aren't affecting me, but if it's local, I'm watching Ryan 100%. Come for Ryan Hall, stay for Meteorologist Andy Hill.
I will not support Ryan Hall. While I don’t know the entire situation, agreements were made with some storm chasers and he did not keep his end of the bargain. Can’t support someone who doesn’t keep their word.
My main beef with RH (besides his doom thumbnails) is that he only streams on 10% or 15% or higher risk days. I forget the exact number. We've had some pretty nasty tornados on lower (but not zero) risk days, and he was nowhere to be found. Some people don't apparently know how to find other weather live-streamers. I guess he has a full-time job or something that means he can't just run into the studio and start streaming whenever a big tornado surprises everyone.
I know something negative went down when Carly Anna Wx left RH's team, but I never heard specifics. I know of some chasers who start out on the team and then left.
RH redeems himself with Andy and with his Y'all Squad giving out money and serving food after outbreaks though. These guys found a need that NWS and local meteorologists couldn't fill. I still appalls me to see TV meteorologists showing radar images that are of much poorer quality than all the tools the YT streamers have. Just this year, I've been sitting here watching Radar Omega and screaming at our local NWS and TV stations asking why they're not warning storms with obvious couplets, CC drops, and what not (at least one of our locals WILL issue their own informal warnings when the NWS is dragging its feet).
he has some good people as part of his crew but also a lot of amateur storm chasers who probably shouldn't be platformed to the degree he platforms them.
a few of them will pick a storm to chase, and because their air time is dependent on the severity of their chosen system, they fall into the trap of overhyping little radar blips. they will say over and over "it's trying to do something". it's a boy who cried wolf situation imo.
I watch and trust them both. Ryan is great on the big days (10% hatched risk or greater), but in those lighter days max is definitely my go to since he streams more. I don’t have a favorite. I also love the fact that Ryan has his 501c to help people after these extreme weather events. The y’all squad is definitely a huge positive, but it I won’t fault max for not having a 501c (not sure if he does or not, I haven’t heard him talk about it so i assume he doesn’t have one)
Overall, I’d definitely give Ryan a sub, plus I love his weather break downs too.
Same. Max is so much better. He explains things so much better. Ryan spends so much time just looking at his monitor and not saying anything. Max is so good about looking at the chat and answering questions. Ryan gets stuck on one storm and will ignore other storms especially if there are storms in Kentucky. Andy is amazing though.
I have very mixed opinions on him. After a personal conversation with James Spann I was very against him because of his dooms posts and the fact that he doesn’t have the education that one is supposed to. On the other hand, I think he is reliable in a good bit of cases. I say definitely rely on your local news station in times of bad weather, but if you are unable to I think Ryan is a good option. I only say this because if there is a multi state outbreak there is no way for Ryan to cover every single tornado at every moment it’s on the ground and that’s why it can be dangerous to not rely on your local weather. He has definitely came a long way in the few years he’s been doing this. I hope he backs it with a degree before long. He has 2 young kids so i understand he may not be able to swing that right now. He also gives back to the community which to me shows that he is in it for the right reasons.
Just fyi, you don’t need to give the mods permission to remove your post. If it breaks a rule they’ll do it anyways. I find it so ridiculous that people put that in their posts.
On the topic, Ryan Hall has his flaws but his live coverage is pretty good.
he has gotten better, less dramatic. my main problem with him is while he no longer uses the like of brandon copic and vince he still uses streamers like ryan scholl who has nothing but a storm spotter class, drives like an idiot and scream and yells like reed. The chasers he uses, tend to be more dangerous to the public than the storms themselves. That said he does really well with andy nowcasting. better than the weather channel.
Ryans cool and all and he knows how to run a channel but max velocity is an actual meteorology student and his lives are more in depth and keep me more interested. Ryans so soft spoken and always seems kinda bored to me whereas you can tell that max loves what he does and it rly shines through while he’s live. He’s definitely my go-to.
Being in SW Ohio we have had our share of tornados and we have had some great meteorologist on the local stations. However, their information is local. About 100 miles around Dayton OH. Ryan and Max will give a head's up on what's heading our way. I like Ryan over Max for some reason? They both could use some lessons on being in front of a camera and what to do when they need a break, or want to get a beer. Silence is bad! When Ryan stops talking I wonder, but I know how hard it is to fill in with useless chatter. However, I do appreciated both for what they provide and hope they keep doing it. I'll have local weather on the TV and Ryan or Max on the cell.
He revolutionized live radar coverage on YT. Hes calm, he sits for hours and teaches viewers how to use the radar app, explains everything. I also have really started watching max more but Ryan is the OG.
I know many people rely on his weather coverage to get critical information for their information, and he and his team do a good job overall, but as a meteorologist myself, I can’t get over the sensationalist/click bait-y nature of his thumbnails. He’s not the only one that does it obviously but it just turns me off to all of them.
They have to obey the algorithm.
That's just how YT works.
They literally have to make stupid faces and use all caps for the channel to get traction.
Don't hate the player; hate the game.
Maybe he actually saved a life or two and then gave $50,000 to a town wiped off the map. Darn those necessary titles to be in the YT algorithm. It's smart business especially because lives are at risk. It's not like his channel is about cute puppies.
Anyone that hates on him are irrational imbeciles , there is zero reason to. He’s done a lot of good for severe weather and all while no commercials or ad reads. So what if his thumbnails and titles were a bit clickbait but that’s the internet these days.
Positives:
- his forecasts are frequent, informative, and timely
- he has up to date information coming in, and is sometimes quicker to point out dangerous stuff than the area’s NWS
- he’s watched by a large number of ppl so it helps keep the populace informed
- he stays calm when running his livestreams
- he’s got a nonprofit
Negatives:
- his YouTube channel video titles are *super* clickbaity, and given his user base this can promote misinformation, though it’s understandable that this is a method to increase viewership
- in general, his forecast videos aren’t good
- he’s not a meteorologist himself, and can be prone to being wrong on the forecasts
- he can get too focused on one tornado
I like Ryan’s channel and I think it’s absolutely a net positive for weather awareness, especially for the general public. His livestreams are generally fantastic, his forecast videos are very poor. I prefer Max Velocity, though… better explanations and pays attention to the chat and all the warnings more, plus no clickbait. N8 Snyder’s great as well.
I agree with pretty much everything you are saying here, but you wrote something that made me realize WHY I do not enjoy Max's streams as much, and that IS because he spends more time talking with chat.
I don't know why but it grates on me so much.
For sure. I have always felt like my issues with Max have always been superficial ones that just don't align with my tastes in weather streams, and that was it. No, actual issues with the dude
I generally like Ryan. I think his audience grew much larger and faster than he could have imagined and he sometimes struggles to keep everything organized. It has been a learning curve for him and his new studio has made him much more effective.
I find his stream to be a great 'home base' for content. I will often watch him and then pull up Brandon or Nick if they get something interesting going on.
My only frustration with him is that I live in Knoxville, TN which is pretty close to his home. It is pretty rare that we get tornadic storms this far east in TN but every time we do, he disappears to chase it. I can't really blame him but it feels like he leaves a significant population of people from Cincinnati to Knoxville hanging when he does that. Per his own advice, I have multiple sources of information when that happens but sadly he is not one of them when I am an a risk area.
He’s great as long as it’s at least a 10% hatched risk. He does charity work which is awesome, and he just seems like a good guy who cares. I can’t criticize him for only doing 10% hatched, but I have recently gravitated towards Max Velocity.
Honestly, subscribing costs nothing. Sub to him and form your own opinion. Everyone has their own likes and dislikes.
I personally like him and think he does a lot of good stuff, including having a non-profit to help storm victims.
Ryan Hall is awesome in many regards. He has taken his passion and expertise and parleyed it into a global weather coverage source that is far more fleet of foot than something like TWC. He has quite literally saved lives and educated many people either primarily or secondarily. He’s making a great living, raising an awesome family, giving back and staying humble. Like moths to a flame, success will always draw pests.
I don't think you should watch somebody whether other people do or don't. Just watch him, and if you enjoy the way he does things, then continue to watch him. If not, check out some other WX youtubers. A lot of people like his weather coverage, the multitude of storm chasers he has on standby, and the nonprofit he uses to help victims of severe storms. Some people prefer the way other youtubers like Max Velocity or Evan Fryberger cover the weather. It's your call to make.
I'm an avid watcher of both Max Velocity and Ryan Hall. I didn't know live streaming weather (now-casting) was a thing except for chaser streams, so when I found Max covering a hurricane in my area when he was still pretty new-ish I was hooked. Then YT recommended me Ryan Hall after a good couple months, so I was curious and was pleasantly surprised.
I think the only real feedback I would have given Ryan during my first views was his verbiage. It irked me to no end if there was a precautionary tornado warning and he would say something to the effect of 'there's not a tornado on the ground' and sort of leave it there. He should have been following up with, "...not on radar" or "that it like it's on the ground" etc due to how quickly a tornado can produce between scans. He's gotten a lot better this past year or so about it, idk who corrected him but the dismissive call outs without keeping it as safe as possible was bad IMHO.
The doom and gloom click baits are just how the YT world is, unfortunately. Both Max and Ryan use them and Max has said a few times he doesn't like using them but that's the only way to get the information out anymore. We can blame YT for it, but honestly people seem to gravitate towards these warnings better than seeing 'this frontal boundary will bring a marginal risk of storms'. People browsing YT would skip over that and click 'this storm will be HUGE' as a sense of urgency. It's unfortunate but a hard truth about people, so these guys have to keep up with what will get information out there.
The controversy with Ryan not being a meteorologist is weird. For what he's interpreting on radar, many people can take the time to learn and understand. Hell, there's a lot of real information and free education on the internet when it comes to meteorology for basics and intermediate understanding. It's not like he's forecasting other than knowing severe whether parameters, and this is available widely as well as avid chasers and those continuing education can get insights. And to fill in those gaps, Ryan leans on Andy Hill who is a beast at what he does. I personally don't have a problem with anyone who can interpret radar correctly and pass on the information for safety. The world has changed from TV being the only source of news to a wide variety of media- and not everyone is watching their local TV stations when severe weather is heading their way.
The ONLY complaint I find justifiable for Ryan is that sometimes it feels a bit too much like you’re watching a streamer and not a meteorologist. However, I adore Ryan. I really do. His stream actually kept me safe while chasing the December 10-11, 2021 outbreak. I had lost sight of the tornado and so I told myself I’d stop at the next exit. Heard Ryan call out that specific exit and say that’s where the tornado was so I stopped on the side of the interstate. Sure enough, it hit right there just a few miles in front of me.
I greatly appreciate people like him, Reed Timmer, and Max Velocity.
Context: my friends and I are all across the US, with two of us in northern Missouri and central Iowa. We all have a discord server together where one channel is dedicated to weather topics and making the group effort to ensure we keep each other safe and informed when bad weather hits (partly my fault, I have a nasty tornado phobia).
I usually help out where I can now that I have RadarScope Pro and have learned how to read radar visualizations pretty solidly, but the context they provide from people on the ground is irreplaceable. When I’m sheltering and my brain is short-circuiting because I’m panicking, they help send me what they’re seeing their choice creators mention. Or if I’m on radar for a quick-moving system and relaying my thoughts, someone else backs it up with what they’re hearing Ryan/Max/Reed say. It’s become a well-oiled machine, and I treasure the fact my friends feel like they’re not helpless when I’m in a tight spot (or not available), and that we all pull our weight watching out for each other.
TLDR: they’re all invaluable for long-distance friends help keep each other safe and informed, especially if not many understand the technical terms with storms or know how to read the maps. I know knowledgeable enthusiasts and chasers have strong opinions, but I’m grateful for all these guys providing this knowledge.
Both these mentioned YouTube content creators, have specific followers. People who have an interest in severe weather, enough to watch them interpreting what they see on radar apps in states hundreds of miles away from them, but not enough interest to actually have much actual weather education. I would classify them as entertainment of a sort, but anyone who relies on them for actual information could obtain it in multiple other options. Most of the content, while I’m guessing, is fascinating to their core viewership, is rather amateurish to those with a meteorological background.
I follow both and don't get me wrong, I like what Ryan does for raising money for storm victims as it is very generous of him to do that but... I prefer to watch Max Velocity for weather coverage. Max seems to be a bit more level headed than Ryan is in my opinion and also a lot more passionate about the coverage in general. Not saying that Ryan isn't passionate about what he does or anything like that but Max is studying to become an actual meteorologist and I genuinely want him to succeed. Maybe it's the whole "root for the little guy" mentality that I have or something but the good news is that Max has said on multiple Livestreams that there is no bad blood between him and Ryan as they talk frequently so hey, both are great people and it all boils down to personal preference on where you get your weather information.
I do like Ryan Hall, but I can't stand the live chat. He's grown so popular, there are thousands of people spamming chat with prayers or asking about where they live instead of checking their local forecast.
I respect the fact that he uses the collected funds to help people directly affected - on the ground. IE buying loads of water, food, bedding/clothing, building materials, etc.
I prefer Max Velocity instead. Much calmer. Great info. Lower key.
Whew! What a thread! 😂
I didn’t mean for all this to breakout lol! Anyway. Something else I’d like to add is this: Our beloved television meteorologist titans are getting older, and some of the younger meteorologists set to replace them are just… meh. I won’t go into detail on that, just that I don’t see anyone being able to fill the old guys’ shoes adequately. Another thing is how the digital information landscape has and *IS* changing. Years ago James Spann, Gary England, and others were household names. These days you’d be lucky to get anyone under the age of 18 to tell you who any of these guys are. It’s unfortunate, but it’s just reality. These people watch YouTube and Twitch religiously, and those mediums must be utilized to save lives if possible.
He also has a 501c non profit that helps a ton in tornado hit places. He really shines when the weather is bad so the less I see of him live, actually the better. Him along with Max Velocity are my two go to weather guys either live or just doing forecast videos.
Never heard of Max Velocity! Thanks! Gonna check him out! I’ve also heard of Ryan’s charity work, and that’s ✝️❤️💯
Max is great! I appreciate everything Ryan does, but sometimes his attitude towards his viewers bothers me. He lets chat get to his head fairly often. Andy is amazing, I always watch Ryans streams when he's on. Out of the two Max is definitely my go to! He is in college so sometimes his streams are later in the day when schools in, but times like now he's been very consistently covering severe weather and the current hurricaine. Plus, hes a lot more laid back and chill with his viewers in my opinion. Both of them do amazing things for the community.
Agreed. Max is my first choice. Ryan seems bored of his work at times. Max is always ready to go and engaging.
True, Max seems more energetic and excited about it, which makes watching easier, but Ryan’s main purpose and intent is to warn people. I will say, Max covers absolutely everything, if there’s a day without tornados but just strong thunderstorms, he’ll be streaming talking about bullshit of what the storm COULD do, but is extremely extremely unlikely to do
Gonna give another shoutout to Max Velocity. Calm and even-keeled and I like that he raises money for the victims. Living in WI we have had some tornado warnings lately and he’s always my go-to.
He gave me some serious peace of mind while we were hunkered in our basement. I was trying to watch the weather channel, but they were showing like... Ice road truckers or something. It's amazing how random folks on the internet are better than the paid professionals in a studio.
Generally you want to watch local news.
