May Is Peak Tornado Season. Here’s to the Chasers Who Bring Us the ‘Ground Truth’ of Deadly Storms

May is peak tornado season. Here’s to the chasers who bring us the ‘ground truth’ of deadly storms

Storm chaser Doug Crisp stands beside his chase vehicle on April 28, 2026, in Emporia. Crisp, an independent contractor for a Topeka television station, said he strives to document the "ground truth" of deadly storms. (Photo by Max McCoy/Kansas Reflector)Something told Lanny Dean to hit the brakes. The battered Honda CR-V skidded to a stop on the wet black pavement of U.S. 183, its array of antennas quivering. The anemometer poking above the roo…

May is peak tornado season. Here’s to the chasers who bring us the ‘ground truth’ of deadly storms.

Storm chaser Doug Crisp stands beside his chase vehicle on April 28, 2026, in Emporia. Crisp, an independent contractor for a Topeka television station, said he strives to document the "ground truth" of deadly storms. (Photo by Max McCoy/Kansas Reflector)Something told Lanny Dean to hit the brakes. The battered Honda CR-V skidded to a stop on the wet black pavement of U.S. 183, its array of antennas quivering. The anemometer poking above the roo…