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Respected Tornado Reseacher And Storm Chaser Among Dead In Oklahoma

Posted at 9:26 AM, Jun 02, 2013
and last updated 2013-06-03 06:02:51-04
Samaras – Tim – Carsten Peter, National Geographic

Tim Samaras (Courtesy: Carsten Peter, National Geographic)

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — Family members and members of the storm chasing community are confirming that well-respected tornado researcher and storm chaser Tim Samaras is among the eleven confirmed victims of Friday’s tornado that ripped through El Reno, Oklahoma.

Samaras was one of the most well-known and respected tornado researchers in the world and had made many appearances on television shows like the Discovery Channel series Storm Chasers and was a regular contributor to shows on National Geographic.

Samaras, a 20-year veteran of storm chasing, started his own research project called TWISTEX, which gathered weather information by placing probes directly in the path of tornadoes. The often heart-stopping footage of Samaras and his team placing probes directly in a twister’s path was filmed for three seasons of the Discovery Channel series Storm Chasers.

Preliminary findings from the National Weather Service in Norman have initially rated the tornado as an EF-3.