I don’t live in a traditional tornado alley. Locally, I actually have found locally active storm chasers/spotters to have better ground intel than the local news. I still like the local news, but I’ve found that some of the storm chasers/spotters in my state call things roughly 10-15mins before the news. I think this is why it is good to have a few different sources of weather info. Spotters and chasers called out an EF3 a full 12 minutes before the storm had a tornado warning and any information from the local news. I was standing outside watching rotation in the wall cloud over my house getting pelted with golfball sized hail and there was nothing on the news. Spotters and the local chase community got sirens set off in the nearest town and were all over Facebook saying the same things I was saying to neighbors on the phone, since we lived 3 miles from the nearest sirens. “This looks bad. This is a dangerous storm, please get into shelter. This is not going to be a weak tornado.”
Literally my only critique is that pronouncing town names correctly IS important for the sake of warning, especially if he covers repeat areas. Otherwise, definitely prefer Max over Ryan.
Love Max! He can be really funny too. Often he’s the only one streaming when things are kicking off, and he’s caught some important warnings.
I agree, both are great to watch and are good at calling out dangerous storms.
I'm more of a Max Velocity follower. You can tell he lives for weather. Ryan is fine, but he uses a lot of time to hawk his products.
Yes! I watch Max sometimes, too. Also, Evan Fryberger is good as well!
Same bro
I follow both Ryan Hall and Max Velocity. Probably go to MV more, but I'm newer to both, so don't have a strong feeling about either honestly. But definitely have enjoyed both their works. I know MV has been live daily for the last like 12 days straight with morning updates as well, and RH (maybe due to vacation?) Went quiet for about 8 of those days. But I sub to both and enjoy watching both from what I've seen.
He is way calmer than Reed Timmer.
*burger king cup blows across a yard* Reed Timmer: “THERE’S DAMAGE!!! THERE IT IS!!! GO GO GOOOOO!!! GOOOOOOOO!!!”
“BIG TIME WIND!! RIGHT THERE IN FRONT OF US!!”
BIG TIME GLORILLA HAIL!!!!!!!!
Hahahahahahahahha fr 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
RAIN DROP ON MY HEAD I NEED TO HEAD TO THE ER, BIIIIIG BRAIN DAMAGE!!!!! you are correct sir, a big case of brain damage
DEBRIS
Shame is that’s not all that exaggerated!
Reed is a raging hot mess but he's real good at finding tornados and actually has a PHd unlike the rest of these guys at least. And a tank
Yea. He can smell out a big time tornado every time.
Has literally been on sight of the 3 strongest tornadoes in history lol borderline prophetic
Like Bill from Twister lol he can just feel it
Bridge Creek, El Reno and Joplin? I don't know too much about Reed myself
Greenfield. It's pipped Bridge Creek for recorded speed and Reed caught all of it, including drone footage
I did see his footage of Greenfield I believe. That was the crazy multivortex one that destroyed the windmill? Gnarly looking, but amazing to see at the same time?
Go watch the storm chaser episode when he had jim with him when Alabama got hit.. He knew he messed up on that chase man...
Love Reed, but his energy is a LOT sometimes. It's exhausting.
>reed timmer I got destroyed for this opinion once before, but I truly don’t understand why people like him. Oh look, yelling and cussing at other drivers while he himself is driving like an asshole. 10/10 must watch
I watch because I enjoy the drama and because he's very good at finding tornados.
He's very passionate which can be goodor bad, I would still rather have him then a lot of the other youtubers that are more like disaster porn.
Reed is insane. Not in a bad way...just in the same way you might view a tornado in the middle of nowhere. Is it a little scary and rambunctious? Yes. Is it doing any serious harm? No, not really, and it's pretty cool to watch as well.
in a bad way. he can speed past main streets going 50 in a 30 zone not wearing seatbelts driving into the middle of a tornado all he wants, but its irresponsible
not to mention he literally blows red lights on the regular and then acts like it's fine because he's gonna lose the storm if he didn't. it's ridic
Didn’t he just recently put a passenger in serious danger? https://www.reddit.com/r/stormchasing/s/4HZoLuUA3Y so, ya know, yeah it could do serious harm. It hasn’t yet, but his behavior and antics are ripe for the opportunity
When he destroyed a rental vehicle on purpose chasing gorilla hail I decided enough was enough and stopped tuning into him. Some of the chasing community has been getting a bit out of line this year and it's very disappointing. I consider him one of those who needs to start behaving better.
Without a seatbelt
Dude, I’m in Mississippi, and I’m telling you it’s a million wonders that guy in Philadelphia driving the silver Dodge didn’t turn Reed into debris 😂
It’s as simple as he finds more tornados then anyone else basically. IMO Ryan hall has fell off a lil. He doesn’t seems to have cams on the ground near as much as he used to so you end up watching radar for hours most the time.
He has shot some of the most amazing tornado footage ever, simple as.
Rees Timmer has ADHD, and as someone who also has ADHD and absolutely FLIPS OUT when I experience something incredible, I get it. I get this excited whenever my friends talk about getting married or having a baby or reaching a goal. Heck, I make Reed look calm!
he's the rogan in all of this
Understatement of the year. I love Reed Timmer but omg the anxiety.
Ok **long story short** Ryan Hall has come up in a lot of controversy, most importantly two major factors 1. He is not a meteorologist, nor has an education for it 2. He tends to get himself in some rather precarious situations such as: - His chase car being totaled because of a blown stop sign resulting in a crash (he wasn’t the driver however) - The whole click bait doomcasting portrayal of some weather events, resulting in being called out by [James Spann](https://spann.substack.com/p/fear-porn-in-the-weather-enterprise) and other meteorologists What needs to be said is he has a crew of actually educated meteorologists working for him and that he does bring lots of support to areas hit by storms. There's no reason you shouldn't watch him live, however, I'd always use a second source for his precautionary content. Hope this helps! (Edit: Reformatted and clarified about the crash)
He seemed to take James Spann calling him out to heart. His streams have gotten better. He brought in more meteorologists on his team.
He seems to always address them as “Meteorologist *name*” now.
I love "Meteorologist Andy Hill." He looks like he's about 16, but he definitely knows his stuff so I believe the title. If Ryan didn't have Andy, his channel wouldn't be nearly as popular as it is.
Agreed! Andy is awesome! I watch sometimes just to see him working the radar. He reads radar faster than any other meteorologist I watch. He has his own channel on YouTube now as well.
he reads it so fast he's often 5 min ahead of the nws lol
I was wondering why I haven't seen his usual clickbait YouTube preview screens of late. He's been very quiet about Beryl and its potential for mainland US. Getting called about by Spann is definitely a wake-up call.
He was on a family vacation. Back now,
I agree about the titles on his videos. They are pretty typical for youtube, because the title and thumbnail are the most important aspect of grabbing viewers. I suppose from Ryan's POV - it's a good thing because more views = more awareness and more subscribers, which can translate into more money for channel maintainence, employees, the non-profit etc. Not saying it's right or wrong. But yeah, I wouldn't use any single source for information if I'm expecting severe weather. Nobody should.
***"THIS NEXT WEATHER SYSTEM IS GOING TO FUCK US RIGHT UP THE FUCKING BUTTHOLE."*** But seriously, I get it, just the nature of youtube/social media unfortunately.
But to be fair, Max Velocity's video titles are also the same. Weather seems to only become worse from video to video only from reading the title.
Here’s the thing though. He’s not talking about advanced meteorology topics. He’s reading the radar and explaining it to the viewers in real time. When a more difficult / technical thing comes up, he tosses it to Andy. That seems entirely fair to me. As for the doom baiting.. that’s just YT. It’s how the platform has developed over time. It sucks, but the more clicks you get the more eyes you get the more money and the more people who get warned. If we have to deal with click bait titles for all of that.. oh well.
Your first point is essentially what I tried to get at with my conclusion ha, guess I should probably go re-word it. And yeah it's unfortunate how YouTube works and stuff, it's still worth mentioning as it's a major part of the controversy in the past few years.
Yeah. Like if you watch Reeds videos on weather events and stuff he’s just talking about all of these terms and advanced stuff that.. no lay person has any idea what that means. Ryan is like “purple dot bad. Big wind.” (Basically) And I agree on the YT thing. I also hate the fucking thumbnails now. (Not Ryan’s) with the comical over the top expressions of shock or whatever they look like bobble heads.
