El Reno - The Largest Tornado In Recorded History

[@JackTR21]

"actually, i think we're in a bad spot" is such a chilling line

[@Ivoryx7502]

Only when given certain context though

[@sethost2548]

Right after "There's no rain here" no less

[@ZigZoxy]

26:26 timestamp

[@Baddassattuide]

Im just wondering why people are chasing tornados in a Yarris and a Cobolt, you cant so this shit in an economy car, they are not stable in high winds or heavy rain…

[@deadlyfarriswheel]

​@@ZigZoxy thank you I'm watching and waiting for it now

[@ecardona53]

The best part about this video is that somebody finally touched on the other people that passed away in the storm. Yes, while it is sad that the storm took out the Twistex Team and Richard Henderson, we've been hearing about their fates and only their fates for the past 11 years. The other four were people too and it's honestly beautiful that this video finally gave them the recognition they deserved.

[@BradLacke]

Agree. Didn't know anything about them or how they were impacted until this video.

[@nordicdodson2556]

I was working at dexter axle in El reno Oklahoma that evening. It was pretty bad, but I've been through a few tornadoes in my life. It's crazy to look back and see how crazy that tornado was...

[@jay_rubyx]

Is this the same tornado that that elderly man recorded wiping his neighborhood and house out? And his wife died?

[@nordicdodson2556]

@@jay_rubyx don't know if I have seen that video maybe?

[@Dert26]

For real, that's not even mentioning that it's hard to feel bad for people who purposefully chase tornado's. I'm fully aware that the science gathered from doing it must but highly valuable, but you couldn't pay me any amount of money to actively chase after something that would gladly throw me hundreds of feet in the air.

[@Lcgmatheus]

“If the tornado appears to not be moving, then it’s moving towards you” never fails

[@catpoke9557]

Except when it's moving away from you, then it does fail LOL

[@Spongebob-lf5dn]

Except this one was deceptive

[@GODBLESSAMERICA-f2t]

unless it's moving away, but i wouldn't count on it.

[@BradLacke]

It completely failed this time. Mike Bettes saw the tornado getting larger and thought the tornado was moving directly northeast towards his crew and decided to escape south, when in fact the tornado was actually literally getting larger and continuing due east.

[@warmwater9509]

@@catpoke9557 I wouldn't say it outright fails, it's meant to be advice to help you survive a tornado. A false positive that gets you to run away is better than a false negative that gets you killed

[@GregMc_wx]

I have watched just about every El Reno tornado documentary and video. I also chased the tornado. I was with the same group Derek Weston (his shot of the tornado is at the 6:10 mark) and we decided to stay in front of the chaser convergence so we could maneuver around the tornado easier. This decision no doubt kept us out of danger. This day forever changed me. I go back to the location where Twistex was lost every year. This is the most in-depth documentary of the El Reno tornado that has been made to date. You absolutely nailed the details surrounding Twistex. Most people don't realize that the tornado hit them from the front. Imagine one minute you have a rain-wrapped stovepipe sub-vortex racing at you from your 4 o'clock, then disappear in the rain, only to emerge from the rain in front of you a minute later. They had no chance. Again, great video. RIP Tim, Carl, Paul, and Richard.

[@terrakloepfer1596]

Are you able to put a timestamp to find the video sample you mentioned?

[@GregMc_wx]

@@terrakloepfer1596 It starts at the 6:10 mark.

[@cyncity55]

If you want an idea of what the twistex team saw, watch Dan Robinsons escape from el Reno video. He was in the car ahead … made it out only seconds ahead.

[@GregMc_wx]

@@cyncity55 what if I told you that last year on the 10th anniversary, at the exact time of day, I drove the route that Twistex and Dan Robinson took while playing Dan's video. It was one of the more surreal experiences, and chilling thinking about how quickly that tornado overtook them. Dan and I go back many years, and I saw him the night before El Reno. My best friend also chased it and met up with Dan after his encounter, and he said Dan had a thousand yard stare like he had seen a ghost.

[@applianceman6009]

A rookie amateur college student chased this tornado and uploaded it to KZbin. He claimed it was his first ever tornado he has seen. How ironic that it was the biggest ever. He survived and yet a 25+ year veteran storm chaser and his team died. This storm was scary and unpredictable.

[@Paradox_Incognito]

It's a fucking miracle _anyone_ survived this tornado. The unusual path, the unpredictability, the deceptive winds around it, the size, the strength, every bit of it. The chaser tribute to the Twistex team was beautiful and haunting at the same time.

[@electrik_loss]

Agreed, deviant motion is a killer. It's almost like this tornado lunged out at the chasers filming it.

[@LITTLE1994]

For sure. It was a worst case scenario type of tornado.

[@cup_of_waters]

Worst part the sub vortices got their own ratings

[@ani4301]

@@Omard851Were you in the tornado?

[@virtualking69]

It really went im over here sike now this way sike now this way

[@rayat895]

I was an Uber driver in OKC during the pandemic. I went to Moore for a drop off, and I commented on how everything looked brand new. My rider was like "Yeah man, that's because Moore was deleted a few years ago." That was an eye opener.

[@Brian424]

I just did a Google Street View of the area that tornado hit, and yep, everything looks brand new. It's awesome what air moving really fast can do.

[@OrgBrent]

​@@Brian424 I wonder if awesome is the right word here.. haha

[@timgimmy609]

⁠@@OrgBrentthey're using the actual definition of awesome. Think awe-inspiring instead of cool

[@Sporttster]

I was in Moore in June of 99', a month after the fastest windspeed tornado hit the area and you just cannot imagine the damage. 304mph. At that speed, everything gets obliterated.....

[@w4tt322]

Yeah and if this tornado didn't dissipate. Okc probably wouldn't been deleted also.

[@rubysrailvideos0261]

I love that the non-chaser victims are FINALLY being talked about. I've never seen them spoken of in any other video about this event.

[@kenthompson5723]

Teevee celebrities ALWAYS get special treatment.

[@fallendeus]

It's sad that the people that intentionally put themselves in danger get talked about more than those that didnt make the decision to drive into a tornado.

[@_Shake_i]

@@fallendeus Meanwhile the same people make sure to have data on these storms so people like you can complain. But let's forget the same dumb idiots who stare at tornado (you know your neighbor...) who film the vortex as it grows closer. But sigh you know four chasers being killed despite it not happening before or since and the fact that this tornado was the freakiest one of them all. Mean they're dumb but even people who don't chase died in it does it mean they are dumb/.

[@TheMouseAvenger]

Carly Ann VX is the kind of tornado documentarian who would remember to talk about the other victims of this tragedy.

[@TheMouseAvenger]

​@@kenthompson5723 Yeah, yeah, sure, sure... 🙄

[@birdnerd1791]

The bravery of the man in the weather team vehicle, calmly telling his teammates to duck down right as the tornado is moments from impacting them. It’s amazing.

[@DatboiZyion]

Dan's recording of the Twistex team falling behind, then disappearing must be horrifying. Imagine looking behind you as you're driving, as a big black wall is approaching, and the car behind you slowly gets farther, then just disappears completely. He unintentionally recorded the death of a storm chaser team, and that's genuinely horrifying. Video wise, it's just like all your other; beautifully made, with all the details. Keep up making these great videos.

[@AxelXionSora]

I saw that video and yes it was absolutely horrifying knowing that that was actually the last recording of the team ever.

[@ICanHazRecon911]

I hate to ask, but I've never seen this particular rearview- Is there anywhere it can be viewed?

