Storm Chasing Nightmare: Canton Texas Tornadoes

On April 29th, 2017, a localized tornado outbreak occurred over the town of Canton, Texas. For Gabe Cox and many other seasoned storm chasers, this is one of the most harrowing chases they've had.
Special thanks to Gabe Cox of the Tornado Trackers for sharing his cautionary tale in storm chasing.
Gabe Cox's TORNADO TRACKERS KZbin: / @tornadotrackers
Tornado Trackers Podcast Episodes on the Canton Event:
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#Tornado #StormChasing #Texas #Canton #Documentary #Weather #Safety #wx #education

[@odakotarose]

it's really important to see chasers talk about the dangers and lessons learned from things like this. it's a good reminder that no matter how much you know about weather, no one is immune to putting themselves in danger if they don't make smart choices.

[@offsertraline]

Experiencing a tornado in person is a harrowing experience. I was stuck outside camping when an EF1 tornado passed by my camp a mile away. I will always respect Gabe for his work and all other storm chasers! Stay safe, and never stop doing what you love!

[@wantflappywing1355]

That sounds scary, glad you were ok

[@priscillaross-fox9407]

@offsertraline Makes me wonder why lines aren't underground where that is an option.

[@StormChaserMommaG]

Depends on the area. A lot of TX has rock and cant dig. Flooding or wet areas will not work either. Then theres the price of having that done. Many towns cant afford it. @@priscillaross-fox9407

[@hauntedshadowslegacy2826]

I saw a video a while back where this bushcrafter had to hunker down from a tornado/derecho in his half-subterranean bushcraft shelter with his brother and his brother's friend. The center beam (a log) somehow held while a nearby tree fell across the shelter. They all made it out unscathed, but they were terrified the whole time. Power was out at their place for a few days. It happened in Canada a few years back. Being out in the woods while severe weather strikes is a horrifying notion. A flimsy plastic tent would be worse than useless in such weather, so your terror is wholly justified.

[@ajdomer92]

Great video! I’m glad Gabe opened up about his experience. I think more chasers should feel comfortable sharing their experiences and what they’ve learned through their mistakes.

[@2DSTORMS]

My culprit that almost killed me while chasing was a positive Cg stroke 25 feet away that put me in a Sioux City hospital for 10 days. Glad Gabe and Jeff both made it out alive

[@DIRTYBILL1994]

Woooah! Not gonna lie. Lightning is my biggest fear when I go out chasing.

[@americansmark]

Mine was almost choking up death on brisket. Ironic.

[@amberhawksong]

Glad you're ok @2DSTORMS

[@alexis_ian]

I remember this tornado seeing video from Pecos Hanks, what struck me was in the video was the Tornado brought down an Electric grid tower which shows this tornado is not to be messed with

[@lonelypancake5979]

Hank is one of the SC I’ve been watching for a while. Always delivers quality content

[@AndrewPritchard]

This was so well done. The story of a really scary experience was told thoughtfully by both Gabe and yourself. Nightmare fuel.

[@junefirst]

Thanks Andrew! For sure a nightmare experience. Grateful for Gabe trusting me with his story.

[@andre36wo]

I know it's not uncommon, but chasing in a rental car is wild to me 😅 reminds me of that Jackass skit where they take the rental car to a demolition derby and try to return it

[@KaileyB616]

Reed Timmer always uses a rental car whenever he's not driving the Dominator, and you're right it is wild 😂 I don't think I've ever rented a car so idk what kind of insurance you can get on a rental, but I couldn't imagine having to return the car after it's been smashed with softball sized hail!

[@djamo1969]

LOL, I just saw that scene a couple of days ago!

[@rickmiller8893]

If anyone pays that $24 a day for insurance? ...oh yeah...send it. I have put rental cars on my own insurance before and saved a small fortune. What were we talking about again? Oh yeah.. send her..lol.

[@rperolino]

Lmao here you go I left it worse than when I had it 😂

[@aaronkixxx]

I'm pretty sure Reed has said that he's made it onto a company's 'DO NOT RENT TO' list.

[@HunterAnderson]

Your editing is outstanding Ethan, and the paper cutouts are a unique touch in the chasing content creation sphere. Thankful that Gabe and Jeff are still here, and appreciative for everyone involved with this production for sharing Gabe's story - we had a similar experience last year in IL, except we didn't get stuck because of soft soil, and the EF3 didn't quite fully occlude northward yet... ...hearing those words from Samaras sent shivers down my spine, and they couldn't be more true.

[@junefirst]

Thanks Hunter! We’ve all had our close calls for sure. Too many incidents have happened this past year and I believe Gabe’s story is really important as it highlighted how mindset can lead to really risky behaviors. A change in mindset likely could’ve prevented some of the chaser tornado impacts we’ve seen.

[@junefirst]

@@nancid5265 very kind of you Nanci to leave not just one, but two negative comments on my video. It takes a pretty miserable person to bring other people down.

[@amberhawksong]

​@@nancid5265Some people just have little habits others find odd. No need to be mean about it.

[@LouSlade]

I remember hearing about the Canton event for the first time on the Tornado Trackers podcast. It still haunts me a bit, and even when I'm marathoning the entire series again, it's hard to listen to. I was on a road trip to visit my sister, and had to pull over to just sit with it for a bit. It's important to know though, what it's like to feel that. To know what it's like when things go wrong and what drives someone to be in that situation in the first place. Gabe got lucky as all hell, and if he were any less so, we might have lost another brilliant man.

[@thunderrain789]

That moment when his car slid into the mud. Hearing him cry out like that. Hearing him blair his horn. Watching that white car race away and realizing it wasn't coming back, that driver couldn't hear jack shit over the storm. The empathetic part of me understanding that man thought he was basically already dead. If it's possible for a soul to bruise, I'm pretty sure that's what just happened to mine. I'm going to be thinking about this for days. Nonetheless I'm glad it's out there. I'm happy that man was able to come back on camera and tell everyone exactly what his mistakes were, why he made them, and why each was a bad idea. I can't imagine dying or losing a beloved friend or family member like that.

[@stephenlevine011]

I took off for that system around 3pm from the Dallas area. As I approached Canton from the west, a dull charcoal gray overcast hugged the eastern horizon. After driving to within 5 miles of Canton, my intuition told me not to go any further. This was simply too dangerous. In the end, all I saw was debris gently floating down as the tornado passed near. My radar showed me additional tornadoes developing and racing northward. At one point, I strongly advised an out of state couple to stay where we were and drive no further east. My urgency likely saved their lives. I stayed outside, while several times, a store owner opened his walk in freezer to us spectators. My reward: A brief funnel to my nearby southeast. Three hours of powerful thunderstorms, and a really weird electromagnetic vibe to the air when tornadoes passed near. When I returned home, I was shocked to hear of the destruction . Though per my radar plus intuition not to chase further, in a way it didn't surprise me.

[@amberhawksong]

Good on you for potentially saving their lives! Glad you were safe and sound and got some good views.

[@stephenlevine011]

@@amberhawksong ❤️

[@thebroderickhoward]

Absolutely amazing video!!! The paper graphcis are beautiful and the storytelling is impeccable. Cant wait for more videos like these!

[@CeltonHenderson]

Nicely done guys. Definitely one of the scarier tornado events for chasers in recent memory.

[@tornadotrx]

Awesome video as always Ethan!!

[@travisnickeystorms]

Great video you put together! That’s absolutely terrifying being stuck in a ditch like that and seeing a tornado coming for you. The interview with Gabe going over details from that event is pretty wild.

[@junefirst]

Thanks Travis!

[@travisnickeystorms]

@@junefirst sure thing!

[@jcgrogan7823]

I remember listening to his story on the tornado trackers podcast and seeing it with video gives a whole new feeling to his experience.

[@junefirst]

For sure a great listen! It definitely inspired this video. Very appreciative for Gabe sharing such a personal story. He’s a great role model for chasers.

[@michca2112]

Great video. I admire Gabe for sharing his story and you presented it really well! What a terrifying experience!

[@windwatcher11]

Great content! Your originality, creativity, and respectful handling of Gabe's learning experience makes me want MORE! Happy to subscribe!!❤

[@junefirst]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed :)

[@thorenshammer]

I live in Mesquite, TX, just 80 miles to the west of Canton. I followed this storm thru the WOAI radio app on my phone that day. I did some weather watch work in the early 1980's in eastern Colorado, and found out just how dangerous it could be, if you weren't cautious. In 2015, I was less than a mile away from the EF-4 Boxing day tornado that hit the Garland, TX area. That day was scary, as there had been other tornados to the southwest of the Dallas metro area, which includes Mesquite, TX. We even lost siding from the apartment building I lived in at the time, as the mesocyclone came over us, before touching down in northeast Mesquite. I pray for all who chase and their safety. Thank you for what you do.

[@ParadigmPlaysGames]

Drove through Kansas on I70, in hindsight, you could see the massive storm as we were approaching from Colorado. Friend’s uncle stopped the car, got out, and pointed South West. You could see the circulation on the ground and coming from the sky. Fortunately, it dissipated in the matter of minutes. Still a scary moment to witness.

[@tomastos9]

You're really improving your quality here, you even got Gabe in the video. Nice work dude!

[@karobuck5188]

The “well anchored home” was my grandparents home that I was in. We all survived thankfully, but are still left with the scars of that day.

[@amberhawksong]

I'm glad you and your family are safe and sound! Best wishes for mental healing 💕

[@danielwieten8617]

Damn, this is good stuff. Like Storm Stories on an independent level. I like the variety in content! Keep up the good work

[@priscillaross-fox9407]

I like this much better than Storm Stories.

[@Luv70stunes]

Simply excellent. Your productions are second to none, and none more important than this. A brilliant contribution to the storm chaser community.

[@DHRadioGal]

Thank you for making these videos. They are educational. And, sending positive energy to the professional storm chasers that bring us much needed data. 🙏🏼🌪️

[@obsidianwing]

Fantastic Docu ! Great to see Gabe Cox speaking public in such a long time. Havent seen them realsing new Stuff in a long time. I heard this Story on they Podcast some Years ago and this was really shocking. Canton 2017 is still in my Memory one of the most scarriest Tornado Outbreaks I witnessed on a Livestream. Keep up the good Work Ethan , we need more of this Stories

[@josephyost22]

I was chasing the May 6th high risk a few weeks back and I was at most a mile away from the EF0 that touched down north of Hennessey, OK. I tried to get way too close because of the rain wrapped nature of the storms at the time. I was riding out the inflow notch to get some visibility but eventually the storm caught up to me. Me and buddy got caught in probably the strongest winds I have ever been in (likely the RFD) combined with the the HEAVY rain. I ended up losing my wiper. We thought we were goners. It was hard to pinpoint where the tornado was on radar. If the tornado turned into an El Reno situation (size and especially path motion) we would've take a direct hit. The spot we were originally posted up at took a direct hit. I'm glad we recognized we F-ed up and head south ASAP. Definitely the scariest moment I've experienced and we got way to close especially considering how potent that day was.

[@amberhawksong]

Glad you're ok and learned from your mistake! Hope for good and safe (as possible as you can get cuz tornadoes) chases for you and your friend.

[@tornadostories]

What an awesome video, and brilliant piece to camera interview by Gabe. Great work.

[@junefirst]

Thanks a ton!

[@warrenkemmer1307]

I know you are a engineer and go over tornado damage but your story telling is fantastic

[@junefirst]

Thank you! That means a lot because I’ve been actively trying to become a better writer for these videos. It doesn’t come to me as naturally as math does, haha!

[@warrenkemmer1307]

@@junefirst you are welcome, I've been subscribed for awhile and I like the direction you are taking the channel. Keep up the good work. Definitely will be watching

[@thomasknepshield5751]

A great reminder going into this year. Definitely something everyone should watch

[@Snail_Thunder_]

Remember this outbreak pretty well, one wedge after another. Truly a favorite of mine!

[@susanwahl6322]

Here in Wisconsin, we just had a tornado 🌪️ in the southern part of the state and this is the part that this has ever happened.

[@pfabulus-bts]

Being a storm spotter myself... there are a lot of red flags that i wont ignore - 1) you have to have a working phone or some reliable means of communication and 2) you always have to have a plan B. Even though a lot of chasing will happen on oaved roads, i think you always have to be prepared for non paved roads. I have other thoughts but will keep that to myself.

[@crooked-halo]

Like "improve your driving skill & ability? Use a four wheel drive?

[@windwatcher11]

I have to say, when the phone got fried, the choice to stay separated from the chase partner gave me a short shot of dread. Making the decision to go back in for the rental car was another 'this is gonna leave a mark' moment. Like holes in the swiss cheese, mistakes were lining up.... So glad he lived, and we get to LEARN!❤

[@UserName-ts3sp]

i was gonna say i thought he should’ve got a 4WD rental in case something happened and he was stuck in mud. not a guarantee but you’re more likely to get out

[@jobethk588]

Beautifully done video. Great content, excellent interview and the editing and graphics are top tier.

[@junefirst]

Much appreciated!

[@FishingAddictNE]

This video is unbelievable! I love these documentary videos!

[@samk7952]

Great video, id love to hear more stories from the perspective of storm chasers talking about close calls or interesting storm setups.

[@junefirst]

Noted! I'd definitely like to!

[@vertexv]

​@@junefirstYeah these are fun to watch.

[@JoeyWinsSometimes]

Im glad there is people to get this video and research. I could never! Tornadoes are my ultimate fear.

[@ChadPenny-t4u]

WOW what a great story!!!!! Thank you so much for sharing this!!!

[@nicolemartin-pz1wl]

We all have made dumb mistakes in our lives. Keep doing what u love with wisdom God bless that young man and his bravery 🙏🏾

[@Oxide4000]

What a good friend to just drive off and not even make sure you get on the move

[@tehbrittie]

I live near there and there's a church that was destroyed by that 2nd tornado that is *still* in the process of being rebuilt. Crazy to see the events of that day from this perspective. I'm glad Gabe and Jeff got out okay.

[@amberhawksong]

I'm glad Gabe and Jeff are okay and are recovering! And I'm glad Gabe learned from his mistakes.

[@dink182j4]

I have family in Canton Texas. Luckily they were all safe that day. Thank you for sharing your video.

[@junefirst]

Thanks for watching! Happy to hear they were safe!

[@ilike_hippos]

Why do I love these kind of tornado videos

[@4BlueDrummer]

I was in the 3 may 1999 tornado, that was the scariest… I don’t live in OK anymore

[@amberhawksong]

I'm glad you're ok (at least physically). How's life now a day for you?

[@4BlueDrummer]

@@amberhawksong everything is good, just working abroad now. Thank you for asking I appreciate the sentiment

[@amberhawksong]

@@4BlueDrummer YW and glad you're enjoying life :)

[@MissEllieEm]

Imagine the enterprise agent hearing that the car he's renting out is going to be used to chase tornadoes...

[@sammylacks4937]

I had a few brief thoughts of going out to find and see my first tornado but this is one of the reasons I decided to chase from my recliner. Getting stuck in the path of a tornado is the second worse vision lI had. Getting stuck blocking the only egress route for other people / chasers is the worse. If someone had gotten stuck or crashed blocking the way during El Reno , well as bad as it was that would have been catastrophic. I do just fine thanks to those that know what they are doing and burn the memory on film. Thank you all. Please be safe going into another storm year. God bless.

[@HahnJames]

Wow! Gabe prepared himself to meet the Reaper but, the Reaper said, "Nope. Not this time, Gabe. Not this time." What a story!

[@brianunderdahl7974]

Richfield, Edina, Eden Prairie and Bloomington Minnesota! We're WAY past overdue for a tornado event of THAT magnitude!

[@windwatcher11]

This might be the year. Check out Convective Chronicles' tornado season forecast. MN is in the mix...

[@vincebaillet2221]

The twin cites metro area always gets screwed out of really severe weather. It all goes south and east.

[@dillyboyq]

BABE WAKE UP NOW NEW JUNE FIRST VID DROPPED

[@MusicGeek912]

Haha I love the content. You’re looking into my eyes spitting straight facts like 👁️👄👁️ definitely one of my fav weather/tornado channels. Keep up the great work

[@leahechols5995]

My daddy was the police cheif in canton tx , he had retired around 2016 and passed away july 1 of 2017 from cancer I miss him so much .

[@amberhawksong]

RIP 💐 Sounds like a good guy. I'm sorry for your loss. I almost lost my mother to brain cancer in 2012 but she survived and is still with me. Unfortunately she's become crippled in the last year but I rather have her disabled than not having her at all.

[@leahechols5995]

@amberhawksong thank u ,prayers to u and ur mother.

[@amberhawksong]

@@leahechols5995 You're welcome and thank you very much ^_^ Btw I just noticed you have a lovely pfp. Birds of prey are lovely.

[@wubnoxious]

Chasing tornadoes in a rental is hilarious to me

[@JamesAdams-e9y]

When I was five years old, I had to chase it with my dad because he was a firefighter in Canton, Texas and I still live there It was a horrible night and sometimes I still have nightmares about it.

[@mynameisnotcory]

Man i had a near death experience during sxsw when a drunk driver drove thru the crowd. The dude in front of me got ragdolled and i didnt, and similar to his mass. Car experience, if i’m waiting in a line near a curb, subconscious kicks in and makes me worry. Glad he made it out!

[@amberhawksong]

Glad you're ok! I don't remember if I ever had any traumatic experiences with cars but I'm always hyper vigilant whenever I'm in a crowded parking lot or in the city and around cars. I wouldn't be surprised if I had a bad experience as a young child and just don't remember. Or perhaps my fear comes from the day a mail truck almost hit my younger brother over a decade ago. The person wasn't drunk but they went flying in a residential condo area with children about. The speed limit was 10 and they went somewhere between 40-50. My mom called the mail office and thankfully they got fired! I was scared of mail trucks for a week after that.

[@calamnitty]

As someone who grew up in the area, I can definitely confirm that East Texas is a damn jungle without GPS (if you aren't familiar with the area). So glad he made it out of there 🙏 I remember that storm too, people still talk about it from time to time.

[@samantha432]

Such a well done video. Loved it

[@carlossilvestre8577]

I was still in HS when this happened, I remember our school letting out early for a while and having buses take volunteers to help clean up our town

[@uncleshooty6647]

I’ve lived in canton for almost 10 years and I remember my mom saying that the weather was gonna be bad while she was leaving for work. After the first one hit, we were driving around town to see the damage, then another one had touched down and the sirens started blaring while a lot of people were in the middle of town

[@RaveKinGames]

This tornado hit my house directly. We left 30 seconds before it hit. We saw it while leaving, but didn't understand what we were looking at. Our car lifted up a little and the trees began slapping the ground. By the time we got back there was dirt where our house used to be. We definitely have PTSD from that day

[@amberhawksong]

I'm glad you and your family are ok (at least physically). Best wishes for everyone's recovery. I know PTSD never goes away but I hope for the least amount of nightmares, flashbacks, ect for you all 💕