I appreciate the description of Reed’s streams. I have several meteorology textbooks on my bookshelf, which started when I began chasing and heard a couple talks from Reed. The glossary started as my most used section. From someone who also gets extremely excited and dumps every little bit of relevant info on a person, I feel like Reed does the same thing, but with about 3 decades of info in a couple seconds. When I started getting really interested in severe weather, we had a local retired aviation meteorologist who taught a single meteorology class at the community college and was very willing to answer questions. You could tell it was his passion. He started in the field in Vietnam and was old enough to remember meeting Fujita and the F scales’ development. Really fascinating to get all that history in one guy who would just chat with you over coffee for hours. I would ask him questions about concepts I heard briefly on an episode with Reed (back when Reed had TVN media.) My old prof loved to go into great detail about things but also was great at translating them into more digestible small chunks. Microbursts were his absolute favorite phenomena to explain. I found him really helpful at giving me more old school style knowledge and that was great, though I also remember doing a lot of shear and probability calculations on paper. Now I catch things on Reed’s streams and it feels almost like an inside joke.
What about the James Spann thing? I haven't heard about this, and I have following Ryan for years, so I have missed something.
Spann has offhand mentioned things like flashing red lights and sirens during live streams as well as the thumbnails. Ryan and team completely redesigned how they present warnings after Spann’s comments. The siren and flashing red lights are gone. The new presentation is softer, much less likely to trigger those who have storm anxiety, but still very effective. The language on the thumbnails has gotten less click baity as well.
It wasn't a singled out thing but rather towards the clickbait genre as a whole in weather. The link is embedded in the message, but here's it again https://spann.substack.com/p/fear-porn-in-the-weather-enterprise
Thanks alot, i didn't see the link, so thank you 🙏😊 And ya I can see why Ryan felt Exposed ( can't find a better word)
So, he didn’t “call out” Ryan Hall.
He called out people LIKE Ryan Hall. He didn't need to say names (would probably get sued). We all know who he was talking about. There are some on YT who are even worse, but I lump them in with the HAARP and chemtrail crowd and ignore them.
So Ryan read an article, reflected on it, thought it could possible apply to him, and corrected his behavior. Which is exactly what all of us should be doing to live life correctly.
Iirc, he wasn't driving the truck when it crashed. He was the passenger. His driver missed the stop sign in the heavy rain. Thankfully, nobody was hurt.
~~He was the driver to my understanding. I can't find any sources that say he wasn't~~ I stand corrected my apologies!
[His video shows him in the passenger seat](https://youtu.be/XTFod4NSZVU?si=MxkUrpppHPJj0-hE)
My mistake, thanks!
Here is the video. He says he had a driver. He was streaming from the passenger seat that day. https://youtu.be/XTFod4NSZVU?si=yoneZRgEutZMfgpS
He has a video on it. I'll see if I can find it and link it.
For your first one-he does have education in it, he just doesn't have a degree
That’s a really good balanced approach! Thanks!
I mean do you really need a meteorology degree to be able to understand the weather, models, and NWS guidance? All he is doing is translating that in layman terms for people who are curious about the weather. He’s not making the actual forecasts.
"You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows" \~ Bob Dylan
Question, if he's giving people advanced warning and he's routinely spotting unwarned tornadoes, and gives solid advice and analysis repeatedly...then why should anyone care about his educational background? I work with lots of engineers (and am one myself), there are plenty of highly educated morons out there.
I would honestly credit Andy for calling out most of the unwarned tornadoes. He seems to have a preternatural sense for storms (not unlike Reed). The other day he worked with Max and was calling out early tornadogenesis and unwarneds that Max was missing. It might seem like splitting hairs since he's part of Ryan's team, but I think he deserves some stand-alone acknowledgment of his amazing work.
It’s controversy because he’s honestly been unfairly scrutinized/hated on by the weather community. They used the stop sign crash event as an opportunity to bully him for having the dumb wrap and lights on his truck. Then they overreacted about the clickbait titles because they didn’t want to be wrong about their negative first impression. People remain overly skeptical to this day because of their negative first impression, and they don’t want to admit they are wrong.
He was going to school for meteorology but dropped out to pursue basically what he’s doing now, not wanting to pursue television. Not sure how late in the process he left but if I recall it was fairly far into it so while he doesn’t have a degree he does have a good bit of formal education in meteorology.
James Spann does not call out Ryan Hall in his pit. He talks about social media and weather in general and displays some thumbnails from a number of channels, one of which looks like one of Ryan’s. He does not name any individual or channel. Using that article as an indictment of Ryan in particular is a big stretch.
As something else to add. He portrays information he provides during forecast videos as his own and not from the meteorologists he employs. Along with this he also says something on the lines of “and the NWS/SPC agrees with me”. This, to me, makes it come across as above actual forecast professionals. Ryan does alot of good but he is not without flaws.
I happened upon Ryan through a local subreddit during local severe weather. I appreciated that. A few days later, during more severe weather, I looked for Ryan but came upon Max Velocity instead. Turns out that Max goes live much more than Ryan. Max has been live nearly every day for the past week and a half, simply because there’s been so much weather to talk about. Because of this, my go-to is Max. He has one more year left of obtaining his Bachelors in meteorology. I love his oomph for weather, which he says he’s had since childhood. I’ve become a fast fan. I’ll still watch Ryan if he comes on. It just isn’t often imo. I suggest to check them both out and enjoy them both.
You know Max is fucking up the grading curve in all his classes. I can’t imagine he’s struggling in his undergrad classes lol
I love Max, but he hasn't been streaming every day because the weather is that crazy, he's been streaming every day because he's a college kid on summer break with nothing better to do but rake in some cash from donations and ad revenue. Which is no shade to him, it's his job and I respect the hustle. I love his low-key streams without severe weather because he engages a lot with the chat and those are the streams I learn the most about weather because he has time to explain radar and pull up examples and such.
I don't think Max has been on completely for the hustle. I think it's more along the lines of your description of being a college kid on summer break who likes to hang out with the people in the chat when he needs some company. Making some money on the side while he's doing so is a perk (though I don't absolutely love the increase in sponsorships in general).
Max isn’t my cup of tea (personality wise) but I respect him & it’s been great how frequently he’s been live.
max is live more because ryan hall only streams on 10% hatched tornado risk or higher-enhanced or higher risk.
His live coverage is usually two steps ahead of the NWS when it comes to calling out dangerous storms and even tornado emergencies. Especially when Andy Hill is on the stream. Hill is a wizard. I saw him call a tornado warning minutes before it was issued from *two pixels* on reflectivity. In a situation where minutes make a difference, Hall's live streams are valuable.
Thank you! That’s really good to know. I came in with optimism that this would be the case!
I have said those exact words about Andy. "Yeah hey Ryan I'm looking at this storm that looks barely threatening and I think it's going to get warned" *Literally 20 minutes later* "Yeah hey Ryan that random pixel I saw just got warned". There's a video of him getting emotional about a tornado hitting a town and like, he cares so much. Love whenever he pops up.
I believe that was the one that hit west Ohio a couple months ago. As it moved east he gave a projected trajectory to hit dead center where my daughter lives. I was a wreck because his demeanor was something I had never seen before, choked up. He even said people are going to die or something to that effect and he was right. I began texting my daughter to warn her and to take it seriously and do not pay attention to the local news reporting it many minutes after Ryan called it... if they reported it at all as it continued to move east along with all the other tornadoes that day. It changed trajectory 20 mins before it hit about 20 mins north of her. It's unnerving to know, from Ryan, each time it was on the ground and when it lifted briefly. The local news is like. The radar looks like we could have a tornado. The storm is moving east. Umm, duh. They are a joke.
