Samaras made sure his crew ate well and stayed in the best lodging to be found. However, the footage will never see the light of day(due to a number of reasons). The National Geographic Society made 18 grants to Tim for research over the years for field work like he was doing in Oklahoma at the time of his death, and he was one of our 2005 Emerging Explorers. Robinson drove across the highway's four lanes and picked up a gravel road. OK:STORMCHASERS KILLED-MANGLED CAR (GRAPHIC) - YouTube There is no simple explanation, no single factor. And it was tearing toward them across open wheat fields at highway speed. Moment commuter blasts eco-zealots, Women's rights activists and pro-trans campaigners separated, Historic chairs to be reused by the King for the coronation service, Saboteurs wreck Russian train cut power cables 37mi from Ukraine, Braverman: People crossing Channel are 'at odds with British values', Cambridge students party in the park during annual celebrations, Unseen footage of Meghan Markle during her teenage years, Moment large saltwater crocodile snatches pet dog off beach in QLD, Hundreds of Household Division members rehearse for coronation. Friday night's storm formed out on the prairie west of Oklahoma City, giving residents plenty of advance notice. 'It's not even close to anything like what we had last week,' Smith said. Police urged motorists to leave the crosstown Interstate 40 and seek a safe place. He earned his Master of Science degree in atmospheric science from the University of Nevada. Long-time friend of Tim Samaras, meteorologist Mike Nelson, told the Denver Channel: 'I have known Tim for over 20 years, he was the most brilliant and most careful severe weather researcher of them all. You may remember Tim from the Storm Chaser series or any one of the remarkable documentaries made of this extraordinary man. "Everyone had that false impression in their minds, that we're too good, that we'll always beat it," he says. Meteorologist Mike Bette is nursing minor injuries after his 'tornado hunt' car was thrown some 200 yards by the storm. Governor Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency. "I'm getting too close," he said to himself. Tim Samaras Dead: Oklahoma Tornado Kills Storm Chaser, Son Paul Samaras The chasers were willing to get close enough to smell ripped-up grass or the scent of splintered lumber and shredded insulation given off by the twister. It was, however, economical, and TWISTEX operations were on a shoestring. The finding catapulted him to fame. "You'd think maybe it should have been somebody who did something reckless or careless. The rain was coming down horizontally in front of my car. Storm chasers with cameras in their car transmitted video showing a number of funnels dropping from the supercell thunderstorm as it passed south of El Reno and toward downtown Oklahoma City. and But that part of the operation didn't make for good TV. June 2, 2013 -- Storm chaser and meteorologist Tim Samaras, his storm chaser partner Carl Young, and his son Paul Samaras, were among the 11 people killed in the latest round of tornadoes . We are no longer accepting comments on this article. A 51-year-old teacher's assistant who also tried to run from the storm said she quickly regretted her decision, after becoming stuck in traffic in the path of the tornado. Because Young put his camera down on the floorboard, there was only the sound of heavy rain, wind and their voices. Once it was warm enough near the surface, probably by late that afternoon, the Gulf air would punch through the cap. Samaras acknowledged the dangerous weather conditions Friday in his final tweet before his death: Individuals and institutions across the fields of storm-chasing, meteorology, and media expressed their sorrow and condolences to the victims' families Sunday. Something went wrong, please try again later. The area was under a tornado warning at the time of the wreck, the Star-Telegram newspaper reported, citing information from the National Weather Service. 'What got me scared was being stuck in traffic with sirens going off,' she said. 'There was just no place to go. This probe registered a world-record 100-millibar drop in pressure inside the twister. As they'd seen in Moore, the roads tended to clot with panicked people and the growing ranks of amateur storm chasers. He could see that there was a person inside, still wearing his safety belt. Among them were three veteran storm chasers. So the camera crew focused on Grzych, Samaras, and Young, and their daredevil tornado intercepts. They commented on how poor the visibility was becoming. This tornado's arc turned sharply, growing in size, speed and intensity. El Reno, OK tornado that killed Tim Samaras, his son Paul and his long-time chase partner Carl Young. Samaras was the godfather of this pursuit. Everybody was running for their lives,' said Terri Black, 51, a teacher's assistant in Moore. On May 31, 2013, The El Reno Tornado, the largest tornado ever recorded, measuring at about 2.6 miles wide, killed 8 people, most notably Tim and Paul Simaras, a father and son duo notable for their research and study of tornadoes, and were stars on the show Storm Chasers. They'd arrived in the Cobalt, with three turtle probes in the trunk, leaving the kahuna back in Kansas. Gerten watched Storm Chasers, and he knew exactly who Tim Samaras was. The family sheltered from the storm in a hospital parking garage. Three Storm Chasers Killed By Tornado In Oklahoma UPDATE - Jalopnik The other hit Moore, a city about 25 miles away from El Reno, on May 20, killing 24 people and causing widespread damage. The Weather Channel issued the following statement: It was with great sadness that The Weather Channel learned of the passing of Tim and Paul Samaras and Carl Young as a result of the El Reno Tornado. They crisscrossed the Corn Belt together, hunting lightning. If they chased twisters, it would be on their own time and on their own dime. Had the tornado's arc been just a degree wider, he isn't so sure he would have survived. He stopped, clambered down into water that was only a few inches deep, and came up with Young's camera. He knew what to look for. June 3, 2013Tim Samaras spent more than 30 years researching tornadoes. Tornado Death Toll Includes Veteran Storm Chaser and Son Tim and Paul Samaras, colleague Carl Young killed while covering Oklahoma tornado. TWISTEX - Wikipedia Before it came for him, Dan Robinson watched the thing grow. June 2, 2013 4:45 PM PT. Hail and high winds were the chief threat, though a tornado could not be ruled out, forecasters said. But it was still there, growing, hooking and doubling in speed. According to Mr West, their vehicle looked ' like it had gone through a trash compactor' when it was found. Tim was found inside the mangled vehicle, while Paul and Carl were found about half a mile away. The news comes as the death toll from Friday's tornadoes and storms in Oklahoma has risen to 18 people, including six children and 12 adults, the Oklahoma chief medical examiner said on Monday. Brantley Hargrove The 2.6-mile-wide wedge was incredible. Robinson blew through the stop sign. And perhaps that's what is so maddening about what happened to Carl Young and Tim and Paul Samaras. [1] Paul (1925-2005) was a photographer and model airplane distributor who was an Army projectionist in WWII. Many of us were fortunate to have worked with them and have great admiration for their work. [5] The three making up TWISTEX - storm chaser Tim Samaras, his son photographer Paul Samaras, and meteorologist Carl Young - set out to attempt research on the tornado. Tim Samaras and Carl Young, formerly of the Discovery Channel program "Storm Chasers," along with Samaras' 24-year-old son Paul, died Friday in a tornado that struck . Trucks sped through the median, some in reverse, while insulation rained down from the sky. That was the stuff of all supercell thunderstorms. He backed off on the accelerator to override it.