[@caelanreeves9760]

I live only about 30 mins from canton, I remember how scary that day was wondering if they would spawn more tornados east of there, I have co workers now that watched debris fall around their home the tornados were so close, worst part about ETX is you don’t know a tornado is there until it’s right on top of you because of the dense forest and hills…

[@lifeinvestments6329]

Make sure you have the best equipment when chasing storms that supporting when we out there in the field have several portable chargers so that way you always alert

[@HateTheGameTX]

These tornados that day touched down on the very same road I grew up on in Eustace, TX

[@peckerwood780]

I hope I never put myself in a situation like that.

[@mjball44verzal57]

Huddled down in the car. I would of got out of the car found a low lying area and then laid down hoping not to get struck by lightning 🌪️ ⚡️ ⛈️

[@jonmilburn5259]

Best of luck.........thanks for telling the story

[@jeffisaliar]

Just because Pecos Hank drives a 4-cylinder front wheel drive Toyota car to chase tornadoes, doesn't mean we all can. And Tim Samaras was in a Chevy Cobalt in El Reno and that didn't go well either.

[@fauxpinkytoo]

Even a tank would not have saved Twistex that day. RIP Tim, Paul and Carl.

[@windwatcher11]

Everybody knows its cuz he didn't have the lucky cheeseburger on the dash.😉 (Maybe it's just denial, but i wanna think his truck would've faired better.)

[@obsidianwing]

@@windwatcher11 Every Chaser needs a Cheeseburger on the Dash

[@obsidianwing]

Hank drives a Toyota RAV4

[@windwatcher11]

@@obsidianwing He doesn't have the Subaru anymore?

[@spokenme08]

I have family from Canton and Kaufman and they still know many families in the area. Even today it’s a small town of under 5K. Waiting to hear from those still there was nerve wrecking. A good lesson for everyone. Tornados are the scariest natural disaster in my opinion. They are so erratic compared to the others.

[@amberhawksong]

Agreed. For some reason when I have the rare nightmare, I see tornadoes in them like half of the time. The thing is that I don't have any traumatic experiences with tornadoes, and I hope it stays that way! I live in MA, and while we usually get at least one tornado a year, they're usually very weak and happen in Western MA (which I'm not in). My fear of tornadoes is also a fascination. They're terrifying and deadly but so very interesting.

[@fuzzydunlop7928]

At first I was clowning on this guy same as everyone else, but reading these comments... wow, we have some shameless armchair chasers in this community. I'm glad ya'll don't actually go out there but offer your unsolicited appraisal - it's better for everyone that way.

[@junefirst]

Safe to say many of these armchair commenters have not been featured in a Netflix Documentary Series like Gabe & Jeff have, haha.

[@amberhawksong]

Same, minus the clowning. I do think he made some rather foolish decisions but I'm very happy that Gabe and Jeff are ok and weren't injured. And I'm glad Gabe has recovered mentally and learned from his mistakes. If storm chasing is his life passion and brings him joy and knows how to do it safer, then I say "go get em tiger"!

[@ryanpc1983]

Turning out great content like people breathe air. Great job buddy!

[@junefirst]

Thanks Ryan!

[@amberhawksong]

What a lovely comment. It also made me giggle a little.

[@alexbuilds706]

Great work!

[@wbuttry1]

Tim thought he knew what a storm can do also but he was very careful not to get to close. If we learned anything from EL Reno is that mother nature plays by her rules not ours what we expect is not always what happens. He was very lucky that day just be careful your luck could always run out.

[@priscillaross-fox9407]

@wbuttry1 That storm was strange. Knowing what I do now I have to wonder. I can't say here what I'm thinking but some things just aren't 'natural' any longer but especially when it comes to weather. There are a good number of US patents concerning weather.

[@TeKnoVKNG23]

That was a bit of myth in terms of Tim and safety. If you watch the footage from Super Outbreak on Storm Chasers, Tim nearly drove his team right into a tornado that they couldn't see due to trees, it crossed the road about 5-10 seconds in front of them because he was pushing to get data. His guy in the back seat kept telling him to back off because they had zero clue where the storm was. People have said the last couple of years he was doing it he was pushing the envelope a bit due to pressure to get credible data for the project he was working on.

[@randyhunt4535]

But much respect for what you do to keep us weather warned I live in southern Oklahoma many nators been threw here

[@gregh61]

I remember this day exactly. I Iive 20 miles east of canton.

[@REBELS-SLNDERMAN]

We had gotten lucky that day, I was out with my dad, brother and step-mom that day as we are apart of the Whitton Fire Department, most people think that we were unlucky that day because of how much damage the EF4 caused, but everyone who was there chasing the storm and helping the people with the injuries know it could've been worse. By all accounts that tornado was one of the strongest tornados ever recorded, with even Pecos Hank saying it was the scariest tornado hes ever seen, we were lucky that day because if the tornado had hit the town, dozens if not hundreds of more people could've lost their lives, and could've been the worse than the 1953 Waco Texas F5, that tornado hit not but a little over a mile from my house but you couldn't even hear it from less than half a mile away. Pecos Hank can vouche and say that tornado could've been an EF5, just from the 52 ton train car it threw 3/4 of a mile from where it sat, completely destroying it and the 3 story house on FM 3227

[@GreenWorm-lw7em]

Amazing Story!

[@monicacarolina6480]

Wow, a rental car on muddy roads, no phone back up, no laptop or any other device? Poor dude made 1 terrible decision after another. a Car is not worth your life. Gabe, I feel really sorry this happened to you, but damn...that did not sound professional at all. I saw this tornado in Pecos Hanks video's, a scary electrifying monster.

[@mattekumba]

is the sounding at 2:15 the actual setup for that day that eml is insane

[@junefirst]

Yes, it was the KFWS launch launch at 12Z that morning. It would erode throughout the day though.

[@jimmys7985]

Great video keep up the good work

[@graydoncarruth5044]

Totally straight up honest question from someone from that part of the country. Why in the world would any chaser not go with a 4WD knowing how bad those dirt roads can get? Absolutely no criticism, just wondering based on my experience from that kind of place.

[@junefirst]

99% of chasing is getting to the target on highways. Most of the time we try to avoid dirty roads.

[@criticallard2090]

I may have missed something, but the road they were on was FM 1651. That is an asphalt road. I know that because I'm a local to the area that was hit. However, the ditch on that road is deep, but floods with heavy rain. The water the chaser was in likely got to at least a foot deep.

[@harrybarker1408]

good vid dood!!!

[@celeno31]

good job!

[@gunserrk]

Is it not normal to check your rear view mirror at least once a minute or at least once every 3 minutes?

[@cobratuner]

I bet he never pulled into another ditch to turn around again 😂.

[@SIGINT007]

These are preventable issues. Better driving skills and better vehicles is a start.

[@mattmichael6792]

So much drama. So little intelligence 😩

[@priscillaross-fox9407]

@@mattmichael6792 What?

[@priscillaross-fox9407]

@SIGINT007 I knew someone who had a 'better' vehicle and got stuck. Wish now I had saved the video. I wonder what ｙｏｕｒ reaction were you in the same situation???

[@SIGINT007]

@@priscillaross-fox9407 I’ve chased for almost 30 years. I’m not a risk taker and haven’t been stuck in a ditch once. Like I said, these are preventable issues. Being near these storms is a high risk, high adrenaline situation. It’s not the time to find out your cell phone doesn’t work and you’re stuck.

[@chesterfieldthe3rd929]

❤God Bless everyone and everything ❤

[@richardseayTundra22]

Live close to Canton remember that day well

[@BenSHammonds]

my brother and his family plus our mother came thru there on Interstate just after or the tail end of the happening there in Canton

[@rexjsimracing]

I remember this day, I was in the path of the caddo mounds tornado

[@mjball44verzal57]

Well you don’t have to quit doing what you love. Just learn from your mistakes. Don’t be in such a hurry. Be cool, use common sense and you will have success at this.