Was this the Celina storm? Wapak maybe? I live in Western Ohio and we had a pretty rough spring. The local news is hit or miss depending on who is on duty. Channel 2 has good coverage but are often late to the show. Channel 7 is on top of it, but almost as click-baity as YouTube. When the guy on 7 once said something like "I wouldn't get too concerned about this" while a tornado was on the ground I wanted to reach through the TV and strangle him. I and a few others spotted that storm and I remember I had just gotten off the phone with NWS when he said that. Lol, I'm getting angry again just thinking about it.
That's absurd for a station to do that. There was a video just the other day of an EF1 tornado randomly popping up and flipping a truck. That's almost as weak as they go and it still did THAT. So literally ANY funnel is something to be aware/worried about. YEESH.
Wapakoneta, yes. So those in Central Ohio had a real good idea, from Ryan and people reporting in the comments what they were seeing IRL (certainly not our local news), the damage it was doing and that it was heading our way. There were many other areas also hit but the worst was Wapak. Lots of destruction just outside of Columbus to the west, then north, then east as it skipped along.
Still remember Andy calling out the Locket Texas storm (sorry for spelling) when it occluded and went straight for them. He gave like 9 minutes of additional warning time.
I was super impressed by that as well. Andy is fantastic & has quickly become one of my favorite meteorologists.
Andy can even call a tornado’s possible movement path just from one scan. I remember one stream probably a year ago when a tornado occluded right for a small town and he called it right before it happened. The way Andy can correctly interpret data in real time is insane to me as a total novice radar watcher.
I've been watching radar for 20 years and the things Andy can see just make me go, "How the fuck...?"
He called a tornado in my county. As soon as Andy said my county name I told my family we gotta go. We didn’t have a warning yet, a previous one had expired, but i literally told them “if this guy says it’s coming, we gotta go”. My town was hit with a EF-1 tornado not long after.
His Rolling Fork coverage saved actual lives. The more people are weather aware the better. The weather is a spectacle for a lot of people, until it hits their area. Then his streams are on the ground data from storm chasers, accurate radar readings, and strong terminology use being live streamed to you with maybe a few seconds delay. He is the modern day Jim Cantores imo If a bad storm was coming to me his stream and Radar Omega are what I'm keeping my eyes on all day.
2nd all this. He’s very good. Purists and gatekeepers view him with hostility because he does not have a meteorology degree and because he self-promotes his channel. I ignore the drama and watch him, as well as others, when severe weather is afoot.
👏💯
Andy is the Master that's for sure.
There have been several instances of severe weather in Central Texas where he has gone live, accompanied by multiple storm chasers, to calmly explain the situation and warnings in layman’s terms. In contrast, news broadcasts might feature only one field vehicle alongside a meteorologist. Other YouTube channels often either show only radar images or live-stream their chases, which isn’t always very helpful. The coverage that both of these provide are often a bit more reactionary and sensationalized than his streams, because that’s the way weather has traditionally been broadcasted to people.
This! Andy is definitely a weather wizard.
A tornado literally hit my town earlier this year. Ryan Hall had us in the basement waiting it out before any warning was issued. The actual tornado had already hit town before NWS and our local news issued a warning, and our sirens never even went off. It was only an EF0 and my house wasn't hit, but Ryan gained two loyal followers that night.
I find him more... entertaining I guess to watch than actual storm chasers. Storm chasers these days are just wannabe cops with their speeding and all the lights on their cars. I have a real problem with how they conduct themselves
My biggest worry with novice storm chasers is that so many rely on other chasers for guidance. Like, they don’t know which direction to go in for safety, but the white car that drove by seems to so let’s follow him! I can just see it resulting in a cavalcade of chasers driving straight into a tornado.
Reed Timmer tweeted where he was chasing yesterday, then when there's so many chasers, both professional & local in one area, Reed's boy Brian had the nerve to chastise people because poor Reed got in a bit traffic jam & had to slow down. Believe it or not, many local fire depts have trained spotters out in the mix of 'chasers' & they have as much right to be on those roads as Reed Timmer & his latest Dominator. Reed made storm chasing popular & now he's angry because he's not the only one on the road. Can't have it both ways.
Oh! I am not saying there is no fault with veteran chasers. In fact, I would even postulate that the influx of novice chasers is a direct result of how some storm chasers present themselves on social media. People see storm chasing as a way to chase clout. On that note, I am also aware that not every storm chaser is there to chase money and fame and I am also not saying that every novice storm chaser is an idiot with no reason to be there. The issue is with the crowd itself and mob mentality. I forget which storm chaser talked about it- I want to say Pescos Hank- but there seems to be a real problem with storm chasers falling into the lemming effect. A bunch of people who are not sure on which way to go/don’t have the experience or trust in themselves sees someone who appears to be confidently driving off into one direction so they figure that is the right choice and follow. The more people following that one car, the more people think that the crowd must be correct and may go against their own judgement to follow. To me, this seems like a set up for disaster when there are nados involved.
... especially with storm chasing tourism
Ryan is a good dude and runs a good channel. You have to figure that most people in rural areas aren't paying for cable so youtube and a smart phone can be a lifeline. Ryan was ahead of the game in regards to realizing that. With declining cable and radio viewership I believe his channel and the format is the future of weather news and forecasting. As was mentioned previously, ryan and andy sniff out tornadoes minutes before the NWS at times. I totally understand the flak he catches for the clickbait titles but that is an endemic Youtube problem so while most don't condone it I certainly can't blame him for doing so.
That's my favorite thing about Hall. He understands the importance and the limits of communication effectiveness during severe weather events. Given that a lot of people under severe weather may not have a good data signal, his constant pleas for viewers to call anyone they know in impacted areas to spread the warnings have probably saved lives.
He is/was lightyears ahead of the competition by inventing that format.
I look at his clickbait like this... He's saving lives. If clickbait gets people to watch, it may be their life he saves. But to be honest, I've never read a title thinking it was clickbait. This is serious stuff and I bet the people who's entire towns have been wiped off the map don't think its clickbait either. If people want to call it clickbait, okay, but I dont.
I’ve always felt like Ryan’s been absolutely professional and dignified with his mission. Like people here have already said, he leads the pack with the nowcasting — something which the Weather Channel has forgotten over the years in their pursuit of ad money and … whatever the hell you call their reality tv shows. Unlike TWC, he doesn’t play favorites — if there’s a storm in your area, he’ll cover it, where TWC has the habit of omitting coverage for lightly populated areas in preference for commercials and Ice Road Truckers. Multiple times already this year alone he called out probable tornadoes minutes in advance of NOAA warnings, which most certainly has saved lives. On top of that, like another person said, he runs a 501c non profit that renders aid to storm victims, which is really freaking awesome. … that and I don’t ever feel compelled to mute his channel, unlike certain storm chasers who pretty much become audibly obnoxious.
When your town is threatened by the tornado he is focused on, he’s a good choice. If your town happens to be threatened by any of the other tornadoes that he is ignoring, time to switch to Max Velocity.
I actually had no idea until today that Ryan isn't himself a meteorologist because I've often credited his ability to explain weather machinations in plain English. Sadly, the folks who are easier to watch and listen are probably all enthusiasts. The good meteorologists with camera presence are all pros. But for tornados specifically, Ryan and Andy do a great job as a team without sending your dog running into the bunker every time a plastic bag flies through the air.
I remember him saying he worked as a meteorologist for the local news station before he decided to do it on YouTube - how was he able to do that if he doesn't have a degree for it? I thought he did until reading this thread today too.
His live coverage is excellent. His forecast videos are fearmongering clickbait rubbish.
I've only been watching them for a couple months, but aside from the thumbnail they seem pretty informational and honest. Maybe they were different before then.
This is a good assessment. I enjoy the live coverage but the way the forecasts are titled on YouTube is like the world is ending. Usually the forecast itself is not ‘world is ending’. I do understand that they have to sensationalize the forecasts/videos to get people to watch.
