Storm Tracker Hank Brown Celebrates 20 Years With News 9

Storm tracker Hank Brown grew up fascinated with storms. For 20 years, he's brought that passion to you, our viewers, during some of Oklahoma's most violent storms.

“We have seen some of nature's phenomenon that very few people in the world percentage wise actually get to see,” said Hank Brown, News 9 Storm Tracker.

Hank grew up between Moore and Wichita, Kansas, tornado alley.

“I couldn't help having an infatuation with it,” he said. “I was young and full of energy and was in it for seeing that phenomenon.”

During Hank’s first year chasing for News 9, he came face to face with his first F5 tornado as it barreled through the metro Oklahoma City area on May 3, 1999.

“What May third did for me is change my motivation for chasing,” he said. “My passion was not just to see tornadoes but to provide warning to the public.”

Through the years that’s what he has done, with his wife Patty by his side.

“I had a partner,” said Hank. “He couldn't get away from work, and it got to where I just kept taking Patty with me more and more. Best partner I had for almost 19 years.”

Hank can’t recall how many tornadoes he has covered in 20 years but remembers the big ones like May 20, 2013 which hit his hometown of Moore and the May 31^st one in El Reno.

“Certain tornadoes just kind of imprint in your memory that I can see them and just say ‘wow,' you know, ‘that was that day, I know exactly where I was at, I feel it, I smell it,” he said.

Even though he admits he’s getting older, he still plans to chase for another 20 years.

“It’s part of a community service, something that God gave me a passion for that I really enjoy but that I could do something for my fellow Oklahomans.”