I Almost Died Chasing A 318mph Tornado

On May 21st 2024, my chase partner Chris and I were chasing a tornado outbreak in southeast Iowa when two violent tornadoes touched down. One of these tornadoes would nearly hit me and devastate the town of Greenfield, Iowa, earning a high end EF4 rating. A mobile doppler radar team recorded winds as high as 309-318mph inside this tornado, making the Greenfield, Iowa tornado a contender for the strongest tornado ever recorded and likely the first tornado I've seen capable of doing EF5 damage. This video tells my story of chasing this historic storm and how it nearly cost me my life.

EF Scale explanation:

EF0 Light Damage (65-85mph)
EF1 Moderate Damage (86-110mph)
EF2 Considerable Damage (111-135mph)
EF3 Severe Damage (136-165mph)
EF4 Devastating Damage (166-200mph)
EF5 Incredible Damage (201mph+)

DOW6 Data: Flexible Array of Radars and Mesonets (FARM) - Josh Wurman/Karen Kosiba

Additional damage videos were provided by my good friends @JesseGillett and @highriskchris go check out their channels!

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NOT FOR BROADCAST

If you are looking to use parts of this video for educational purposes regarding chaser safety please shoot me an email and I'll be as accommodating as I can with all the information/ footage I have from this day.

[Denelix]

You not noticing it was a different tornado is what put chills in me. So glad you survived and to tell the story as well.

[styropyro]

This is a nightmare chasing scenario, but at least you got a unique view of this legendary tornado out of it!

[Drosera]

This right here is the one of the biggest dangers of storm chasing, and something which can impact even the most prepared and experienced chaser. If you lose access to information, at the wrong time, wrong place, and the storm does something unexpected, how that resolves is going to be a dice throw. Really glad you weren't hurt.

[WxKeegan]

Dude that is terrifying. No radar scans, don't know where the tornado is and how fast its going. Literally worst nightmare. Stay safe bro.

[MesoscaleMikeyChasing]

So crazy eerie how the tornado crosses the road just behind you where you were living and breathing just seconds earlier, and you can’t even hear it because of the rain.

[Fxstefan]

Not going to lie brother, you are very lucky to be alive. Reminds me of the infamous Dan Robinson El Reno escape video knowing that if you were 30 seconds behind where you were, that would of been it like the TWISTEX Crew.... Glad you were on gravel and not a dirt road and glad your okay.

[jonkaminsky]

It’s refreshing to find two storm chasers who aren’t hyperventilating and screaming at the top of their lungs at the sight of a tornado. Great content - well done!

[charlesbrown]

What a miracle of timing that escaped it. Please be careful out there buddy. A lot of people call you chasers “crazy” or “stupid.” But some of us understand how important you guys are, we NEED you chasers alive and well.

[junefirst]

Harrowing experience, buddy. Interesting to see Chris execute his learning lesson from Lewistown last season.

[swm]

You basically did a real-life remake of the first 15 minutes of Twisters. Thank God you made it out alive, and rest in peace to the unfortunate people who weren't as lucky as you. 🙏🏽

I've always wanted to storm chase and see a "decent-sized" tornado and one day with the proper qualifications and preparation I will.

I live in South Carolina so we don't get many tornados especially violent ones (EF3 or higher) but I've seen the sky turn green and rotate, so fucking beautiful, frightening, and awesome!

Also, idgaf what anyone says that was an EF5, I mean Look at that damage and 318 mph winds?!!

Stay safe and keep up the content.

[innovationtalk]

Dude, chasing a tornado in an unmodified car is crazy work.

[TheMommaDiary]

The fact you had absolutely no satellite footage or even the knowledge that a second monster was headed straight for you; is so eerie. The fact you kept going straight instead of stopping. Your timing is what saved your life. God was def on your side bc you could have died. You looking back saying I guess it’s RFD or something, thinking the tornado is still far away from you but no, it was a monster coming straight at you. Freaking crazy man.
I’m thankful you were able to stay ahead of it by mere luck.

[mechfennec]

You had someone watching over you that day. Insane footage Celton. Glad to see you made it out okay and continue to tell the tale. The Greenfield tornado was a roaring monster that most of us haven't seen in quite a long time. Here's to hoping the victims get back as much of their lives as possible, so heartbreaking to hear and see the death and damage it left in it's wake.

[mrpeach]

Man, it’s crazy to me that it’s been two months since many people witnessed history being made. May 2024 will never be forgotten for years to come.

[xJownage]

Fellow chaser here. You were about 30 seconds from being featured in a Skip Talbot Chaser Safety Discussion video.

I might be unusual for this but I follow the rules from him pretty closely. If I lose situation awareness and don't know where I am relative to the tornado, and I could be in the path? I take my escape route. I was further south this day on 26 and was intercepting each storm on the string of pearls, which included being within about 150 yards of greenfield after it formed. It was a safe intercept. As we kept going east intercepting more storms, at some point I lost all definition with the next storm coming towards us. Rather than risk getting hit, we stopped and let the tornadic region pass to our east. This ended our chase - but with the prevention of something like this happening where a strong/violent tornado bears down on us and we don't know it's there.

I hope you learned from this one. No offense, but this was a clinic in what not to do. I'm glad you made it out safe.

[JankyShack]

@1:24 I love the shot of the wind turbines. I commissioned that site back in 2011, they are Siemens 2.3-101. 2.3 Megawatt, 101 meter blade diameter.

[isaiahbaggett]

So glad you lived to tell the tale of this monster. We all enjoy your content and wish you well in future chases.

[LVM]

I don’t care what anyone says. That’s an F5 MONSTER and
Thank god you just missed getting hit by it. Confirmed winds over 300 Mph. That’s absolutely insane 2024 has been a year for tornadoes. Amazing video Celton. Would love to hear your take on the final rating.

[trasheyhamster]

5:05 my jaw dropped when I heard Greenfield mentioned

[JesusSaves_--]

The worst storm event I fear is a tornado, especially one that is rain wrapped. I’m glad that you and your partner survived. Stay safe out there!