Storm chaser records insanely close-range video of powerful Kansas tornado
Storm chasers once again succeeded Tuesday in recording frighteningly close-up footage of a powerful tornado roaring across the Plains, this time near Dodge City, Kansas.
The footage was shot by prominent storm chaser Reed Timmer from his heavily armored storm "intercept" vehicle, which is designed to take him and his crew into the heart of a tornado's circulation.
Timmer's Twitter bio gives his motto as: "Never stop chasing." While he holds a PhD in atmospheric science, he is not known for any pioneering tornado research, but rather for his adrenaline-fueled twister videos.
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This video is similar to another close-range tornado video that Timmer and his chasing team shot on May 7 in eastern Colorado.
That footage drew condemnation from some experienced storm chasers and weather reporters who warned that some thrill-seeking chasers are bound to be seriously injured or killed as they try to get a once-in-a-lifetime video or photo of a tornado rather than steering clear of these unpredictable, violent and capricious whirlwinds.
The issue is compounded when media outlets — not including Mashable — pay large sums for exclusive rights to air tornado footage. However, sites including this one do benefit via online advertising on the clicks generated by these videos.
Storm chasing deaths are no longer a theoretical possibility.
The first recorded chaser deaths occurred on May 31, 2013, when three experienced chasers and well-known severe storm scientists — Tim and Paul Samaras and Carl Young — were overtaken by the widest tornado ever recorded, and a Weather Channel crew was injured as well.
That tornado, known as the El Reno tornado, exhibited multiple suction vortices rotating erratically around a massive parent circulation. It was a chasers' worst nightmare, but as tornado experts often point out, there is no such thing as a "typical tornado."
The Dodge City tornado was one of many tornadoes that touched down on Tuesday in Colorado, Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma, with one tornado reported in northern Michigan as well.
A total of 37 tornado reports came into the Storm Prediction Center in Oklahoma, though some of these were likely duplicates.
In addition, large hail fell in Denver and across the Plains states as an extended period of active weather set up across the middle of the country.
More severe thunderstorms are in the forecast for Wednesday from Minnesota south to Texas.
Andrew Freedman is Mashable's Senior Editor for Science and Special Projects. Prior to working at Mashable, Freedman was a Senior Science writer for Climate Central. He has also worked as a reporter for Congressional Quarterly and Greenwire/E&E Daily. His writing has also appeared in the Washington Post, online at The Weather Channel, and washingtonpost.com, where he wrote a weekly climate science column for the "Capital Weather Gang" blog. He has provided commentary on climate science and policy for Sky News, CBC Radio, NPR, Al Jazeera, Sirius XM Radio, PBS NewsHour, and other national and international outlets. He holds a Masters in Climate and Society from Columbia University, and a Masters in Law and Diplomacy from The Fletcher School at Tufts University.