[@officialvic6937]

@@ICanHazRecon911Doesn’t seem like it, when dan robinson first uploaded it the entire video was not edited and you could have seen the lights dim then disappear, unfortunately it was a long time ago but still remains in my head to this day.

[@BradLacke]

@@ICanHazRecon911 No, he's edited it out long ago and has also posted a statement saying "I won't send it to you, don't ask," which I completely understand.

[@FoxySerriaAngel]

Yeah, it was so brutal/emotional that I distinctly remember the wife declining to the public that she didn't want their dashcam/death to be uploaded.

[@demongrenade2748]

When I was in college I had a psychology professor who was in El Reno during this tornado. Her house was completely destroyed while her and her husband sat in the basement, listening to it happen in sheer terror. Her and her husband later moved to Indiana, where she taught me in college. Brilliant woman, but obviously affected by the disaster. We have Tornado Siren tests at the first of every month, and occasionally we have severe weather and minor tornados where they also get set off. She'd get very upset once the sirens started going off, every time without fail. You could tell she'd be fighting the urge to panic, even more so when the sirens were going off legitimately. It was one of the first times a disaster was 'made real' for me. Its easy to disassociate these disasters and events when you don't know someone who lived through it. Seeing videos and hearing stories always made the event seem like it was 'over there'. Seeing someone who was still being actively affected by it years later really made it sink in just how terrifying a tornado can be.

[@Skibidi.Daphne]

What college did she teach at?

[@Kveldred]

This happened to me after Jarrell. I was just a little kid, and we were spared direct impact-but I will never forget how dark it got, the oppressive feeling of the atmosphere, the wind rising and wailing, the ground-shaking damned-howling *sound* of a beast approaching (not THE beast, I think, although we were only about 5-9mi-depending on which Albertson's we were at; haven't been able to verify-to the SW... i.e., the direction it was heading)... ...and the aftermath. My folks moved away within months, all the way up to the far NW corner of WA, lol. I'm back in TX now, but about to move away again; every single spring and summer is hellish for me-it is the only recurring nightmare I have ever had: I'm back huddled underneath coat-racks again as the store shakes and the wind rises... only this time, it doesn't begin fading.

[@ShadowX2406]

Sounds like your professor has PTSD from her experience with the tornado. It’s very unfortunate she and her husband went through a dangerous situation that could’ve ended the other way. Thankfully, they both survived what happened and made the decision to move elsewhere. Your professor may need to talk to someone about how this event has impacted her around severe weather situations.

[@Jabbing_Jack]

*IT MAY HAVE BEEN THE LARGEST BUT JARRELL WAS THE STRONGEST.. PERIOD.. CASE CLOSED*

[@Kveldred]

@@Jabbing_Jack My stepfather was into storm chasing and had lived all his life in TX, OK, KS, etc., so he had seen the aftermath of many, many tornadoes... ...but he said Jarrell was something else. He was haunted by it-the way there was just nothing left, not the usual "one house damaged, the next swept away" that spares survivors in other F5s: "just churned-up mud, bare slabs, and silence, where families had once lived." (He said even the dam' asphalt has been ripped away-he'd seen "a bit" of that happen before, but he'd never seen the entire road gone.) This is something I've not heard anywhere else, but he told me himself-and while we didn't really get along, that was mostly because he was a real upright kind of guy and I was no-good, heh, so I believe him-but he said that the tornado had actually torn plumbing pipes out of the slabs themselves. He'd seen the aftermath of Andover, KS-but he said he hadn't ever seen that, "not ever." Also telling (to me anyway, knowing him) that this 6'6" former roughneck-who had spent his life chasing storms-quit and moved clear across the country, to the far NW of WA, after that. No other storm made him even turn a hair... but six months after Jarrell, we were gone from Georgetown; and he never went back.

[@andrewlewis2263]

This has got to be the most mythical tornado of all time. It feels like no photo or video does justice how violent and astounding this monster was.

[@BradLacke]

Agree that no photo of it nor any of the most popular footage of it really properly conveys how insane it was. Certainly not a photogenic tornado by any means at least not to laymen like myself. Sometimes I think the only people who really have a full understanding of how insane this tornado was are the people who intimately know tornadoes, and how they usually behave and look. Watching documentaries on it I feel like I can mostly appreciate it, but I'll never quite get the whole story.

[@xanmontes8715]

If it had reached the city it would have been a disaster of biblical proportions. Bone chilling stuff.

[@dynasty0019]

@@andrewlewis2263 I just can’t imagine seeing a wall of storm clouds approaching and looking for the tornado, the realizing that entire thing IS the tornado. Literally off the charts for any camera to capture.

[@jasmine22104]

That and the tristate tornado.

[@ty15533]

@@xanmontes8715 almost seems like tornados avoid major cities from how often ive heard this

[@cresentecho15]

Nothing will make me forget being stuck in traffic in my parents old mini van, hearing my dad trying to calm us down as my mother peaks trough the window to look out into the sky. My brother and i looking through the back seat and seeing this enormous tornado pass us. We were on our way to my dads bosses house who had gratefully allowed us to huddle with them in their storm shelter, just to be safe due to the tornado’s unpredictability. Thankfully i still had my home and my family members with me after everything, but it truly will be something i will never forget…

[@Lucy_Goosey_7245]

Wow.

[@g.subbarao6458]

Jesus Christ I would have fainted if I saw that ABSOLUTE BEAST of a tornado

[@Lucy_Goosey_7245]

@@g.subbarao6458 real! (Also don't say Jesus's name in vain😊)

[@ghost_to_a_ghost]

i was chasing this tornado with my friend Johnny. I was always navigator. he drove a small twin turbo acura integra that sat about 6 inches off the ground. great for keeping wind form gettting up under the vehicle but HORRIBLE in floods. we almost died multiple times that evening. when we got back to my house, i told him to come in for a beer and i lit a lantern (pretty much the entire OKC metro was without power). we sat there in total silence for a few minutes before i said "Hey dude...i'm hanging up my hat." and he was like "bro i was about to say the same thing." we're still homies but we prefer watching other chasers livestreaming these days. that was an absolutely terrifying day. RIP to Tim Samaras and son. Tim was one of the best and on the several occasions i met him, he was just a super cool, down to earth guy. that was a HUGE loss in the chasing community. 🙏❤

[@jackasslawyer]

Dude, that is NOT a car for that, stop doing that. If you are in a position where wind is getting under you, you've already done fucked up.

[@ChazR25]

That tornado would likely force my retirement too. I still haven't seen one but I actively chase warnings if possible in the NE. Normally these are quick spinups and relatively weak. The potential strength of tornadoes in tornado alley scare me.

[@GTaichou]

Thank you for sharing your story. I'm so glad you both came home safe!

[@l0ne__ang3l4]

Damn that's a hell of a story. Johnny's car sounds badass and he should join a car club. And rip Tim 🙏🏾

[@shadow_td]

Honestly... I couldn't fathom a tornado situation like this... I think id retire aswell

[@EaglesFan]

The El Reno tornado will be remembered as the tornado that changed everything. RIP Tim Samaras, Paul , Samaras, and Carl Young of the Twistex team.

[@hexagonal_nexul]

I’m pretty sure if they had been still alive, we would know a lot more about these storms than we do now

[@thing_under_the_stairs]

@@hexagonal_nexul Tim was a very smart guy, and he'd been working on some really interesting lightening research before El Reno. He had a whole lot more to Show the world. And Paul's photography was top shelf - they were a talented family. I feel for their wife and mother.

[@ragestorms1942]

Except it really didn't change anything there are still a lot of reckless chasers out there and with the new movie it's only going to get worse

[@ragestorms1942]

@@matthewturley352 talk to text sorry I'll correct that

[@stellviahohenheim]

Damn spoilers

[@POLARTTYRTM]

I read a lot and watched a lot of videos on this tornado, but everyone failed to mention how freaky and unusual this tornado was. Your video was absolutely phenomenal.

[@Zynui_]

Freaky 👅👅👅👅

[@theofficerfactory2625]

Same.

[@ethhics]

fancy seeing you here lol

[@JohnnyDanger36963]

everybody mentions how freaky and unusual this tornado was. Ai Fail,Mr BOT!

[@POLARTTYRTM]

@@JohnnyDanger36963 yes, I'm definitely an AI, Mr. Brain. Anyone who does not agree with you is AI + bot. Typical brainrot behavior.

[@EstukoV]

I met Tim at my highschool 2013 march, it was awesome. One of my best friends and I were there listening to him describe tornados and were so fascinated by him and his knowledge at the presentation in our auditorium. Then discovered later this had happened, it was heart breaking.

[@junctiondraws7025]

17:40 - I had NO idea other civilians passed away from the tornado itself. Why has nobody talked about them??? I heard all other deaths related to this storm, besides Henderson and Twistex, were due to flooding. It's so sad that they died but these civilian's lives are just as important and should not be overshadowed by those of the chasers. They weren't even trying to be there, they just got caught by a monster in the wrong moment.

[@BodywiseMustard]

civilians' lives

[@kenthompson5723]

"Why has nobody talked about them???" ... because they were not teevee celebrities.

[@fallendeus]

Because apparently we need to mourn the people that decided to drive into a tornado

[@TheMouseAvenger]

​@@kenthompson5723 *(sighs & facepalms)* Here we go again with THIS nonsense... 🙄

[@kimberlym1183]

the fact they could have survived if the highway hadn't been jam packed with unnecessary stormchasers is what bothers me most. real stormchasers consider their routes and how to avoid slowing down those trying to escape the path of the storm. glory chasers just want whatever they can get and don't mind clogging the fucking highways where civilians are trying to flee. we don't need 100 of yall to see the storm from home. you are costing lives out there when you do this! what if it was your wife/husband/child/mom trying to flee and she couldn't flee because you had five cars just for your own outing + the 50 other stormchasers and their multiple cars clogging up the roads? ridiculous.

[@TeKnoVKNG23]

Pecos Hank had a 6th sense about this one. He watched it developing and just said "nope" and turned around and left the area. His early video of it developing has some of the most intense rotation I've ever seen on any of these storms.

[@icewaterslim7260]

@@TeKnoVKNG23 Hank has been stuck in traffic jams before and this one had them coming from all over the planet. And he's always looking out for that clockwise anticyclone forming directly above while you're focused on the main event. This one had more vortex's a-walkin' than you could keep count of and they seemed to differ directionaly. Hank don't wanna be chased by tornadoes. That ain't how the cool guys do it

[@TeKnoVKNG23]

@@icewaterslim7260 Hank is my favorite chaser and really the only one I watch anymore so I agree with everything you said.

[@icewaterslim7260]

@@TeKnoVKNG23 Yeah we Tx born fans especially don't wanna hear him say: "This crazy thing chased me right out of Oklahoma"

[@hunterg24]

From what I've seen in his videos, he prefers to stick to the wide shot. He has taken risks in the past, but not as crazy as some chasers who stick as close to the wind field as possible.

[@icewaterslim7260]

@@hunterg24 The trade off is a better photo of the form of it instead of scary video of a near miss. Consider that people not associated with chasing, minus the knowledge, training or experience but with more guts than sense to come in out of the tornado can get transfixed and get videos of direct hits. If they somehow survive with video it's going to be scarier than anything that a chaser will document with a camera. Because he's going to understand that the damned thing is coming right at him and bug out at the last minute. So chasers can't top those videos anyway and might as well capture the whole shebang at a distance where your contingency options can deal with the unexpected. That video or photo is probably going to pay for your tank of gas back home. If you were planning on earning real money then this might not make a lifetime career. If you are addicted to adrenaline then 3 miles of jogging or 60 miles of fast bicycling will drug you with adrenaline.

[@TRGTornado]

Rest in peace Twistex team, you will always be remembered.

[@Invrexs]

Who?

[@GarrettIngallJr]

​@@Invrexs a team that died in the El Reno tornado

[@Leo_hockey68.]

Wait twistex team died nooooo😭😭😭😭

[@PezexWeather]

Tim, Karl, Paul are all goats ❤ REST IN PEACE ❤❤❤

[@coolkittykaat]

i visited their grave recently, its very peaceful there, RIP 🕊🕊

[@meltedmarshdaddy]

Imagine refusing to get in a storm shelter because of "claustrophobia", which leads to putting others at risk.

[@nomadic98]

And also leading a friend being killed because someone can't handle tight spaces during a tornado.

[@meltedmarshdaddy]

@nomadic98 exactly

[@michaela_prucha]

With all due respect to them, I have to agree. It was a little ridiculous.

[@Zexceeda]

​@@nomadic98it's kinda f*cked tbh. Imagine being in a situation where if you'd had JUST been able to convince your friend a little better to try to bear with his issues with tight spaces, he'd still be alive. I imagine that level of guilt is probably pretty rough. I guess the only worse outcome in that would be if the friend survived and got the other killed because he couldn't cope. It's rather tragic.

[@bastokrepublic]

I would have been like "i'm going in, here's the keys to the truck if you're not. See ya!"

[@goldsilvertornado]

I saw the news interview with a NWS spokesman. For all those who hate the EF system rating take this to heart. When the representative was asked what do you think would have happened if it had reached OKC, at first he hesistated them he slowly admitted and i quote, "It would have been a disaster of Biblical proportions."

[@TitaniumTurbine]

If many tornado enthusiasts had their way, almost every tornado would be an EF5. They just can’t seem to comprehend or understand that a tornado that doesn’t cause much damage to structures cannot be measured properly. There shouldn’t be any controversy around EF scale or the ratings, but the uneducated will always cause controversies.

[@SAPANNow]

EF7

[@catpoke9557]

Fujita once considered classifying a tornado that, if I recall right, was less powerful than this one, as an EF6. I am pretty sure the only reason he did not do so is because that's not an actual officially recognized rank in his own system, so it would've been unprofessional. Point is, if Fujita once considered a lesser tornado as a candidate to break his scale, this should at the very least be firmly in the upper limit of the scale. AKA, EF5. "They rank them this way because of how the scale works" yadda yadda, I know that. Doesn't mean it's a good scale just because they're following the rules properly when classing tornadoes. It means it's a scale that doesn't actually do us any good in telling us the strength of the tornado. Rather than measuring what tornadoes could do, the scale measures what they did do. This means that the scale tells us little about the actual behavior of tornadoes, which if I were to offer a reason beyond just "I don't like it" on why that's bad, I'd say probably the fact it likely makes it harder to study tornadoes since the way they're classed is so inconsistent.

[@lildashboi]

@@catpoke9557 only problem is, DOW is still way way way to Inaccurate to measure the windspeeds tornadoes truly have at ground level.

[@DrBeef216]

​@catpoke9557 The scale is designed for damage purposes. Don't get me wrong, the enthusiast in me agrees with your sentiment. But the scale's very purpose was for damage assessment and that alone. An F5/EF5 is capable of ripping a bolted down home clean off its foundation. Any EF5 can do that. So what's the point of a higher damage assessment? Because it did it faster & threw the home further than other EF5s could? This is a 300mph 2.6 mile wide tornado. Regardless of damage rating, we know that this was an elite monster.

[@ItsKryptick]

This tornado will never fail to disturb me. I’ve seen every angle, every story, I’ve learned more about this one tornado than most people know about tornadoes in general. And yet, even 11 years later, it still fucks with me. Real life lovecraftian monster.

[@spiralrose]

Exactly. It was like the thing had sentience and was playing cat-and-mouse with the vehicles.

[@thedragonthatlovesskittles7132]

It is akin to unworldly sadistic play

[@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823]

Ooo... 💡

[@MichaelTheRead]

It really does seem at multiple points throughout the storm like the tornado is actively _hunting_ people and running them down.

[@MichaelLovely-e6d]

There are multiple tornadoes that give me the creeps aside from the beast that struck El Reno, Oklahoma on May 31st, 2013. Multiple tornadoes that occurred in Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee during the Super Outbreak of 2011, the Joplin, Missouri tornado on May 22nd 2011 as well as the El Reno to Piedmont Oklahoma tornado on May 24th of that year, the Henryville Indiana tornado on March 2nd 2012, the Hattiesburg Mississippi tornado on February 10th 2013, the EF 5 tornado in Moore, Oklahoma on May 20th 2013 and the Washington, Illinois tornado on November 17th of 2013. The tornado in Hattiesburg, Mississippi was a wedge tornado like the ones that occurred in both Tuscaloosa, Alabama and Joplin, Missouri just two years earlier; but there were no fatalities and only eighty-two people were injured. This tornado damaged or destroyed multiple businesses and vehicles on both Hardy Street and Oak Grove Road in downtown Hattiesburg along with damaging many houses in residential areas of the city and damaging residence halls on the campus of the University of Southern Mississippi. Fortunately there weren't many students or faculty members of USM on campus that Sunday as the faculty members were at home and the students had gone to New Orleans, Louisiana for Mardi Gras weekend. Now the tornado that struck Washington, Illinois is particularly bewildering because of the time of year it occurred. People really don't expect a tornado to strike in late November and as a result the residents of Washington had gone from being excited about the upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays to a sense of heartbreak, confusion and helplessness. To add to their misery it snowed a week after the storm, which hindered cleanup efforts. What is considered an absolute miracle is that none of the churches in Washington were hit by the storm; which is quite fortunate as it was a Sunday and many people were attending church services. One such person was Gary Manier; the mayor of Washington.

[@America1776.]

🕊R.I.P to those who lost their lives or a loved one on this terrible day🕊 Tim Samaras - Aged 55 (father) Paul Samaras - Aged 24 (son) Carl Young - Aged 45 Maria Pol Martin - Aged 26 (mother) Rey Chicoj Pol - Aged 2 weeks Richard Henderson - 35 Years Later after O'Neal narrowly escaped the El Reno Tornado, he would later lose his life to another tornado. Here's a total list of all those who perished on this tornado outbreak, and will display their names, age, and place of death. William Rose O'Neal - 67, Union City Timothy Samaras - 55, El Reno Paul Samaras - 24, El Reno Carl Richard Young - 45, El Reno Richard Henderson - 35, El Reno Cory Don Johnson Jr. - 3, Oklahoma City Maria Pol Martin - 26, Oklahoma City Dustin Heath Bridges - 32, Union City James Talbert - 65, Luther Brandie Kay Perry - 40, Wewoka Dorenia Hamilton - 79, Clearview Rey Chicoj Pol - 17 days, Oklahoma City Brandon Santos - 8, Oklahoma City Christopher Santos - 4, Oklahoma City Leslie Sarat-Santos - 7, Oklahoma City Yolanda Sarat-Santos - 34, Oklahoma City Timothy Shrum - 21, Oklahoma City The names mention already at the start are the victims of the El Reno Tornado, the other victims among the 21 fatalities of the outbreak are from other tornadoes. Remaining over mostly open terrain, the tornado did not impact many structures; however, measurements from mobile weather radars revealed extreme winds in excess of 313 mph (504 km/h) within the vortex. These are among the highest observed wind speeds on Earth, just slightly lower than the wind speeds of the 1999 Bridge Creek-Moore tornado. As it crossed U.S. 81, it had grown to a record-breaking width of 2.6 miles (4.2 km), beating the previous width record set in 2004. Turning northeastward, the tornado soon weakened. Upon crossing Interstate 40, the tornado dissipated around 6:43 p.m. CDT (23:43 UTC), after tracking for 16.2 miles (26.1 km), it avoided affecting the more densely populated areas near and within the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. To all those who lost their lives, may they Rest In Peace, and those heroes who tried everything to save countless lives at the cost of their own, may they also Rest In Peace

[@user-wi9hv2pb2q]

two weeks?! the poor baby and mother.

[@MirroredWinter]

wow...thats...something

[@MOVED-s]

always will be sad when kids die. For everyone.

[@TheOnePhun211]

The fact there are people out there who genuinely care to this degree just adds more hope to humanity for me. Thanks for showing everyone that it is ok to care and for the extra information we may not have seen ourselves. Its highly appreciated.

[@israelamericano-sanchez3130]

its one thing seeing as a number but the names and seeing a family whipped out is tragic

[@courtneyfrederick9109]

This day was terrifying. I’m from Yukon which is the town next to El Reno. I lived in Tulsa at the time but was on the phone with my parents while they evacuated. I thought my parents were going to die that day but thankfully it lifted before it reached them. My dad said he’s never seen the sky that color green before or the air so still. They order a tornado shelter the very next day.

[@adriansurname]

Dan Robinson uploaded the video from his back camera as he escaped this thing and it was some of the most heart pounding footage I've ever seen. He was literally seconds ahead of twistex.

[@Prometheus4096]

I guess he didn't give permission to it being used in this video. But weird. But I guess when you almost die, better try to make a buck out of it.

[@LITTLE1994]

He actually originally had his video showing Twistex being hit, but he since removed that part to pay respect to the families.

[@noahdavidson8733]

@@LITTLE1994what’s sad though is in the video you can see their headlights before it switches to the front facing camera, then only seconds later their headlights are gone… I hope at least that it was quick for them and they didn’t suffer.

[@FastNCurious88]

It's literally the Mind Flayer from Stranger Things.

[@TooMuchSascha]

@@FastNCurious88 What

[@Shay15932]

Bro as soon as i saw this i had to click it, you do some of the best tornado documentary's

[@Ksaviationstuff]

Agreed

[@UshakaHatVr]

Me to

[@commiehunter733]

Yup

[@Wisegame15]

Fr

[@Insertuser1]

Yup

[@chartier67]

You are one of the best at explaining tornado incidents while not making them confusing and putting names to people lost is the best way to honor them. That goes with this video and all your videos for that matter.

[@Paradox_Incognito]

I heard about lives lost I had never heard of from any other channel before. Took a few moments of silence for them too. I'm glad he's bringing names to statistics.

[@UnrealDerek]

Just seeing how big even those subvortices were. Wow. It’s terrifying

[@Jero-P]

Imagine THAT hitting a city. I hope it never happens. This was in an open field, and killed the best chasers ever. We'd be dead quick

[@AggressiveScot_TV]

imo... 100% the best tornado documentaries are made exclusively by this channel. I appreciate this fact every time I see a new upload from you.

