Storm chaser killed Tuesday talked about job dangers

Weather Channel Storm Chaser Kelley Gene Williamson said other people posed one of the biggest dangers in his line of work.

“The biggest danger out there is the other chasers and that grandma who’s trying to get her kids,” he said. “The tornado sirens are going off and she’s trying to get them to safety. You’ve got to watch out for everybody out there. The storms kind of come secondary.

Williamson, a 57-year-old of Cassville, Mo. Resident, was one of three storm chasers killed after their vehicles crashed while they were chasing a storm near Spur, Texas on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press. The Texas Department of Public Safety identified the other storm chasers killed as Randall Delane Yarnall, 55, of Cassville, Mo. and Corbin Lee Jaeger, 25, of Peoria, Ariz.

RELATED: Authorities ID 3 storm chasers killed in crash near Lubbock, Texas

Multiple funnel clouds were triggered by the storms which also resulted in an occasional tornado in areas of West Texas, but no damage was reported, according to the AP.

“Every tornado I see is amazing,” Williamson said in a video. “… Every storm has got something about its own personality. It’s just like a person.”

The Weather Channel reports Williamson captured images or video of 37 tornadoes last year.

Williamson started his storm chasing career in the Missouri Skywarn program. There were not enough storms for him in his local area, so he started driving further away to find storms. Sometimes he would drive across the country.

“Some of the people say you’re crazy,” he said. “The other half says I want to go with you.”

When Williamson wasn’t chasing storms, he was busy raising chickens, he said.

“Just about all the farmers got a little bit of weather man in them,” Williamson said.

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