The Stunning Tornado Videos of Storm Chaser Tim Samaras, Who Has Died

Video from 2009—Follow National Geographic Explorer and storm researcher Tim Samaras as tornado season touches down in the U.S.

Video from Wild Chronicles

Storm chaser Tim Samaras was killed Friday doing what he loved: chasing tornadoes. He and his son Paul perished in the El Reno, Oklahoma tornado along with frequent partner on storm chasing adventures, photographer Carl Young.

Samaras had a long relationship with National Geographic, providing some of our most memorable videos of storms.

A week before he died, he submitted what may have been the best, most complete video of a tornado being ‘born,’ in which he describes the formation as it’s happening. Paul was the videographer, and Carl is also seen in this video from Kansas.

Sometimes Tim and his crew found more than just tornadoes. Here, Tim and Carl, along with photographer Carsten Peter, found themselves in the midst of a storm with very large hail stones. Paul Samaras is the videographer.

Paul was also the videographer for this next video, in which the crew was following a tornado as it crossed a Kansas highway April 14, 2012.