About Me

Hi, my name is Michael Phelps (I like to think of myself as the “original” Michael Phelps), and I have been a professional extreme weather photographer and meteorologist for more than two decades.

This severe weather season I am once again documenting severe weather events across the United States. I will be streaming my storm chases live on http://www.severestudios.com/livechase/ and http://www.ustream.tv/channel/mike-phelps-mobile-weather-stream. I will also be doing live reports from the field as life and property-threatening weather approaches. If you are interested in licensing my live streams, video, photographs or live reports, please contact me.

Over the past 25 years I have videotaped and photographed 145 tornadoes and five major hurricanes, as well as hundreds of other severe and unusual weather events in every season. My videotape library contains more than 150 hours of stunning, high-quality weather and nature video shot on hi-8 and mini DV format. My photography collection contains more than 3,000 digital and 35mm photographs.

My professional resume includes seven years as a meteorologist at The Weather Channel in Atlanta, Georgia; four years as an on-air meteorologist at KAKE-TV in Wichita, Kansas; one year as an on-site meteorologist for the PGA Tour; three years as a science teacher; and as a freelance broadcast audio specialist for the Olympics every two years.

For the past 20 years I have owned and operated an extreme weather and videography business specializing in current and stock video sales to more than 20 clients across the world. These clients include The Weather Channel, ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, the BBC, NKB Japan, Real TV, Inside Edition, Pioneer Productions, and Towers Productions.

I also do freelance writing assignments for publications, and serve as a weather consultant to other photographers, videographers and storm chasers tracking and shooting severe weather.

In the near future I plan on conducting extreme weather and landscape photography tours. During these one and two week tours I will take professional and amateur photographers to extreme weather events and dramatic landscapes to get photographs and video of some of the most dramatic and awe-inspiring scenes that nature has to offer. Tours will begin in the spring and summer of 2009 or 2010. If you are interested, or would like more information then please feel free to contact me.