Witness a Storm Chaser Who Got Way Too Close to a Twister in Iowa

Growing up in the state of Iowa, I've always had an interest in the severe storms that roll across our state every Spring and Summer. I always thought to myself how cool it would be to actually see a tornado, you know, from a safe distance. My thoughts on the matter changed a bit when my family went through a tornado while staying with friends one summer near Atlantic, Iowa. We huddled in the laundry room while the twister took the roof off their home and put it in a field half a mile away. I remember it sounded like a train was running over the house. It was then that I got a much better idea of the true danger and power of these storms.

Iowa saw several tornadoes touch down during a severe weather outbreak on Friday, March 31st. Storm chasers followed the storms as they formed in south central Iowa and made their way east. Eastern Iowa had been put at high risk for strong tornadoes that day and the conditions proved forecasters right. One of the storm chasers who were out that day was Jacob Hernandez. His YouTube channel is filled with videos of his encounters with dangerous tornadoes. But Hernandez himself admits that he got way too close to the twister in Iowa seen in the video below.

In the video, Hernandez states that due to some bad luck and the track of the storm, he was nearly trapped in the path of the tornado. He had to wait out the storm in the tiny town of Farson, Iowa, and pray the twister would miss him. While the footage he got was amazing, Hernandez recognizes that it all could have ended very badly.

More severe weather is forecast for Iowa this afternoon, and no doubt storm chasers will be looking for action. Leave the chasing to weather professionals and local law enforcement.