[@Cide_Sakuzii]

AggressiveScott? I didn't know you watched tornado documents. But I gotta be honest, this documentary is the best out of all el reno documentaries i've seen yet.

[@EstorilEm]

This is a great video, but give credit where it’s due. Swegle Studios, Convective Chronicles, Pecos Hank, etc have been around longer and created content very similar to this ages ago. I’m not taking anything away from this production, but that’s kinda unfair to the other guys lol.

[@scotabot7826]

Could not agree more!! No silly hype, nothing but truth and facts. So refreshing to watch these magnificent videos, that I'm sure take a lot of work and research. Thanks so much!!

[@riftryderz]

I did not know aggressivescot came here Lol

[@Splicea]

Daddy Scot.

[@emmanuelmathews1718]

Now i understand why people say these things are like living entities, the path of this thing is almost like it was following those chasers

[@Fieryxjoe]

I mean its more that it changed course a ton, chasers were going off its last known path and basically trying to be as close as they could without crossing that path, there were so many around that whenever it had a sudden change someone was bound to be hit. Any time it hooked north and caught someone it probably would have done the same if it hooked south and vice-versa. They were way too locked into the mentality of assuming the tornado will go NE and then once it wasn't they assumed it was moving the same way it was 3 minutes ago. The tour group and weather channel both assumed it was going NE and nearly got killed, then other chasers saw it going SE and assumed since they were a mile north of where they last saw it they were even further north now but they were right in its path again.

[@emmajohnson7364]

I was one of the people who listened to Mike Morgan and fled south. The traffic jam was like nothing I’d ever seen, so tense because we didn’t know how far the tornado was. I still think if it stayed on the ground all of us would have died

[@6pickers]

I grew up in the Tulsa area. I moved down to okc in 2009 and this month of May (2013) was the first experience of dealing with an f5. Thank you, these are very well done documentaries.

[@madizzle90]

The fact that a twister got to be over 2 1/2 miles wide is mind-numbing.

[@djscrizzle]

At that point, Essentially, the mesocyclone itself is scrubbing the ground and all that's unfortunately in it's way.

[@TimewastiusMaximus]

As an Australian, comparing the width to my home city of Melbourne, just the fact that it would have reached the edge of the main suburban area (populated suburbs connected without gaps of land) to where I lived at the time, outside in a kind of "satellite city" as it is known, and given that is usually a 20 minute drive on the highway at roughly 100km/h (60m/h) is nearly impossible to rationalize...over 5km of storm. Christ almighty that is huge.

[@TheSilverShadow17]

Statistically would of made it a proper EF5 if anything really. The sheer size alone speaks for itself that it _should_ be an EF5 tornado.

[@TitaniumTurbine]

@@TheSilverShadow17 Once you understand how ratings are given, then you’ll understand why it’s rated an EF4.

[@TheSilverShadow17]

@@TitaniumTurbine At least the EF4 rating sounds more convincing than the controversial EF3 rating the NWS gave the El Reno behemoth.

[@Dawgesterer]

right at 12:00, when the cameraman pans to the right and catch's the sub vortices, its a moment that sends unbelievable chills down my spine, accompanied by the opera like background singing... its literally like looking at something otherworldly. Mother natures wraith on full display, great editing

[@stinkyman202]

That shot is absolutely terrifying. Gave me major butterflies in my stomach

[@tornadostories]

The research, graphics, voice over, pacing and reconstruction is perfect. You must have spent hundreds of hours making this production. Superb work.

[@Ronaldothegoat1010]

When twistext made the tweet to stay safe and warning ppl to be safe but dieing themselves is so sad

[@imjustaboredperson9116]

Frr rest easy ❤❤ these tornado stories make me sad af sometimes

[@train_go_boom2065]

That tornado was out to get everyone chasing that day

[@thedyingmeme6]

Tornado be like : "The chasers' have become the CHASED!!!!"

[@RT-qd8yl]

We definitely learned a lot from that day; hopefully lives in the future are spared because of that.

[@Paradox_Incognito]

It really felt like that, yeah

[@chellotrevino7323]

Maybe don’t chase dangerous storms that’s what they get 🤣🤣 oh well

[@Lumberjx]

@@chellotrevino7323smh what a gross & disrespectful comment. tell me you’re a child without telling me you’re a child 🙄 the men who died were scientists… scientists who collected info & data that simply cannot be obtained any way other than from on the ground up close & personal with the storms. It’s bc of scientists like those men that we’ve been enabled to better understand & predict dangerous storms a decade later. People can be warned of the presence of a tornado sooner & faster bc of chasers on the ground, which means more lives can be saved. We owe a debt of gratitude & respect to the Twistex team. Grow up.

[@simplsquam]

i swear every time i learn something new about this tornado it gets even more terrifying

[@adri_is_sleepdeprived]

fr, just goes to show how much of a monster this thing really was.

[@OneBrokenEgg]

Fr, if it reached OKC, the damage would’ve been unfathomable. It’s a miracle that it missed.

[@harold_bryant]

at 12:01 the footage of that is just terrifying

[@swiphouse]

Thank you for going into detail about the victims rather than glossing over them as if they are a statistic. I haven’t heard of the first two fatalities before, very traumatic 😣 Rest in peace.

[@booknerdgirl13]

My mom was driving home, heading west on I40. I was keeping an eye on the news and when I saw it was forming outside of El Reno, I called her to tell her to look for a place to pull over and hide. Thank God she did. She took the last exit into El Reno and went into the Braums. They all got into the freezer and stayed there until it passed. If she had kept going I fear she would have been right in its path as it crossed I40. RIP to all the people lost that day. It’s amazing that it stayed out of heavy populated areas.

[@afropunkx]

7:56 took too long to get them in the car. No way I’m holding a tornado tour if people are that far from the vehicle. My god.

[@jamieg1907]

thank god they made it out safely but my god that was so panic inducing

[@frostwyrm9412]

One of the reasons why I would never book a tour. I don't want to risk my life (or my mental health) because someone whats to get the "perfect shot".

[@johnglick9256]

By taking off without any of them would essentially be personally signing their death warrant, being the one that sentences them to death. Its hard to say but I can imagine it being a super hard choice to make in that moment

[@frostwyrm9412]

@@johnglick9256 This is exactly what I thought of when I mentioned risking my life or my mental health- I cannot imagine how this would feel for the survivors.

[@afropunkx]

@@johnglick9256 that’s the point. I never once insinuated that they should be left behind. My point is that because I won’t leave them, they shouldn’t be allowed to stray that far from the vehicle… However.. if I had a rule about being a certain distance from the car, and someone breaks that rule, they are essentially putting me and the other people in danger…maybe they should be left behind.

[@PhillyPhilly248]

Dan Robinson uploaded the full dashcam where you can see the Twistex crew get engulfed, but then he realized his mistake and edited it out and reuploaded it without that part. You can still find the video on his KZbin channel to this day. You can also still see the Twistex team in the video, just not the part where they are killed. He said he will never release that footage to anyone. He said, “Stop asking for the footage because I will never give it to you.” You can see him pass the exact intersection where Twistex’s car was found just minutes later mangled. I think it is around 5 minutes and 30 seconds into the video. Just a minute later after he passed that intersection, Twistex was picked up and thrown down at that intersection. That’s how close he was to death.

[@nothere5378]

Yeah while I appreciate this video going into so much detail it ends up not really communicating how fast all this happened. Even knowing they could see each other I didn't realize it was a literal minute's difference until I read your comment

[@PhillyPhilly248]

@@nothere5378He was incredibly lucky to make an escape. If he was just a bit slower, he would’ve had the same fate of the Twistex team. I read a Reddit post that said they were about an estimated 28 seconds or less behind Dan. Allegedly it is also said that a police officer in the area heard the Twistex team on the radio screaming “We are going to die!” Approximately 35 seconds before they were lifted by the tornado. But that audio has never been recovered. So the team most likely knew their fate. It just shows even experienced specialists still make fatal errors.

[@mrbub2014]

“There’s no rain here.” SENDS CHILLS DOWN MY SPINE EVERYTIME Edit 2: I truly thank all of you for liking this comment, I have never gotten 1k likes EVER on a single KZbin comment. Thank you so much for this

[@StoutShako]

Why was there no rain? It wasn't explained in the video. I know something is wrong about that, but I don't know what...

[@mrbub2014]

@@StoutShako if a tornado is super close to you there is no rain

[@nataliedavis8675]

⁠@@StoutShakoAround a tornado (often called “the bear”) is a “cage” of rain-part of the larger storm that encompasses the actual tornado vortex. When you enter the cage (aka become extremely close to the vortex) there isn’t any rain, as the tornado itself absorbs it. When the rain stops, you know that you’re inside the cage, trapped with the bear.

[@TheArtofFugue]

@@StoutShakoif you’re in the eye, it’s calm. It’s so eerie. My house was in the eye of a ef4 20 years ago when I was a kid, and I remember it vividly- everything went quiet, you could hear out slow breathing it got so quiet. And then… utter annihilation. Lost my parents that day.

[@TheFakeChristian]

@@TheArtofFugue im soo sorry

[@bekahdoug5572]

Most of this occurred the 10+ miles between ElReno and Yukon, where fortunately, it's mostly farmland. I have lived in Yukon my whole 40 years, and when that sky turns green, you know it's time to turn on the TV. I've never truly been terrified about a tornado. Not until this one any way. WAY too close to home. I'm thankful it happened in an area that's not so densely populated. I'm surprised you never mentioned the ElReno Airport.

[@LONlG]

I know this is a month old, but he does mention the el reno airport real fast when talking about people fleeing. I don't have a time stamp, but he said something about how the el reno airport was hit in front of them. I too think it could have been covered more about it, but I appreciate this was mostly focused on the people trying to just get away.

[@bekahdoug5572]

@LONlG I definitely missed that part. That's my bad, though. I have personally been in 4 tornadoes in different locations here in Oklahoma. I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a single Oklahoman that has NOT been in one though lol considering we get the most tornadoes in the world, yearly. Thank you for the correction. I also wish he'd gone over the airport a little more.

[@Wisegame15]

Best tornado documentary channel covering El Reno? Never clicked faster.

[@gamegang4life597]

Same😊

[@alexlefevre3555]

The whole timeline and process of this storm is just incredible. The fact that it consumed the northern storms, imbuing all of the vorticity of those cells while existing in a nearly perfect set of atmospheric conditions, into this veritable cacophony of subvortices and chaotic windfields is such a perfect display of nature's power. Even after barreling into being the dominant storm, the small cell south was also consumed to top off the intensity of this beast. I think the most stunning part of this is the mobile doppler look into the monster. The lives lost were lost into pure chaos, and they shall always be remembered.

[@LoadedWithSnacks]

The minute you said "But it wasn't moving left or right" my heart stopped since I knew exactly what it meant. I'm so glad they were able to move out of the path just in time.

[@drfirechief8958]

These are some of the most professional and instructive documentary type video's of storms available. The amount of detail is amazing. Bravo for making such informative and instructive video's.

[@imadequate3376]

RIP Tim and the Twistex team. Absolutely ground breaking work they were doing. Used to watch him on the discovery channel years prior to his death.

[@MrTmm97]

12:15 this moment with the music, knowing Twistex’s fate is haunting. Seeing that huge wedge and the handful of tornadoes behind it is so crazy to see. Sad day for chasers.

[@prodbytarantino]

Better help sells your private medical information. It’s not a rumor, it’s been confirmed multiple times. DO NOT use better help y’all.

[@Grovyle90]

I'm liking and replying to this comment because I can't agree enough! Creators should stop taking better help sponsorships, and viewers need to be made much more aware of just how awful they are.

[@TheNameIsGamestar]

​@@Grovyle90sometimes KZbinrs sign contracts and unfortunately can't get out of those contracts until it expires. They can't predict what's going to happen when they sign those contracts. Not too much they can do unless they want to go to court

[@QuickTV-q6b]

It's an absolute miracle that anyone survived this tornado. The unusual path, the unpredictability, the deceptive winds, the sheer size, and the overwhelming strength-every aspect of it was terrifying. The chaser tribute to the Twistex team was both beautiful and deeply haunting

[@JimmyM921]

I knew Richard Henderson. Saw him that afternoon when he came into the Hinton Pharmacy. Great guy. Very humble and was in shock when I heard what happened to him. This was an amazing video. Brought back memories I had forgotten about. The carnage near El Reno was amazing to drive by often on my way to OKC.

[@theunknown4834]

Bless him. What a storm that he would have experience.

[@ELD-zg4kc]

wow jimmy for real??? 💜💜

[@emrekurt6882]

After witnessing a tornado in Türkiye, I discovered this channel when my curiosity about tornadoes increased. We watched this video with my friends. It's a really great explanation.

[@antimonitok]

nerede oldu?çok olmuyor da burada

[@peacockcrowe2718]

Every time I watch a video regarding the El Reno tornado I quietly hope that the Twistex team makes it out but that will never the case. RIP to the team and others who lost their lives

[@imanelayyadi16]

I was just about to comment this. Every damn time I watch one of the El Reno docs, I’m rooting for them to make it out so hard. As if maybe I hope hard enough, I can somehow change the ending. Just devastating. Their deaths were such an indescribable loss - I can’t even fathom how much more Tim would have been able to do for tornado research with his genuine passion for weather and bottomless ingenuity. I was a teenager watching them on Storm Chasers with Teams Dominator and TIV and Twistex was such a light. Amazing humans gone far, far too soon. Sending love 🩵

[@jimmcclellan8891]

This is the most dramatic, best produced and narrated tornado video I’ve ever seen. Well done, the satellite view, video and perspective is first rate. Well done.

[@mercury9109]

Only 8 fatalities, while still tragic and horrible for those 8 lives, is still so miraculous to me. What a blessing for all the people who could’ve lost their lives, too.

[@RRed19]

Thank any god out there it didn’t reach into OKC.

[@Doreykay11]

Being one of the survivors in the Randy Walton (Mike Phelps StormscapeLive) group, I will never forget that day. It was my first storm chasing tour. I hold all the people with me close to my heart as we can so close to losing our lives that day. You couldn't tell it was a tornado it was so huge! I've been back to the Memorial twice to pay my respects. Such a tragedy!

[@joshshoe5421]

Around 12:07 is why I think this Tornado is maybe the scariest looking tornado ever. It just looks so massive and inescapable. It’s definitely the scariest tornado for a storm chaser.

[@BradLacke]

Also the video taken from the Bettesmobile when they're in the thing and he rolls down the window and it's a shot of all the vortices flying around. Nightmare fuel.