This, 100%. His doom-forecasting is horrendous and he sincerely needs to stop because it isn't helpful content. His live streams are fantastic when Andy Hill chimes in, that man is incredible at what he does. I will say Ryan seems to focus too much on a single tornado instead of continuously going between the warnings though. It's like, one of them gets a PDS tag and he ignores everything else even if those also get upgraded.
Noted! 😂
I really appreciate all of the feedback, and most of all, for all of the civility in giving the feedback. I’ve given him a sub and will be watching his content, as well as Max Velocity who I just found out about thanks to you all. This subreddit truly is *rare* for Reddit lol thanks again and God bless,friends! Be safe!
Having read a lot of comments I'll chime in my two cents. We've been having some wild weather where I live, and sometimes I need to keep an eye on what is going on. Local news does their best, and honestly, they're great in a pinch, but when my cable goes out, I can still watch Ryan or Max Velocity on YouTube without any interruption. It's been great peace of mind when bad weather is rolling through. I don't care that neither are meteorologists, because while that would be great, they're getting information out to people quickly and with little fanfare, no waiting through commercials or other dross. They might not always be right, but if they're getting someone to their basement a little quicker, that helps a lot. You have to take any information that anyone gives with a grain of salt, but it's not difficult to spot when something bad is happening and if you watch them, you're going to get decent information. It might not be perfect, but it's better than nothing when you have no power, and can't get a live weather stream from your local forecaster. I appreciate what they do, and I don't pay attention to the drama, because there is SO MUCH DRAMA on youtube, it's actually kind of ridiculous. Do what keeps you safe, and use the opportunity to be weather aware if you live somewhere where dangerous storms happen.
I was shocked when he didn't know who Pecos Hank was.
WHAT? That's almost a crime in the weather community.
Max Velocity is where I usually go.
I like Ryan Hall and Andy Hill a lot. I don't really love the rest of the team Ryan has assembled. Ryan is so professional in his setup and streams, and then his team feels like amateur hour. I'm sure Chris and Chandra and Elijah are lovely people, but they seem like children to me and it gives an immaturity to the streams that is jarring to me in the face of Ryan and Andy's extreme professionalism. Side note that is irrelevant to weather prediction: I appreciate Andy SO MUCH for being an out gay man and doing what he does. As a bi woman, it makes me feel safer, like I have a place and can be accepted in the weather community.
While I get people don’t like the “world-ending” click bait stuff, that’s just smart promoting on a media platform that relies on click-bait. Journalism does the same thing, we learned that as communication majors in college and it was part of my marketing and advertising classes. Ryan, Max, and all the rest of the YouTube weather guys — they know what they are doing to get people to watch or subscribe. And really, have you seen Reeds? Weather is important news and information, but some of these guys are also making a business out of it as well. Know your audience. Ryan Hall, Meteorologist Andy Hill, and Ryan’s crew are top notch. Max Velocity has been my go-to when Ryan isn’t on. TRD Pro Storm Chasers as my 3rd. Reed Timmer has been my version of Jim Cantore for over 15 years. 😂
TRD pro is small and close to chat-so if you spot something you can chat it and they **will** notice. love that
Ryan is very calm and speaks facts. Himself, Andy Hill and Elijah are all informative. He conveys urgency when needed. These are the same reasons I like Max Velocity and Evan Fryberger.
I was so impressed with Evan, was it May or June, when he bailed on his livestream to go do search and rescue because of the tornados that hit his area. He returned later since there was no need for S&R but he was willing to go do it, especially when there were subsequent tor-warned storms moving back into his area. Class act.
Ryan is stable and consistent imo. He has a pattern, and when things are kicking off he makes sure to cover the right areas. Andy Hall is a tornado savant. There are also some funny moments and he can make jokes and not be too serious when appropriate. I’ve never understood negativity about him. His charity does a lot to help too.
Just like with anything else, the people who feel compelled to post about him are generally the ones with extreme opinions. The silent majority just kind of accept his position in the weather community for what it is
I’ve know Ryan personally for years way before he was ever this personality. He’s a genuine good man.
I can’t stand his livestream chat lmao I only watch if my area is in a risk zone. Mods will link/list the rules then proceed to tell people to block people who are breaking the rules if it bothers them. I typically watch with chat on just because people will say if someone has something on their feed etc. but yeah it just gets annoying🙄it was really frustrating though to be watching him while in a high risk zone with sirens going off and him ignoring the warning going off, you don’t have to sit and explain just be like hey this area, get in your shelter!! I’ve seen multiple times of him ignoring confirmed tornado warnings to continue speaking about the one he’s on, you already acknowledged it, acknowledge the other people please. I ended up having to turn on the local weather and another YouTuber
I hide the live chat on his streams.
No kidding. Watching his chat panel during an outbreak is so depressing. Tornado in Nebraska? Someone in Virginia will ask when the tornado is hitting them. Either people failed geography in class or they're trolls. Then people get mad because Ryan won't provide the forecast for Poughkeepsie when the tornadoes are in Texas. Then there's the HAARPers and chemtrailers. YT chat brings out the worst in people.
Same
For me.... I love the low key production vibe of Max Velocity filled with his detailed knowledge. He can be ready to go in very short notice. Even when he is meant to be on vacation -- kudos there! Ryan is now such a big production that I feel he has passed his ability to connect with viewers. He looks so tired all the time. He has lost so much excitement and passion :(( It feels like each stream needs day to prepare for... and as we have all seen lately severe weather is less predictable than ever. Ryan will likely miss big opportunities because of this. Does anyone remember David Schlotthauer? I enjoyed many of his severe weather streams back in the day : )) Regardless, I appreciate all streamers getting the warnings out :)))
He also has an infant and a toddler. Even though his wife is probably their primary caretaker, having kids that small demands so much energy it would exhaust most parents. Add that to the channel and the charity, and I'm not surprised that he looks tired. His streams do have a lot of moving parts, so it does take longer to put one together. And yeah, some things will get missed. It's a trade-off and he's got to draw the line somewhere. I've only heard of Max Velocity recently from some other thread here, but he seems a lot more agile in that respect. That's neither good nor bad; they both have their benefits.
Agreed :))
Honestly the biggest issue is that his fans are rabid. I see spam posts with his "Hall Yall" everytime something weather related is mentioned. Ryan himself seems fine but he has a cult like following nowadays. Personally, I don't find the streams helpful in an actual emergency unless I'm too busy to watch myself. Max Velocity and Ryan Hall tend to focus heavily on the worst tornado at the time with Max Velocity being a bit better at flipping around to different tornadoes. The two times I watched Ryan for my area it was an outbreak and Ryan has completely missed a few EF1 and EF2 tornadoes out my way. Luckily, I am pretty dangerous with radar and tracked them myself and it missed by a half mile. Again, completely acceptable but this should be noted that you can be much faster than them (when seconds are valuable) to notice tornadoes with an app and a couple hours of research on different radar scans.
He’s just a dude who does forecasting and livestreams severe weather with commentary on science and the chasers in the field. He’s educated but didn’t complete his meteorology program I believe, but he’s had people in his chat share personal stories and he’s factually saved lives. It’s sort of like if you have a local news channel and you like the personality of the meteorologist vs if you don’t. If you do, then you’ll grow to view them as a trusted and reliable source to seek out when info is needed, and potentially in the worst case scenario, a person you’d trust with your safety. If you don’t like them, you’ll just find another channel. No big controversy with him that I’m aware of. I personally really like the guy, watching his streams reminds me of hanging out in my college dorm listening to the engineering guys talk about infrastructure. He just gives the really chill vibe, and many are into that. He also has a really great non profit that’s awesome about responding to disasters. As a Mississippian, I was so proud of and warmed by his response to Rolling Fork. He’s a cool dude. I wouldn’t let fandoms, followers, or commenters influence your opinions on something unless they’re pointing out that the object of hate/adoration is like, a closet serial killer or something. Fandoms are militant these days and I would’ve missed out on some great personalities if I’d let them influence so heavily who I followed. With Ryan it’s gonna be really based on whether you like his personality or not and you find him a trustworthy source. Edit: people are mentioning Max Velocity as well and he really is such a gem, very different vibe from Ryan too lol. I watch them both! 2nd edit: and also Andy Hill. Ryan is worth watching just for Andy tbh
For me personally, Ryan is located in Pikeville, KY, so he focuses on local weather a lot more than most of the other guys, because it affects him too. I really like Max Velocity as well if I'm just watching storms that aren't affecting me, but if it's local, I'm watching Ryan 100%. Come for Ryan Hall, stay for Meteorologist Andy Hill.
