Twister Sisters Update from Melanie Metz

What happened to the Twister Sisters?
I know some of you may be wondering...and some have been asking. So, I would like to share a few words about what's up! Be prepared, this is a bit longer post than I normally do, but I think it's important to share. Sometime around the year 2001, only a couple years after I graduated from SCSU, Peggy Willenberg and I met, became good friends and started chasing together. We became known as "The Twister Sisters" for many years and had great adventures together. Outside of chasing, we did several severe weather and research talks and presentations... and eventually ended up on a reality show called "The Twister Sisters" (on WE TV). Great fun! And also lots of work. Over the years, our lives went different directions as we had other priorities (like work and family). We both continued chasing each year, but not as actively as the first 10 years together. Peggy ended up in South Carolina, and I even ended up in Colorado for a couple years, where I owned and operated a photo studio and framing business. I ended up back in Minnesota in 2012, when Peggy was already in South Carolina. So, we just didn't end up chasing much together after 2013 (El Reno week). I continued to chase on my own locally and would get out to the Plains on occasion. And Peggy and I remain good friends to this day.
In 2020, my local business was shut down due to the Pandemic. I decided to hit the road again, solo this time, because I really missed chasing and photographing the magnificent sky....and tornadoes! Don't ask me why, but I have dreamt about tornadoes since I was a young child living in Arizona. It was a lifelong goal to see one. I was basically born with a strong desire to chase storms and learn the science behind it all. I truly am a scientist at heart and couldn't decide which scientific study I liked best. This storm chasing passion of mine goes hand-in-hand with my Photography, which I have also done most of my life. So, yay! I started chasing just about every setup possible from May through Oct of 2020. While it was a slow year for chasing overall, the later season in the Northern Plains was a bit more interesting. I had one of the best chase days and most photogenic tornadoes of my 20 years of chasing....as many of you likely already know. The Dalton/Ashby, MN tornado on July 8th. WOW.
As I became more active with solo chasing in 2020, I thought it might be fun to revive the "Twister Sisters" storm chasing team again. However, Peggy had other priorities at this point, and was quite far away from Minnesota, being out on the East Coast. So, towards the end of the summer of 2020, I connected with Jessica Moore and invited her to team up as one of the Twister Sisters, while also keeping in communication with Peggy about everything. Jessica is an incredible photographer and has the same drive and passion for storms and weather that I do. I really thought we would make a great chase team, and so did she! We started working on some projects together, to prepare for the 2021 chase season. One of our biggest projects was hosting a weekly Live show on Facebook to chat with other fun, amazing people in the Meteorology and Storm Chasing community. This show was called "Tuesdays with the Twister Sisters". We really enjoyed doing these shows and being able to connect with so many great people. We were happy that others enjoyed listening and learning from these talks as well. These video have temporarily been taken down, but we will likely post them again, for anyone who would like to see them. If you were a guest on the show and would like a copy of your interview, please contact me.
As we continued moving forward with Twister Sisters projects, Jessica and I realized that our goals and ideas for where we want to go are a bit more different than we thought at the start of this new Twister Sisters journey. It just turns out that we won't be a good fit as a chase team. And, so, we are parting ways and continuing to pursue our passions and dreams on our own. There are no hard feelings and I truly wish her the best on her path as a Meteorologist, photographer, storm chaser and wherever else life leads her. I appreciate the time we spent together and I respect and honor her and her work. If you don't already follow Jessica, you can find her on FB Meteorologist Jessica Moore. And on Patreon @MetJessicaMoore. She also has a YT channel (look up Jessica Moore - Meteorologist).
At this point, I will be moving forward with more solo chasing, photography, videography, severe weather forecasting and updates during the season. This year, the coming Spring of 2021, I will also be ramping up Live streaming from the road, with some new equipment. It's going to be fun! I can't wait to get back out on the Plains! I'm hoping it is a more active season than last year (at least out in open country), now that we have a La Nina pattern in play.

Keep Calm and Chase On!
- Melanie Metz

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