[@Jero-P]

It looks like i wouldn't want it near city. We were spared

[@franciscodanielcastro3440]

Here in December 2024, amazing how you did this documentary. Play by play! You are an amazing person to create such documentation of this monster tornado! Keep them coming! So much respect in what you do ✊🏼 🫡

[@lacyhardman1282]

I lived in El Reno during this. I was hiding in my mom’s basement with my three year old daughter. Looking at the path if the tornado wouldn’t have turned south the way it did or went back to the northeast a little sooner we would have taken a direct hit. I can’t believe how close we were. We could have died. I will never forget what the sky looked like before we took shelter. It was terrifying.

[@Cooe.1]

Why voluntarily live someplace that is actively trying to kill you? O_o

[@justkiddin08]

I was an OTR truck driver at the time, me and two other truck drivers were on 81 and had stop not far from Reuter rd. In my 20 years of truck driving I've been through many of tornadoes. I've never again want to see anything like that again in my life! That thing was massive!!

[@abbyfortune921]

This tornado dissipated only a few miles from my house. I was in my tornado shelter so scared. Rip to all of the lives lost especially the Twistex team 😭

[@wingedhybrid16]

I couldn't imagine how scary that must have felt. D:

[@everythingsalright1121]

At least you were smart enough to shelter and not get on the road to snap pics like everyone else

[@bayly1977]

Why especially them? They put themselves there.

[@Tornado_Expert]

Dude this tornado has been a dream to study I’ve always liked this tornado because of all the unusual things she did the turns she took she was a learning curve for sure

[@brad5349]

To add more to this, the 175mph sub vortex was what hit the twistx crew and clocked the 296mph wind speed. The main core was 180mph.

[@LITTLE1994]

No wonder why the Chevrolet Cobalt was completely crushed apart

[@icewaterslim7260]

@@LITTLE1994 Direct hits from that level of wind is going to wreck anything, Not having the power and more importantly the torque to pull through the windward side of rotation then they'd move slower than it travels. Actually they must've put some importance on getting data from this storm specifically because they took an uncharacteristic risk that day even not fully realizing their situation. As far as the car in front knew they just abandoned and turned off or around so he didn't seem to be expecting the worst or wouldn't consider it until finally recognizing their car.

[@vector3813]

It was 336 mph.

[@icewaterslim7260]

@@brad5349 As I finally understood it that low figure is indeed the directional speed inside the larger storm rotation and the wind speed of the vortex is the larger number. It was just hard to get my head around those numbers so I thought I was hearing it wrong . . . Kind of makes me wonder why true measured Wind-speed no longer factors in the ratings. What did they finally say this was? An EF 3 ?! Now I'm having a hard time getting my head around that. I would say it's a good bet that the ratings will someday be revised again to some sort of less imperfect compromise.

[@UltraMagaFan2]

Growing up severe weather traumatized me. When I was around 10 years old we had multiple tornadoes nearly hit our house. One of which happened in the middle of the night. I'm 20 now, and up until about 3 months ago I was still absolutely terrified of tornadoes. So much so that just thinking about them would keep me up at night. Your videos have taught me a lot of stuff I didn't know about these storms and has helped me get over that fear. And now I really enjoy watching tornado videos. I would like to thank you for that.

[@kooriicolada]

I feel that. When my home almost got hit by a tornado it turned a love of storms to an intense fear of them. I still get anxiety attacks and have to do a lot to cope with that fear when storm seasons come... Weirdly my fear wrapped around into fascination and watching videos about tornadoes helps a lot.

[@icewaterslim7260]

@@UltraMagaFan2 Yeah night time when your power is out and the transistor radio that you built from a kit has the news telling you a tornado is down in your area but you can't see the damned thing. And your house doesn't have a central room other than your sister's 3x3 ft closet. That was about an F1 or so and ripped shingles, highline wires and sapling trees a couple blocks away down a country road. I was looking out a window down that road and never saw it in the dark. Just heard the wind that seemed loud even for the Tx Panhandle. The light damage made me too dismissive for awhile until seeing downtown Lubbock a couple weeks after their F5 went through it in '70.

[@mitchelljohnleslie1696]

In loving memory of Four Chasers Timothy Michael Samaras November 12, 1957-May 31, 2013 Paul Timothy Samaras November 12, 1988-May 31, 2013 Carl Richard Young May 14, 1968-May 31, 2013 Richard Charles Henderson June 6, 1977-May 31, 2013 RIP TWISTEX NEVER STOPPED CHASING

[@kathleenlanglois7011]

this is the best comment in the video

[@flowerpuffgirls1425]

tim and paul had the same birthday?! that’s even more bizarre.. born and died on the same day of the year

[@kenthompson5723]

There were other people who died ALSO.

[@ELD-zg4kc]

yes 💜

[@Jaime008_art]

@@flowerpuffgirls1425 yes but different year not same years

[@GhostDrummer]

This has to be one of the best videos I’ve ever watched regarding tornadoes. The amount of care you put into telling the story while respecting those who perished is beyond any commercial company would do. Your attention to detail and lining up the timelines with graphics is absolutely incredible. Thank you for sharing this with us. And to any of you folks who risk your lives to help us understand these storms, thank you.

[@JujuProdGames]

This documentary was of LEMMiNO quality, by far your best video yet. You're a fantastic storyteller, keep it up!

[@princesslucyford]

Lemmino is exactly who I had in mind after watching this. It's world class.

[@altaccount4697]

Exactly. One of those things that you can't believe is free to watch.

[@NeoJae]

Hello mario

[@worblergworbler]

i've seen a million videos on el reno 2013 but as everyone else in the comments is saying, you make the best tornado documentaries so i HAD to watch this one and i'm already learning things i didn't know! that tour group so close nearly had me biting my nails in anxiety for them as the circulation got closer and closer

[@hillbilly4christ638]

When I was six years old I was within 100 yards of a twister. My mother and my brothers and sisters gathered in a central location in the house. I glanced outside and could only see the ground directly below the window because the rain was so intense. I remember the trees cracking from the force of the winds. We survived unscathed from the fury that day. I am 65 now and the events of that day have never left me. Once in a while I have a nightmare from that day. It is strange how we handle stress and the impact that it has on our lives. I cannot imagine inviting this into your life willingly.

[@Caiddenn]

@6:52 I was on Tempest Tours that day. I'm the guy with the black shirt and beige shorts. Just prior to the recording, I was asking about the RFD and how to spot it. I was told to wait. As the rotation grew more severe, the wind started blowing towards it at such a rate and power that it was causing the ground to shake. The video I took on my camera is somewhere in storage, but after a moment of celebration of seeing a tornado (a few cheers and dances) I could eyeball that it was utterly massive and multi-vortex and I ran. I was the first in the car. I remember the chase leader running over, wrenching open the door and jamming on the horn. You can hear my voice going with the understated, "yeah, that's not good" followed by a bunch of knocks and him shouting "we gotta move". Barely escaped South with our lives.

[@charisselinnell-morton4137]

I am thinking about taking a tornado tour this spring. I have chased all over Canada but I really want to gather some wonderful epic photos

[@Caiddenn]

@@charisselinnell-morton4137 Tempest Tours is pretty good. Had some great chases with them.

[@object-official]

Can you post the video?

[@IndianaHamilton-sy9vk]

Bro the twistex team event was the most tragic storm chasing event ever that's unbelieveably devastated Rip.

[@UnrealGamer6]

I live in Yukon, just outside of El Reno and I remember this tornado like it was yesterday. I'm SO glad this missed us. I actually attended the CV Tech there from 2011 to 2013 and graduated mere months before this hit. The rebuilt CV Tech now has a presentation in its main lobby about the ordeal and honoring the people who lost their lives.

