TWISTEX Storm Chasing Team
Yesterday, we shared a video of storm chasers who were caught in the middle of Friday’s tornado in Union City, Oklahoma. They closely escaped.
Sadly, though, three storm chasers of the TWISTEX storm chasing team were caught in the tornado near El Reno, Oklahoma and lost their lives.
Apparently, Tim Samaras, his son Paul Samaras and Carl Young were in a vehicle tracking the tornado when it made an abrupt turn after it had been moving steady for several miles. You can see the path it took via this map on from The Weather Space.com
An update to the TWISTEX Facebook page earlier today is below.
Tony Laubach here… it is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to share this news… on Friday, May 31, Tim Samaras, his son, Paul Samaras, and Carl Young lost their lives in the El Reno, OK tornado. This is a devastating loss to the meteorological, research, and storm chasing communities. I ask that you keep the families in your thoughts and prayers during this very difficult time. There is some comfort in knowing these men passed on doing what they loved… Your support means the world. Thank you.
Here is a video of the El Reno tornado caught by storm chaser Dan Robinson, who had to abandon his vehicle after it made the sudden northerly turn.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vw3YYawGZTw&w=640&h=360]Our condolences to Tim, Paul and Carl’s families.
Please be careful if you are chasing storms. While we love to see the amazing imagery, no photo or video is worth your life.
[via CNN – Thanks Pieter]
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
