What Is It Like to Be a Meteorologist On Camera During a Major Tornado Outbreak?

Two words: Incredibly stressful.

Twenty-three years ago today I was in that position. I was doing television on KSNW TV during the Kansas-Oklahoma tornado outbreak of April 26, 1991.

The worst tornado was the one that went through south Wichita and Andover which killed 17 people. Here is a video of the tornado with the audio from KWCH TV in the background. You can hear Merril Teller urging people to take shelter, giving tornado safety rules and explaining the tornadoes (yes, there were two in Sedgwick Co. simultaneously plus a third developing along the Kansas-Oklahoma border in our viewing area) locations and movements. This was before Doppler radar was available, yet television meteorologists did a superb job tracking the storms.
The Centers for Disease Control did a study and determined the warnings saved about 75 lives in that tornado alone.

Later this weekend, television meteorologists will on the air, perhaps throughout the night, keeping people informed and saving lives. Please reach out to their stations and let them know you appreciate their efforts.