By Kurtis Doering

Sask. tornado hunter caught in El Reno storm

Jun 1, 2013 | 12:07 PM

Sometimes even a storm chaser gets caught.

Saskatchewan weather journalist, storm chaser, and self-proclaimed tornado hunter Greg Johnson was in Oklahoma Friday afternoon plying his craft. His tracking team was shooting footage of a storm just south of the city of El Reno, a suburb of Oklahoma City.

Johnson recalled his experience just moments after it happened in a conversation with CJME news.

“The tornado dramatically increased in size and violent nature… and unfortunately we were caught right in the middle of it,” he said.

Johnson estimated the tornado to have been up to 400 meters wide. His team was able to steer into a low-lying ditch while the storm passed overhead.

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“An actual farm truck was flying through the air in front of us. It was the most incredible, scary moment of my life,” said Johnson.

At the same time, whole buildings were flying overhead, sometimes striking the side of their truck.

“Our truck, which was basically on two wheels… got hit with what can best be described as 'the farm yard,'” Johnson says, by which he means most of the structures and equipment in the adjacent property.

“If you could hear anything over my screaming, it probably would have sounded like a freight-train,” he added.

Once the storm passed, they were able to get their truck back onto the road, and away from danger. The truck sustained heavy damage, and had all of its storm-tracking antennas torn off by the high winds.

“It's been a pretty harrowing day” Johnson said, his voice still trembling. “The adrenaline’s still pumping and my heart's still racing. It's an incredible feeling.”

Johnson said nothing like this has ever happened to him in all his years of storm chasing. The incident has cut this latest storm chase short by one day.

His plan was to find somewhere to stay for the night in nearby Chickasha, Oklahoma. Then, they would arrange for repairs to be made to their storm vehicle before flying back to Saskatchewan.

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