Veteran Storm Chasers Killed in Tornado

Three veteran storm chasers were killed Friday night (May 31st) when an EF3 tornado with winds of up to 165 miles per hour that they were following turned on them in Oklahoma. Tim Samaras, his son Paul Samaras, and colleague Carl Young were among 13 people killed by the tornado, which hit Oklahoma City and its suburbs. The Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, said that the three men's deaths are believed to be the first among scientific researchers while chasing tornadoes. Tim and his Twistex chase team produced storm-chasing material for the Discovery Channel, National Geographic and for weather researchers at meteorological conferences. The Discovery Channel had featured Tim on it show Storm Chasers until last year. But Tim's brother, Jim Samaras, told AP, "He looked at tornadoes not for the spotlight of TV but for the scientific aspect. At the end of the day, he wanted to save lives and he gave the ultimate sacrifice for that."