I think this video will change your mind.  And, if you think it is a good idea to go outside to view a tornado, consider this: Once rain wraps around a tornado , it becomes invisible.  This tornado, which occurred this past Wednesday, killed two in Oklahoma.  Finally, in this screen capture from Pecos Hank , a reminder that if you don't have a tornado shelter or a basement, the place to shelter is in a small room (closet, bath) in the middle of the lowest floor of the house.  Finally, Dr. Craig Ceecee has assembled a list of public shelters. Go here and then zoom, and then click on the location of interest. It will provide with the exact street address. This is particularly useful for mobile home dwellers. A sample is below.  However, if you use a public shelter that is more than a short walk, you will need to allow extra time to arrive due to possible auto traffic in the area. If there is a tornado watch in effect and thunderstorms, go ahead and move to the pu...

This is phenomenal and it is something that might move tornado science forward. The entire path of the EF-4 tornado a year ago Saturday. Not only do you see the damage path, the corresponding radar information is presented at lower right.  The map of the tornado is below. Tragically, it killed 57 people. 

Earlier this month, two major tornadoes occurred in Minnesota. The Basehunters (a storm chase team) posted their 4K video yesterday and there are things I believe are worth bringing to your attention. The first is the ding to the windshield (below). I believe that was caused by flying debris. It looks similar to a bullet strike. That is why we urge you not to take video of a tornado. If flying debris strikes you, you could be killed or seriously injured.  The second is the sound of the tornado. I I've heard many tornadoes and this is the first I've heard that sounds just like a jet engine. If you have ever been on the tarmac of a busy airport, you'll recognize the sound when the photographer steps out of the car. If you wish to watch this segment full screen, click here . This tornado has the strongest, tightest rotation of any tornado I have personally seen or video/film that I have viewed. It would be valuable to know the windspeed of this tornado. On Ap...

We have had major tornado research projects in progress in Kansas this year. Pecos Hank, a singer and storm chaser, has produced a spectacular video of the Tipton, Kansas, tornado of May 28, a storm that has been overshadowed by the Lawrence - Linwood Tornado that was in progress simultaneously. Left arrow: thin tornado (goes all the way to ground) Middle: horizontal funnel cloud Right arrow: tornado with debris cloud Right circle: tornado in formation stage Pecos Hank is a singer, musician and storm chaser and he was in north central Kansas on May 28 (while I was chasing the Lawrence storm) and got this spectacular storm as part of a research group. His attention to detail includes the "waterfall" sound of the tornado, except that, at first, it does sound like a distant train. The must-watch video is above. Yes, he gets close but he is part of a research project and he knows what he is doing. Hank is also the singer and producer of my all time favorite music vide...

This video of the Henryville, Indiana, tornado Friday depicts a multi-vortex tornado probably better than I have ever seen. The full video can be viewed here . 

This video was of Tuesday's tornadoes in southwest Oklahoma. Martin is an expert photographer so he uses a tripod and doesn't pan and tilt all around. This gives you a terrific view -- in HD no less (just adjust the "settings" where it usually says something like "360p") -- of the storm. At about 3:30 in you can hear the "train" sound of the tornado. At 5:50, he says, "sounds like a waterfall, as usual" and you can here it in the soundtrack. Enjoy!

This is one of the best snow time lapse videos I have ever seen. It is by AccuWeather's Heather Buchanan.

A brief video that captures a lightning strike "crawling" horizontally along the underside of a thunderstorm's cirrus anvil. On rare occasions, they can "crawl" more than 30 miles! This one goes by fast because of the narrow field of view of my video camera.

...from a safe location and distance. Here is a brief video and you can hear the siren in the background. The lowering in the center was slowly rotating. Saw one very brief well-defined funnel cloud but I never saw a tornado. the storm continued to move to the east southeast. Here is a funnel cloud moving past my house to the south. The video quality is not great but I could see rotation in it. There had been a report that the circulation had reached the ground at K-96 and Oliver a few minutes below. I know how to do this safely. Was never in any danger. I moved before the circulation got close. Watch my blog for storms in southern Kansas. There is no need for you to get out and risk your safety. Hailing at the Smith House right now. Hail is marble size. And, here is what the radar looked like when the first video was taken. There was a hook echo, perhaps too large a hook which caused rain-cooled air to undercut the circulation. I'm looking west from the blue "bull...

Above is a freeze frame of a surveillance camera video of the Springfield, MA tornado last week. At the 1:29 mark, the center of the tornado is in the lower right part of the photo. The full video is here .

In addition to the tornado images at the start of the tape, there is good coverage of the damage at Lambert. When you play this video, you will be asking yourself, "where is the tornado?!" They are photographing it near I-70 but it didn't look like the conventional tornado. That is what makes the warning system's performance at saving lives all the more remarkable last night and last weekend: Absent a warning you would have never known what was coming. The chasers also stopped vehicles on I-70 from driving into the storm. Way to go, guys!