[@vans617]

bro took a rental car on a tornado chase and drove it into the wet grass, lmao i wonder what he told the rental company

[@themegaman91965]

I remember the next day, there was a lot of damage that the televisions didn't cover it was so bad. There was a Chinese restaurant that was imploded, with the structure at a tilted position, one giant tree taken down as if King Kong struck it to the ground, just pure devastation.

[@me_nebulous]

i remember watching this on pechos hank and i was scared just from watching it lol 😭

[@Strype13]

Not sure why he thought it would be even remotely rational to try and take that tiny car off the road to begin with, let alone with a tornado potentially bearing down on him. He makes it sound like his tires barely clipped the edge of the "ditch" and he got dragged in, but you can see it plain as day on the video... he recklessly drove straight into that ditch. Also, suggesting that a bunch of water was "rushing into the back seat" seems like a bit of an exaggeration, lol. Glad he made it out safe, though. It's also commendable how he was able to reflect on his misadventure after the fact and turn it into a valuable learning experience. It's ensuring to know he won't be making another mistake like that in the future. Chase hard, but chase smart fellas... and always maintain safety as priority number one! 👍

[@FFEMTB08]

Why do people chase in these 4 cylinder death traps?

[@enclavegeneral3946]

I recall the canton tornado through the eyes of others. Although we don't live in east texas, the Athens sale barn was there for a while it was a good sale barn that didn't take part in the rest of the rat race but that's not what this story about. We had gone in there and id gone to the dinner at the sale barn for some snacks and I remember these two where talking about the tornado which id heard had been bad but I hadn't a clue as a kid how bad. These two are talking bout the tornados and, one dude says "Yeah kids where playing out in the yard and I was up on the porch readen the news not thinking 2 much bout it. I was smoken meh ciggerate and then over the harrizon and I see it. I see five tornados at once not just one, not 2, five of them speggeti noodles. I got the wake up call then, and uhh told kids kids lets get inside. They where protesting and I made it clear this is not an argument situation do as your told. Get inside the house, and after that I turned round and got into shelter didn't give a damn what was going on."

[@patrickreed6213]

Aren’t you pretty safe in the car as long as the windows don’t break?

[@amberhawksong]

I'm not an expert but a strong tornado can throw a vehicle around like a toy. Wind is a beautiful thing but tornadic winds are a killing machine!

[@Cole39230]

I live in the town where it disipated and let me tell you it was horrifieing I was only seven at the time and it was terrifying EDIT: We did not have a underground storm shelter at the time we do now EDIT TWO: I meant the ef3

[@fuzzydunlop7928]

Wait... did Jeff leave him for dead? Like, he didn't look in the rearview? I look in the rearview constantly - especially when someone's supposed to be following me. Is this some kinda unspoken chaser's code? Like someone freezing to death on Mt. Everest, it's understood that stopping to help will just doom you both?

[@junefirst]

I chalked it up to Adrenaline rush for self preservation. Easy to tunnel vision in those situations. Their podcast (Tornado Trackers Podcast) episodes about this event goes into way more depth of the thought processes of both chasers.

[@fuzzydunlop7928]

​@@junefirst I need to internalize this as a lesson. I never want to inadvertantly do that to someone if I'm in a similar situation. Not that I can bank on any of my behavior once the shit hits the fan. Nobody can ever know until it happens.

[@amberhawksong]

​@@fuzzydunlop7928I don't think you'd be blamed if shit hit the fan and you had to get out of dodge. Better to be alive to remember that person and carry on their legacy then joining them in the grave in this hypothetical.

[@VworksArt]

If you're going to do this, please have some HAM of GMRS radios. Phones shouldn't be your only contact. Stay safe!