DALLAS (AP) – As a powerful storm system swept across Texas, storm chasers raced to record its fury and witness a tornado. But one such pursuit ended tragically when three men were killed as their vehicles collided at a rural crossroads.
An SUV containing two storm chasers working under contract to The Weather Channel ran a stop sign Tuesday about 60 miles east of Lubbock and struck a Jeep driven by an amateur from Arizona, authorities said.
It was not the first time storm chasers were killed trying to document violent weather up close. In 2013, three researchers died when a twister packing winds up to 165 mph turned on them near El Reno, Oklahoma.
The latest tragedy just underscored the risks of speeding after storms to capture meteorological data and hair-raising video – a field that has become crowded in recent years with seasoned professionals, amateur weather enthusiasts and thrill-seekers who like getting their names and footage on TV.
Here are a few things to know about storm chasing: