WeatherNation TV, Inc., a multi-format 24/7 local and national television weather news provider, has premiered what may be a first-of-its kind, close-range drone footage of a tornado in southern Oklahoma. Shot recently by WeatherNation field correspondent Brandon Clement, the drone captures stunning video in a way that is rarely seen.
From approximately 50-yards away, the drone follows alongside a tornado for several miles as it moves across the countryside at 35 mph near Sulphur, Oklahoma, throwing debris and sucking water from a pond into its vortex before the twister dies out. The footage lasts more than four minutes.
While Clement captured the drone footage, Brett Adair, a WeatherNation field meteorologist and owner of Live Storms Media, encountered the tornado on the ground. The team filmed April 30 as part of WeatherNation TV’s weather forecast news and live coverage of more than 40 tornadoes that ripped across the central U.S., from Texas to Missouri. WeatherNation partners with Live Storms Media to capture storm footage that aides in providing more detailed national and local U.S. severe weather forecasts.
“It’s been a shot I’ve been trying to capture for years,” said Clement, who used a specially-designed drone equipped for wet weather. “Fortunately, it wasn’t raining and I had the wind on my side.”
The images have captivated viewers and the news media; since the footage first posted on WeatherNation, Clement and his video have been featured in national media like USA Today, Washington Post, Inside Edition, as well as numerous TV stations.
Watch this tornado and other severe weather footage in WeatherNation’s playlist on YouTube.
WeatherNation is deploying multiple field crews, which include meteorologists and correspondents, from Texas to the Mississippi Valley this week to cover the severe weather threat taking shape. The threat begins with a focus in western Texas Tuesday and expands eastward to include Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Louisiana on Wednesday. Storms are expected to travel to the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys later in the week.
Attention TV producers: To schedule a live on-air interview with a WeatherNation meteorologist or field correspondent, please contact WeatherNation News Director Mark Hanner at 303-339-7330 or mhanner@weathernationtv.com to coordinate. To purchase tornado footage, contact Live Storms Media at 256-267-7747 or media@livestormsnow.com