'Here it comes!': Storm chasers take direct hit from Minnesota tornado
Extreme meteorologist Dr. Reed Timmer intercepted a tornado on Monday as a stormy week of severe weather got underway in the central United States.
Watch as severe storms spawn tornadoes in this dramatic timelapse video from storm chaser Aaron Jayjack.
A tumultuous week of severe weather is unfolding across the central United States, and it kicked off on Monday with over a dozen tornadoes from Kansas to Wisconsin.
Extreme meteorologist Dr. Reed Timmer intercepted one of the twisters that touched down in south-central Minnesota, near the town of Truman.
"We're about to get in this, guys," Timmer said to his vehicle of storm chasers. "Get ready! Here it comes!"
Swirling dirt and debris then swept over the vehicle as the tornado tracked directly overhead.
Extreme meteorologist Dr. Reed Timmer took his team of chasers into the heart of a tornado near Truman, Minnesota, on April 13, providing an incredible view from within.
As it continued on, a "cinnamon roll" could be seen in the clouds above, a cloud formation synonymous with a tornado.
AccuWeather meteorologist and storm chaser Tony Laubach was tracking the same tornado, capturing it the minute it touched down.
Damage surveys will be conducted in the coming days to assign ratings to each reported tornado.
A tornado shortly after it touched down near Truman, Minnesota, on April 13, 2026. (AccuWeather/Tony Laubach)
Farther south, a pair of potent thunderstorms tracked just south of Kansas City, Missouri. Multiple tornadoes were reported, along with hail as large as baseballs.
Winds from the tornado-warned storm damaged a T-Mobile store near Ottawa, Kansas, while hail as large as 2 inches in diameter pelted the town, according to NOAA. Three people were also injured during the storm, according to the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Topeka, Kansas.
NWS teams surveyed the damages in Ottawa on Tuesday and found damage consistent with an EF2 tornado based on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.
The same areas hit by storms and tornadoes on Monday will face additional rounds of severe weather throughout the week as the severe weather season ramps up across the central U.S.
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