Todd Rector was born and raised in the Des Moines area and found a passion for severe weather as a child watching a huge thunderstorm grow and mature in the distance.
As a HAM radio operator (WD0HRC), Todd started volunteering at age 15 assisting the Regional Red Cross office with severe weather emergencies (Manson, Algona tornadoes of 1979; Grand Island tornado outbreak of 1980) as well as actively participating in the Des Moines Area Skywarn network as a spotter.
Conflicting life priorities made chasing a spotty endeavor in the ’80s and ’90s but in 2010, the fire was rekindled. Todd Rector has chased every year since once putting nearly 40,000 miles on his vehicle in a single season. His favorite chase day was June 20, 2011, when he saw three tornadoes in one day near York, Nebraska.
Todd Rector is a former firefighter/medic and is currently an Information Technology specialist for the State of Iowa. When not chasing storms, Todd enjoys photography, especially capturing rare atmospheric phenomena such as Red Sprites and Aurora, and flying his drone.