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Veteran storm chaser killed in deadly Oklahoma tornado

Deadly tornadoes tore through Oklahoma on Friday, destroying homes, causing major flooding, killing 18 people in the state, NBC reports.
This undated photo provided by The Discovery Channel shows Carl Young and Tim Samaras watching the sky. Jim Samaras said Sunday, June 2, 2013, that his brother storm chaser Tim Samaras was killed along with Tim’s son, Paul Samaras, and another chaser,...
This undated photo provided by The Discovery Channel shows Carl Young and Tim Samaras watching the sky. Jim Samaras said Sunday, June 2, 2013, that his...

Deadly tornadoes tore through Oklahoma on Friday, destroying homes, causing major flooding, killing 18 people in the state, NBC reports.

Discovery's storm chasers, Tim Sarasas, his son Paul Sarasas, and Carl Young, were among those killed Friday. Sarasas spent 30 years researching storms, hoping his data would help meteorologists better understand how to predict tornadoes and ultimately save lives.

Just hours before the tornado hit, Samaras was a guest on The Cycle, where he talked about how common massive cyclones are.

"Tornado alley is famous for these types of weather systems to come through," he said. "It only happens maybe once, twice, or three times in an entire year where we get days like this where the systems and the ingredients come together, just right, that generate these incredible, powerful storms and today is no exception."

On Sunday, Discovery aired a special show on the Moore, Oklahoma tornado called, Mile Wide Tornado: Oklahoma Disaster. Even though Samaras and Young were not part of the special, or on assignment for Discovery at the time of their deaths, the special was dedicated to their memory.