A massive tornado struck northern Illinois last night, and so far at least two people are confirmed dead with many missing. Growing up in Wisconsin, which is on the northern end of Tornado Alley, I've been through my fair share of tornado warnings, although I've never experienced anything approaching this level of devastation. Still, I've noticed that in the age of YouTube, so many people react to the storms not by running for cover like my family did, but by pulling out their smartphone. People's first reaction to a potentially fatal storm has more and more become an attempt to recreate their own version of Twister, which, as pointed out by this USAToday article, is a highly unrealistic depiction of "storm chasing":

A storm chasers dream come true is to get close enough to a mile-wide tornado to shoot unique video of nature's extreme fury. Maybe even take some close-up measurements of the storm's surroundings, if the science warrants. But never will a chase team be caught racing into the middle of a corn field toward the heart of a whirling funnel no matter what the prize. Yet that's exactly what Twister actors Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt do as "professional" storm chasers in the debut movie of the summer season. In reality, storm chasers consider dirt roads, let alone fields of dirt, to be death traps as heavy rain can instantly turn them into axle-deep mud bogs trapping chasers and their vehicles in harm's way.

I know from personal experience how living in an area where tornadoes are normal can desensitize a person to how dangerous they are, so from time to time I think we need to remind ourselves that doing this sort of thing can kill you. It seems commonplace now to see amateur video of giant tornadoes pop up on YouTube within hours of a deadly supercell, and this storm was no exception. I looked for about a minute and found these three videos of the Illinois tornado, all captured by people who do not appear to be meteorologists:   These videos are thrilling, and the users appear to feel safe enough to do it, but some people feel that taking the time to record these videos is dangerous even for professionals. Even if you're not chasing the storm, simply being that close to one out in the open is foolish. Anyone who has every complained about a inaccurate forecast knows that weather is fickle, so please, stay safe out there (and by "out there," I mean "in a basement or other windowless concrete structure"). Resources: NOAA Storm Prediction Center NOAA Tornado Safety American Red Cross Tornado Safety Weather Wiz Kids Tornado Safety