Local storm chaser gets close-up look at EF3 tornado

A Senath, Mo., mother-and-son storm-chasing team found themselves a little too close to the tornado outbreak Sunday that hit the Midwest.

Skyler Lancaster and his mother, Donna Jo Temple, were in Brookport, Ill., when a twister touched down there. Three people are confirmed dead and at least 100 homes damaged in Brookport.

Seventeen-year-old Skyler has chased storms for quite some time. He became interested when he saw his first tornado, the EF3 storm that hit Caruthersville, Mo., in 2006. He has been chasing down bad weather systems on his own for the past year. "Sometimes I take people with me; this time it was my mother," he said.

According to Lancaster, Saturday night he decided to head toward Smithland, Ky., as it looked possible for severe weather in that area. When a supercell formed in Stoddard County, Mo., on Sunday he said he realized where it was heading and went to Metropolis, Ill. The duo waited on the storm and even asked a police officer where they might get the best view. They were directed to a state park, close to the Ohio River.

"In about five minutes, it was coming toward us, moving about 60 to 65 miles per hour," he said.

When Lancaster realized the storm was getting too dangerous, he said they headed to Brookport a few miles away. The storm caught up with them. "I lost cellphone service, so we were flying blind," he said. Lancaster described the winds as "fierce."

"By then there was light debris flying around. We parked right up against a mobile home, between it and a large truck," he said.

It was not long before the twister found them.

"The tornado came toward us," Lancaster said. "In about 10 seconds the rain stopped, and I knew we were in the middle of it. We held on to the car. It spun around and wound up in the road. It tore roofs off trailers and did a lot of damage, but the one we were parked against didn't get extreme damage."

Lancaster said the wild ride lasted 30 to 45 seconds. When it was over, "a lady came out from under the debris, and we let her into our car. She didn't know there was a tornado warning. She thought there was only a watch," he said. "She had a few cuts and bruises. We were going to take her to the police station, but we couldn't get to it. We wanted to help others but couldn't do that, either. So, we took her to Paducah and left her with some family members."

From Paducah, Ky., Lancaster returned to Senath. He said there was minor damage to the car, but that was it.

"We were extremely lucky. I'm not sure how we got out of that," he said.

According to the National Weather Service, the tornado was an EF3 with winds of 145 mph that cut a path 500 yards wide and 11 1/2 miles long.

Lancaster said Sunday's events make him even more interested in storms. He plans to attend college at Western Kentucky University and study meteorology.