I have never fully understood storm chasers. While I can appreciate nature's beauty or a good, old-fashioned adrenaline rush, the thought of chasing down a hazardous storm has never appealed to me. On the contrary, I typically run from them, not towards them. This is particularly true for tornadoes. There is something more terrifying about them to me than any other type of storm. Something about their incredible strength and ability to just sweep me and all of my belongings up and displace us. They are second on my list of fears, right after tsunamis. However, some people enjoy chasing after these swirling twisters. One such person, a storm chaser in Nebraska, claims to have captured a 'once in a lifetime' tornado; I'll take his word for it.
Storm Chaser Claims To Have Captured A 'Once In A Lifetime' Tornado
Still can't believe this happened. Still can't believe this is a photo I took.
?Wellfleet, NE 6/16/25 pic.twitter.com/9X7Vu6ylof— Jim Tang (@wxmann) June 17, 2025
Jim Tang, a storm chaser based in Oklahoma City, caught wind (no pun intended) of a storm brewing in southwest Nebraska. Not wanting to miss a chance at storm chasing, he set off in search of this anticipated tornado. When speaking to Cowboy State Daily, he shared that part of the allure for him was the uncertainty of never knowing if he would find the storm.
They shared his words. "I think that's part of the allure of storm chasing for me," he told them. "You want to give yourself the best chance possible to see something, but at the end of the day, the weather does what it does, it's unpredictable." I find it so humorous that while I hope and pray I don't see the tornado, people like Tang are praying it will cross their paths.
The forecast that day simply mentioned that a tornado could touch down. While that might not have worried some people, it was enough to excite Tang and get him on the road. Much to his delight, he found the tornado he was seeking. Not only did he find it, but he claimed it was a "once in a lifetime" storm. He even argued that "as a storm chaser, that kind of tornado is your career goal."
What Made This Tornado So Great?
If you are wondering what makes one tornado more spectacular than the rest, I was right there with you. According to this storm chaser, the feature that set this tornado apart was its apparent love for the camera. That's right, while other storms are apparently hard to chase, he claimed that this one almost seemed to be begging for attention.
He told Cowboy State Daily, "I had never before been on such a long-lived, photogenic tornado before. It was quite astounding." Being a storm chaser, there are no guarantees. You could do all the weather tracking in the world and still miss the shot, so in a way, I can understand his excitement. However, I would still steer clear of a tornado, particularly one as impressive as this.
Yet, I am happy his man got to see his tornado. The "really tall, photogenic, and high contrast" tornado is a rare combination. So, Tang got his 'once in a lifetime' storm.
