Somebody Drove into a Tornado So You Won't Have To

What would you call somebody who willingly drives into a tornado? You would probably call him "Get the hell back, dude, it's dangerous there, are you trying to get yourself killed?" but "crazy" would also do it. If you've watched some TV shows on storm chasers, you would have seen that probably the most important part of their preparation is kitting up the vehicle.

They don't just get two bottles of water, a few sandwiches, and a camera and set off in their smart fortwo. Nope, the people who do this professionally have special vehicles. They are usually large trucks with added protection such as window bars and thicker body plating, and they also tend to weigh a lot. And that's something you want to have when the air outside your car is moving at Veyron-level speeds.

Not everybody is this considerate, though, and some are willing to put their lives on the line to get a spectacular shot, even though we now have telephoto lenses and relatively affordable DSLR cameras with video recording function. But telling them what they did was wrong while also starring in amazement at the footage they captured feels a bit hypocritical, doesn't it?

And they did get on film something truly spectacular that can only be described as the genesis of a tornado. They would have probably gone even closer to the twister if it hadn't been for that trailer blocking the road, and the really shocking part is seeing that they weren't alone: a white Chevrolet Cruze pulls up alongside their truck, as if they were just waiting for the lights to turn green.

Being there and seeing nature unleashed must have felt so overwhelming and exciting at the same time, that I can only conclude I would have done the exact same thing in their place. If I could muster the courage, that is.