Airdate: Storm Rider

The Weather Channel will be the airing the Australian premiere of Storm Rider, a new three-part documentary series, that sees film-maker Chris Terrill go into the heart of some of the world’s most terrifying weather-driven events.

Without a film crew in tow, and armed with just a camera, Chris embarks on a perilous mission to capture the scale and beauty of some of our most violent weather. This breathtaking series sees Chris meet the people who live in the path of these extreme phenomena, and uncovers how they manage to survive in the face of these killer natural forces.

Across the series, former anthropologist Chris chases storms with people who seek out wild weather for thrills; meets communities living in the path of tempests; and joins people who work with extreme weather on a daily basis. Storm Rider also features dramatic footage from the very epicentre of severe weather, including a sandstorm in the Sahara, hurricanes in Texas, a monsoon in Mumbai and firestorms in California.

Episode one – Tornado
Episode one sees Chris travel 30,000 miles by road across the American Midwest during one of the most active tornado seasons in 50 years. After eight weeks of chasing savage twisters, he braves giant hail, lightning strikes, torrential rain and 150mph winds to get within touching distance of a vicious tornado in Nebraska. Suddenly, a second tornado emerges from the rain heading straight for Chris’s car…and does not stop.

Episode two – Hurricane
In episode two, Chris intercepts Hurricane Ike, one of the biggest ever recorded. Chris heads to Galveston on the Texan coast which the authorities are frantically trying to evacuate. As he hunkers down in a multi-story car park, Chris hears confirmation that he is directly in Ike’s path, followed by a chilling radio warning that anybody remaining on the coast will face “certain death”.

Episode three – Firestorm
In episode three, Chris travels to southern California at the height of the firestorm season when high temperatures, low humidity and strong winds lead to devastating conflagrations that can destroy whole forests and whole towns. He joins a team of front line fire fighters who are all convicted criminals. Known as the Good/Bad guys, they have chosen to fight fires instead of serving their time behind bars. It is a tough option as Chris finds out for himself when California suddenly erupts into flames. Together with the Good/Bad guys, he confronts these flames head on as they advance menacingly towards densely populated suburbs.

Episode 1: Tornado will premiere on Saturday 4 September at 1.30pm AEST
Episode 2: Hurricane will premiere Sunday 5 September at 1.30pm AEST
Episode 3: Firestorm will premiere Saturday 11 September at 1.30pm AEST