Storm chasers capture Kansas tornado

Associated Press

Professional storm chasers in a specially rigged "tornado intercept vehicle" dubbed TIV2 captured video from inside a strong wedge tornado around 7:15 p.m. Monday in Smith County, Kan.

Brandon Ivey and Sean Casey, who appear in the Discovery Channel series Storm Chasers, captured the footage in eastern Smith County before the tornado ripped instruments from the top of the vehicle. The two said one of TIV2's doors and the top hatch were blown open by the storm but the vehicle stayed on the ground.

Preliminary reports indicated two homes were destroyed northwest of Smith Center but no injuries were reported.

The most significant tornado damage was reported in and around the town of Marysville, where a tornado touched down about 9:50 p.m., said Bill Schwindamann, Marshall County emergency management director. A John Deere dealership and a lumber yard and truss company just west of Marysville were completely destroyed and 20 to 25 homes were damaged, including some that were flattened, he said.

Some livestock were missing and power lines were down Tuesday morning around the town, which is about 150 miles northwest of Kansas City near the Nebraska border.

Another tornado in Jewell County caused significant damage to one home near Esbon but no injuries, said meteorologist Ryan Pfannkuch in the National Weather Service office in Hastings, Neb. Tornadoes also touched down in Clay county.