I will not support Ryan Hall. While I don’t know the entire situation, agreements were made with some storm chasers and he did not keep his end of the bargain. Can’t support someone who doesn’t keep their word.
Details?
My main beef with RH (besides his doom thumbnails) is that he only streams on 10% or 15% or higher risk days. I forget the exact number. We've had some pretty nasty tornados on lower (but not zero) risk days, and he was nowhere to be found. Some people don't apparently know how to find other weather live-streamers. I guess he has a full-time job or something that means he can't just run into the studio and start streaming whenever a big tornado surprises everyone. I know something negative went down when Carly Anna Wx left RH's team, but I never heard specifics. I know of some chasers who start out on the team and then left. RH redeems himself with Andy and with his Y'all Squad giving out money and serving food after outbreaks though. These guys found a need that NWS and local meteorologists couldn't fill. I still appalls me to see TV meteorologists showing radar images that are of much poorer quality than all the tools the YT streamers have. Just this year, I've been sitting here watching Radar Omega and screaming at our local NWS and TV stations asking why they're not warning storms with obvious couplets, CC drops, and what not (at least one of our locals WILL issue their own informal warnings when the NWS is dragging its feet).
Another big fan of Max Velocity here! 👋
he has some good people as part of his crew but also a lot of amateur storm chasers who probably shouldn't be platformed to the degree he platforms them. a few of them will pick a storm to chase, and because their air time is dependent on the severity of their chosen system, they fall into the trap of overhyping little radar blips. they will say over and over "it's trying to do something". it's a boy who cried wolf situation imo.
I watch and trust them both. Ryan is great on the big days (10% hatched risk or greater), but in those lighter days max is definitely my go to since he streams more. I don’t have a favorite. I also love the fact that Ryan has his 501c to help people after these extreme weather events. The y’all squad is definitely a huge positive, but it I won’t fault max for not having a 501c (not sure if he does or not, I haven’t heard him talk about it so i assume he doesn’t have one) Overall, I’d definitely give Ryan a sub, plus I love his weather break downs too.
I started watching Ryan hall but honestly stopped after I found max velocity. I think Max and Connor are the best!
Couldn't agree with ya more! Max and Connor I could watch them for hours!
Same. Max is so much better. He explains things so much better. Ryan spends so much time just looking at his monitor and not saying anything. Max is so good about looking at the chat and answering questions. Ryan gets stuck on one storm and will ignore other storms especially if there are storms in Kentucky. Andy is amazing though.
I like him better than a trained experienced “Tuber” that yells like it’s the first one he’s ever seen…
I have very mixed opinions on him. After a personal conversation with James Spann I was very against him because of his dooms posts and the fact that he doesn’t have the education that one is supposed to. On the other hand, I think he is reliable in a good bit of cases. I say definitely rely on your local news station in times of bad weather, but if you are unable to I think Ryan is a good option. I only say this because if there is a multi state outbreak there is no way for Ryan to cover every single tornado at every moment it’s on the ground and that’s why it can be dangerous to not rely on your local weather. He has definitely came a long way in the few years he’s been doing this. I hope he backs it with a degree before long. He has 2 young kids so i understand he may not be able to swing that right now. He also gives back to the community which to me shows that he is in it for the right reasons.
Just fyi, you don’t need to give the mods permission to remove your post. If it breaks a rule they’ll do it anyways. I find it so ridiculous that people put that in their posts. On the topic, Ryan Hall has his flaws but his live coverage is pretty good.
he has gotten better, less dramatic. my main problem with him is while he no longer uses the like of brandon copic and vince he still uses streamers like ryan scholl who has nothing but a storm spotter class, drives like an idiot and scream and yells like reed. The chasers he uses, tend to be more dangerous to the public than the storms themselves. That said he does really well with andy nowcasting. better than the weather channel.
Ryans cool and all and he knows how to run a channel but max velocity is an actual meteorology student and his lives are more in depth and keep me more interested. Ryans so soft spoken and always seems kinda bored to me whereas you can tell that max loves what he does and it rly shines through while he’s live. He’s definitely my go-to.
Being in SW Ohio we have had our share of tornados and we have had some great meteorologist on the local stations. However, their information is local. About 100 miles around Dayton OH. Ryan and Max will give a head's up on what's heading our way. I like Ryan over Max for some reason? They both could use some lessons on being in front of a camera and what to do when they need a break, or want to get a beer. Silence is bad! When Ryan stops talking I wonder, but I know how hard it is to fill in with useless chatter. However, I do appreciated both for what they provide and hope they keep doing it. I'll have local weather on the TV and Ryan or Max on the cell.
He used to do vape videos/reviews back in the day before the weather stuff he does now. The videos are still out there.
He revolutionized live radar coverage on YT. Hes calm, he sits for hours and teaches viewers how to use the radar app, explains everything. I also have really started watching max more but Ryan is the OG.
You asked a parasocial bunch about their hero ?
I’m sure he is a good person with all of the help he does, but his click bait videos and uninformed forecasting really turn me off.
I know many people rely on his weather coverage to get critical information for their information, and he and his team do a good job overall, but as a meteorologist myself, I can’t get over the sensationalist/click bait-y nature of his thumbnails. He’s not the only one that does it obviously but it just turns me off to all of them.
They have to obey the algorithm. That's just how YT works. They literally have to make stupid faces and use all caps for the channel to get traction. Don't hate the player; hate the game.
They literally don't have to, they just want your money...
Maybe he actually saved a life or two and then gave $50,000 to a town wiped off the map. Darn those necessary titles to be in the YT algorithm. It's smart business especially because lives are at risk. It's not like his channel is about cute puppies.
Ryan Hy’all has good delivery when streaming. That’s about it.
Anyone that hates on him are irrational imbeciles , there is zero reason to. He’s done a lot of good for severe weather and all while no commercials or ad reads. So what if his thumbnails and titles were a bit clickbait but that’s the internet these days.
Sadly the super clickbait titles and thumbnails are all that youtubes algorithm cares about, so blame youtube for that.
Positives: - his forecasts are frequent, informative, and timely - he has up to date information coming in, and is sometimes quicker to point out dangerous stuff than the area’s NWS - he’s watched by a large number of ppl so it helps keep the populace informed - he stays calm when running his livestreams - he’s got a nonprofit Negatives: - his YouTube channel video titles are *super* clickbaity, and given his user base this can promote misinformation, though it’s understandable that this is a method to increase viewership - in general, his forecast videos aren’t good - he’s not a meteorologist himself, and can be prone to being wrong on the forecasts - he can get too focused on one tornado I like Ryan’s channel and I think it’s absolutely a net positive for weather awareness, especially for the general public. His livestreams are generally fantastic, his forecast videos are very poor. I prefer Max Velocity, though… better explanations and pays attention to the chat and all the warnings more, plus no clickbait. N8 Snyder’s great as well.
I agree with pretty much everything you are saying here, but you wrote something that made me realize WHY I do not enjoy Max's streams as much, and that IS because he spends more time talking with chat. I don't know why but it grates on me so much.
Yeah, that’s fair. There’s a balance to be had there, I think, but different people have different preferences.
