What began as a makeshift storm-chasing team tracking severe weather across Indiana has evolved into a multi-million-dollar global weather consulting powerhouse. Yet, long before BAM Weather was issuing private, location-specific tornado warnings and consulting for the World Series and Taylor Swift concerts, it started with a single camera, a deep-seated refusal to follow traditional industry rules, and a founder willing to work 80-hour weeks for a fraction of the cost.
Founded in 2012 by Michael Clark, Bryan Kilgore, and Amanda Kilgore, BAM Weather — originally launched as BAM Chase — gained regional and national attention for its riveting footage of the devastating 2012 Henryville, Indiana, tornado. From those humble roots in a home office, the enterprise has expanded into a comprehensive weather consulting firm serving clients across the United States, Canada, and South America, delivering specialized forecasts for agriculture, energy, construction, and snow removal.
For Michael Clark, the journey was built on breaking convention.
“When we started in the beginning, Facebook had just kind of really become a thing. It wasn’t really that popular. And we were storm chasers. We didn’t have a business. We chased tornadoes,” Clark recalled.
Clark pushed boundaries early on by utilizing weather models to project significant storms six to ten days in advance — a practice traditional broadcast outlets historically discouraged.
“There were specific outlets in the area that did not like that,” Clark said. “We have weather models that go out 10 days. There is the ability to skillfully predict bigger storms further out if you’re willing to stick your neck on the line. Could you be wrong? Yeah. Could you be right? Yeah. Welcome to predicting the future.”
That willingness to take risks paid off during a historic January 2014 winter storm featuring minus-40-degree wind chills and a foot of snow. The accuracy of BAM’s early predictions caught the attention of local commercial clients, launching the firm into business-to-business meteorological support.
The Limits of Traditional Television
As BAM Weather expanded its subscription services — including the Clarity platform launched in 2023 and rebranded as BAM Weather in 2026 to ensure global brand consistency — Clark emphasized a fundamental truth about modern meteorology: traditional television simply cannot offer the 24/7, hyper-localized decision support that modern businesses require.
“No matter who, whether it’s Todd or anybody, no matter how good they are, they can’t do that on TV. It’s not that they don’t want to. They just can’t,” Clark explained. “They can’t sit by a phone at 11:30 at night and take calls from snowplow drivers. It doesn’t work that way.”
That operational limitation recently opened the door for one of central Indiana’s most recognizable meteorological figures.
A New Chapter for Todd Klaassen
Following an abrupt end to a long, highly successful broadcast career ending as chief meteorologist at WRTV in Indianapolis — where he spent over 16 years building public trust — Todd Klaassen faced a career crossroads. After exploring potential television positions out of state, Klaassen ultimately decided his roots in central Indiana ran too deep to leave.
After taking an introductory meeting with Clark and BAM Weather President Lauren Thomas, Klaassen discovered a cultural alignment that changed his trajectory.
“I came down here and I met with Michael and Lauren just to talk,” Klaassen said. “They were very respectful and I could see the culture… right away when I had that initial meeting.”
While other TV station executives urged Klaassen to stay on traditional airwaves, BAM offered something entirely different: a hybrid role blending forecasting, digital live-streaming, sales, and deep client engagement.
“When I talked to other TV stations, everybody was telling me what I should do,” Klaassen said. “They’re like, ‘You’re too good on TV. You know, you should stay in TV.’ But when I came to BAM, they asked me what I wanted, what I was looking for. And after everything that happened, that was the culture I was looking for.”
For Klaassen, the move allows him to continue serving the community he has called home for nearly two decades while engaging in a more intimate, detailed level of weather communication.
“I love to talk about weather, so I’m able to still talk about weather here and more than just being on television or doing Facebook Lives,” Klaassen noted. “I have the ability to connect with current clients, future clients, and just kind of talk about them, their needs, and even getting into more detail than you would be able to on a TV… It was just kind of the perfect timing and the perfect fit for me. Plus, I didn’t want to leave central Indiana either. It’s been my home for almost 20 years now.”
Navigating the Future of Weather Information
As the Midwest faces increasing weather volatility — a trend Clark attributes to cyclical patterns in the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) — consumers are simultaneously inundated with an overwhelming stream of digital data. Clark warns that the sheer volume of online weather pages during severe weather outbreaks can lead to confusion and compromised safety.
“You could arguably in one night look at 100 different sources for weather. And at that point, it’s like it’s the chaos theory,” Clark cautioned. “So, my plea to people nowadays is to find a source that has an actual brand. It’s a real business with real people at a real place and doing real things.”
By prioritizing rapid, mobile-first delivery, BAM Weather routinely issues private tornado warnings up to 10 minutes ahead of traditional alerts, a capability that resonated strongly during recent severe weather seasons. In a single 28-day period earlier this year, BAM recorded 58 million views on Facebook alone.
Cultivating the Next Generation
For aspiring meteorologists, both Clark and Klaassen emphasize that raw passion and relentless self-teaching are far more valuable than classroom theory alone.
“If you don’t have passion for this, you won’t do well here,” Clark said. “If you’re really passionate about it, do it every day… You’re going to want to do it because you love it.”
Klaassen echoed that sentiment, recalling his own early days watching northeast winter storms and interning with several weather organizations before breaking into the industry.
“Anybody growing up, if you have that passion, there are so many ways you can learn and get your feet wet and then get your hands dirty and so forth,” Klaassen said. “I would just encourage anybody, if they have that passion, there are so many avenues now to follow that passion and eventually get it done.”
Stay connected with the latest meteorological updates by subscribing to BAMWX at bamwx.com and by following BAMWX on Facebook and YouTube.
For local insights, be sure to check in on Monday mornings on the Carmel Monthly, Zionsville Monthly and Zionsville Post websites and social media, as all three publications are now proud affiliate partners with BAMWX featuring Todd Klaassen’s and the BAMWX team’s exclusive week-ahead forecasts.