[@dayneellison3533]

This video is one of the most terrifying horror "movies" that I've seen. The fact that the tornado is not only something that's real, it's massive and very fast moving. You've made a masterpiece my friend and it's unfortunate that it had to happen about a real tragedy.

[@waltervelasquez6926]

This is by far the best documentary of this tornado, I’ve been so fascinated by how huge this tornado was and watched the National Geographic documentary and others but this documentary along with the never seen footage of the actual vortexes in view makes you realize how scary this tornado really was.

[@MAWA-Vik19]

No better help sponsoring!!!

[@Man_Aslume]

I don't need therapy I need memes

[@marshmellobunnies]

this tornado honestly holds a special place in my heart because of how close i was to experiencing it's sheer destruction. i lived in midwest city at the time and all i can remember is us having to go to a neighbors house to get into their storm shelter, when usually what we would do when we heard tornado sirens was go into our hallway and cover up. i knew it was bad, but my mom had brought snacks and water with us so that if anything did happen, we would be able to hydrate ourselves and eat something. i am so thankful that it never hit us, and that the only thing we saw wrong with our outside stuff was our basketball hoop being knocked over. rest in peace to the 8 who sadly lost their life in this tornado.

[@wolfsupernova-fv4jd]

The real tragedy is the people who were not storm chasers and lost their lives. My heart breaks for the 17 day old baby and the mother.

[@claudiaisabelreyes-todd7113]

That’s true and despite the fact the kid was only 17 days old, breaks my heart into smithereens.

[@SugarMonke69]

3:22 end of sponsor

[@tripwire3992]

Thank you so much, all my homies hate betterhelp

[@SugarMonke69]

@@tripwire3992yippee!🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@lonelypancake5979]

@@tripwire3992alcohol is my better help

[@ElijahRobinson-i4f]

@@tripwire3992thanks

[@GogiRegion]

Thank you. I can handle sponsors, but not scams that shouldn’t even be legal like BetterHelp.

[@ICrailroadprod.2007]

9:05 i saw “live leak” and knew something was about to go down

[@Damndyingkid]

Rest in peace LiveLeak

[@Nate_wright]

Yea lol

[@Brimstone-Gaming]

i remember this day too well. me and my student in our semi had just switch driving at exit 108 on I-40 at the Cherokee travel plaza on route 66. we were headed west to OKC to head south to dallas. I could see the clouds forming and the skys darkening. when we got to us 81 at exit 125, I told my student forget going to OKC, we are heading south now. the cloud was moving towards us from the west and we went south. little did we know that that was the same path the tornado came through. we missed it by 30-45 minutes as we drove further south. I remember seeing lots of vehicles chasing the clouds. and after watching this, we probably were one of the few that saw the twistex crew going past us before they were killed after we passed. needless to say, we got lucky.

[@OneBrokenEgg]

EXTREMELY lucky

[@jfangm]

The Twistex video isn't lost. It is in the possession of a family member of one of the team members that was killed and will likely never be released.

[@austins.2495]

Yea, I’ll take your word for it 🤦‍♂️

[@jfangm]

@@austins.2495 Nexpo discussed the Twistex video in on of his "Disturbing Lost Media" episodes on his channel.

[@Bsquaredplus2]

​@@austins.2495they're correct, the video was recovered, but they've stated it will never be released.

[@RichardSleyster]

You do a wonderful job narrating this beauty. Thanks!!!

[@Fishingwarning45]

So this is why you have not been uploading lately this is a masterpiece

[@spiralrose]

Right?? Worth the wait😃

[@simonsvlogportaal]

Really cool that you are doing a detailed documentary on El Reno! Also, maybe an idea for the next video, I haven't really Come across a detailed documentary about the Smithville tornado, so it would be very interesting to see a video about that. You are really good at doing documentaries btw!

[@KaileyB616]

Carly Anna WX made a good video about Smithville

[@StormChaserSquadron]

SMITHVILLE Day 1 of asking for a documentary bout Smithville

[@Croxy115]

8:58 You know this is going to be a bad one when you see the LiveLeak logo 💀

[@KaileyB616]

Lol for real

[@SomeplaceScary]

I legit did a double take.

[@18Hongo]

"I'm... in a Chinese factory"

[@Banta42061]

@@18Hongo you spin me right round baby right round…

[@JesseLikesWeather]

I am trying to find that footage, does anyone have any clue where it could be?

[@OspreyMantis]

Honestly such a good video, probably my fav from this channel. I really like the style you present the things happening and all of the little details you add.

[@sunnflare]

I’ve been putting off everyone else’s docs on this encounter to watch from this channel first. Learning the personal accounts, the information, and the respect not only from the narrator, but in the comments is what makes this my most favored for these type of documentaries. ❤

[@Ayyy_Okay]

30:32 this was a fortune day for my family. My dad was afraid of this tornado going straight through El Reno so he decided that his workplace, OKC West, was safer than staying in town. Little did we all know it was going to level the entire lot and also the Canadian Valley Tech across the street. All I can remember is my uncle in my dad's truck and it had it's driver side window shattered. The rest of us were in my moms SUV. It was very loud and very dark. We parked inside a building where the cattle would stay. I didn't even think about recording it at the time. I was just 14

[@j_taylor]

I'm glad you and your family survived. Other people can record these things, but you lived through this and nobody else can do that for you.

[@Ayyy_Okay]

@@j_taylor thank you

[@Reaven162]

Guess what……. I did not even. CArE for em twisted vortexes if they dead they dead

[@trap-wolf]

YESSS there's so many El Reno videos but idccc I'm thrilled you made one

[@CrimeCrusader]

Right 😂 think I’ve seen every one already but this will be a the best out of all

[@Chris-hn4lp]

You did an excellent job on this video. The editing, showing the storm track and chasers locations over time really helped was excellent work.

[@matthewpatzek2375]

This is the best documentary of this event that I have seen so far. Just when I thought I knew everything about this legendary tornado, this documentary proved I was wrong.

[@stormchasermary7593]

Same here, I have studied this tornado for almost 9 years but I have just learnt some now new info from this documentary

[@JohnSydney225]

You make the greatest tornado content ever. I love the visuals that help us see what tornados do and how it acts. Also, a huge appreciation for naming all the victims. Most people remember El Reno 2013 not just for its size, but for killing 4 stormchasers. I like that here the other victims are not forgotten.

[@floydholder597]

I cant imagine being caught in something like this beast and suddenly realizing there is no escape. Another thing that I can not imagine is how many hours you put into researching and editing this video. This id undoubtably the most well researched and documented weather video that I have ever watched.

[@Billiefanofc]

okay i always say “bro” “fr” But this has to be the most absolutely best channel i have ever watched you just explain everything so well “not even a subscribe and explain” just straight to the point absolute amazing

[@Right-Handed_Neutrino]

Best nader docs right here. Definitely the best one on this nado. Tim Samaras was one of the most respected, safest, risk adverse chasers out there. We lost a true scientist in the community. I live in Piedmont. That year was just bananas.

[@SilverThunder710]

The fact that so many chasers were filming so many angles of disaster and thinking how just one decision could have saved peoples' lives... it's ridiculous what happened on that day.

[@Harvard-University-Admissions]

This is honestly the best KZbin video I have ever seen. Super well documentation into really what happened that day. No other videos about el Reno go into this much detail. Awesome work keep it up!

[@felipegarcia5655]

great and informative video! I know its not very well known but it would be interesting if you covered the 1987 Edmonton tornado. It was an F4 tornado that had multiple vortices and caused 332 million dollars in damage. Keep up the interesting videos and hope to see more soon!