For sure. I have always felt like my issues with Max have always been superficial ones that just don't align with my tastes in weather streams, and that was it. No, actual issues with the dude
I generally like Ryan. I think his audience grew much larger and faster than he could have imagined and he sometimes struggles to keep everything organized. It has been a learning curve for him and his new studio has made him much more effective. I find his stream to be a great 'home base' for content. I will often watch him and then pull up Brandon or Nick if they get something interesting going on. My only frustration with him is that I live in Knoxville, TN which is pretty close to his home. It is pretty rare that we get tornadic storms this far east in TN but every time we do, he disappears to chase it. I can't really blame him but it feels like he leaves a significant population of people from Cincinnati to Knoxville hanging when he does that. Per his own advice, I have multiple sources of information when that happens but sadly he is not one of them when I am an a risk area.
He’s great as long as it’s at least a 10% hatched risk. He does charity work which is awesome, and he just seems like a good guy who cares. I can’t criticize him for only doing 10% hatched, but I have recently gravitated towards Max Velocity.
Honestly, subscribing costs nothing. Sub to him and form your own opinion. Everyone has their own likes and dislikes. I personally like him and think he does a lot of good stuff, including having a non-profit to help storm victims.
He’s good for live coverage, he’s garbage for anything else. Typical YouTube clickbaitartist when it comes to the latter.
Ryan Hall is awesome in many regards. He has taken his passion and expertise and parleyed it into a global weather coverage source that is far more fleet of foot than something like TWC. He has quite literally saved lives and educated many people either primarily or secondarily. He’s making a great living, raising an awesome family, giving back and staying humble. Like moths to a flame, success will always draw pests.
I dont watch him unless N8 Snyder isn't streaming. He is very informative from what I have seen, though.
I don't think you should watch somebody whether other people do or don't. Just watch him, and if you enjoy the way he does things, then continue to watch him. If not, check out some other WX youtubers. A lot of people like his weather coverage, the multitude of storm chasers he has on standby, and the nonprofit he uses to help victims of severe storms. Some people prefer the way other youtubers like Max Velocity or Evan Fryberger cover the weather. It's your call to make.
I'm an avid watcher of both Max Velocity and Ryan Hall. I didn't know live streaming weather (now-casting) was a thing except for chaser streams, so when I found Max covering a hurricane in my area when he was still pretty new-ish I was hooked. Then YT recommended me Ryan Hall after a good couple months, so I was curious and was pleasantly surprised. I think the only real feedback I would have given Ryan during my first views was his verbiage. It irked me to no end if there was a precautionary tornado warning and he would say something to the effect of 'there's not a tornado on the ground' and sort of leave it there. He should have been following up with, "...not on radar" or "that it like it's on the ground" etc due to how quickly a tornado can produce between scans. He's gotten a lot better this past year or so about it, idk who corrected him but the dismissive call outs without keeping it as safe as possible was bad IMHO. The doom and gloom click baits are just how the YT world is, unfortunately. Both Max and Ryan use them and Max has said a few times he doesn't like using them but that's the only way to get the information out anymore. We can blame YT for it, but honestly people seem to gravitate towards these warnings better than seeing 'this frontal boundary will bring a marginal risk of storms'. People browsing YT would skip over that and click 'this storm will be HUGE' as a sense of urgency. It's unfortunate but a hard truth about people, so these guys have to keep up with what will get information out there. The controversy with Ryan not being a meteorologist is weird. For what he's interpreting on radar, many people can take the time to learn and understand. Hell, there's a lot of real information and free education on the internet when it comes to meteorology for basics and intermediate understanding. It's not like he's forecasting other than knowing severe whether parameters, and this is available widely as well as avid chasers and those continuing education can get insights. And to fill in those gaps, Ryan leans on Andy Hill who is a beast at what he does. I personally don't have a problem with anyone who can interpret radar correctly and pass on the information for safety. The world has changed from TV being the only source of news to a wide variety of media- and not everyone is watching their local TV stations when severe weather is heading their way.
You could just subscribe to his channel and find out for yourself? Everything you are going to get here is an opinion.
The ONLY complaint I find justifiable for Ryan is that sometimes it feels a bit too much like you’re watching a streamer and not a meteorologist. However, I adore Ryan. I really do. His stream actually kept me safe while chasing the December 10-11, 2021 outbreak. I had lost sight of the tornado and so I told myself I’d stop at the next exit. Heard Ryan call out that specific exit and say that’s where the tornado was so I stopped on the side of the interstate. Sure enough, it hit right there just a few miles in front of me.
He’s saved a lot of lives. I know people don’t like his clickbaity titles, but that’s how you get more people to watch and prepare.
I greatly appreciate people like him, Reed Timmer, and Max Velocity. Context: my friends and I are all across the US, with two of us in northern Missouri and central Iowa. We all have a discord server together where one channel is dedicated to weather topics and making the group effort to ensure we keep each other safe and informed when bad weather hits (partly my fault, I have a nasty tornado phobia). I usually help out where I can now that I have RadarScope Pro and have learned how to read radar visualizations pretty solidly, but the context they provide from people on the ground is irreplaceable. When I’m sheltering and my brain is short-circuiting because I’m panicking, they help send me what they’re seeing their choice creators mention. Or if I’m on radar for a quick-moving system and relaying my thoughts, someone else backs it up with what they’re hearing Ryan/Max/Reed say. It’s become a well-oiled machine, and I treasure the fact my friends feel like they’re not helpless when I’m in a tight spot (or not available), and that we all pull our weight watching out for each other. TLDR: they’re all invaluable for long-distance friends help keep each other safe and informed, especially if not many understand the technical terms with storms or know how to read the maps. I know knowledgeable enthusiasts and chasers have strong opinions, but I’m grateful for all these guys providing this knowledge.
Both these mentioned YouTube content creators, have specific followers. People who have an interest in severe weather, enough to watch them interpreting what they see on radar apps in states hundreds of miles away from them, but not enough interest to actually have much actual weather education. I would classify them as entertainment of a sort, but anyone who relies on them for actual information could obtain it in multiple other options. Most of the content, while I’m guessing, is fascinating to their core viewership, is rather amateurish to those with a meteorological background.
Honestly I'm over all these dudes LOL. Travis Meyer for the win. Thankfully I'm in Oklahoma where we have exceptional meteorologists on hand locally
I follow both and don't get me wrong, I like what Ryan does for raising money for storm victims as it is very generous of him to do that but... I prefer to watch Max Velocity for weather coverage. Max seems to be a bit more level headed than Ryan is in my opinion and also a lot more passionate about the coverage in general. Not saying that Ryan isn't passionate about what he does or anything like that but Max is studying to become an actual meteorologist and I genuinely want him to succeed. Maybe it's the whole "root for the little guy" mentality that I have or something but the good news is that Max has said on multiple Livestreams that there is no bad blood between him and Ryan as they talk frequently so hey, both are great people and it all boils down to personal preference on where you get your weather information.
I do like Ryan Hall, but I can't stand the live chat. He's grown so popular, there are thousands of people spamming chat with prayers or asking about where they live instead of checking their local forecast. I respect the fact that he uses the collected funds to help people directly affected - on the ground. IE buying loads of water, food, bedding/clothing, building materials, etc. I prefer Max Velocity instead. Much calmer. Great info. Lower key.
Max Velocity is my number 1, but I love Ryan’s charity work and drive to get warnings out there
Whew! What a thread! 😂 I didn’t mean for all this to breakout lol! Anyway. Something else I’d like to add is this: Our beloved television meteorologist titans are getting older, and some of the younger meteorologists set to replace them are just… meh. I won’t go into detail on that, just that I don’t see anyone being able to fill the old guys’ shoes adequately. Another thing is how the digital information landscape has and *IS* changing. Years ago James Spann, Gary England, and others were household names. These days you’d be lucky to get anyone under the age of 18 to tell you who any of these guys are. It’s unfortunate, but it’s just reality. These people watch YouTube and Twitch religiously, and those mediums must be utilized to save lives if possible.