What Does It Feel Like to Be Inside a Tornado's Eye?

Dorothy Gale and Toto, along with Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt, might have some insights. But outside of "The Wizard of Oz" and "Twister," has anyone truly experienced the eye of a tornado and survived to share their story? Surprisingly, two individuals have—one in 1928 and another in 1943. Before we delve into their accounts, let's first understand what makes tornadoes so fascinating and fearsome.

While tornadoes are visually striking, what exactly are they? According to the American Meteorological Society, a tornado is defined as "a violently rotating column of air, touching the ground, either hanging from a cumuliform cloud or beneath one, and often visible as a funnel cloud" [source: American Meteorological Society].

Tornadoes develop as thunderstorms approach. In the lower atmosphere, heightened wind speeds generate an invisible horizontal spinning tube. As the storm intensifies, rising air shifts this tube from horizontal to vertical, forming the iconic funnel shape. With wind speeds reaching up to 300 mph, tornadoes can cause catastrophic damage, uprooting trees, demolishing homes, and hurling vehicles like toys. The deafening roar is often compared to a freight train plowing through a neighborhood. For more on tornado formation and classification, visit How Tornadoes Work.

Given that a tornado can hurl cars and demolish homes in seconds, how is it possible for anyone to survive being in its eye, and what does it feel like? Next, we’ll explore two firsthand experiences.

Will and Roy's Big Adventures: Inside the Tornado

To our knowledge, only two individuals have claimed to survive being inside a tornado's core. Unsurprisingly, both were farmers. The first was Will Keller from Greensburg, Kansas.

On June 22, 1928, Will Keller was inspecting his wheat crop with his family after a hailstorm. He noticed an umbrella-shaped cloud nearby and sensed a tornado might form. Suddenly, three funnel clouds appeared, moving rapidly toward him. Keller quickly ushered his family into their storm cellar. Before joining them, he paused to observe the approaching tornado. Having witnessed many tornadoes before, he felt no fear but remained vigilant. Keller described being mesmerized by the twister, standing his ground until it passed directly above him.

Keller described the inside of the tornado as eerily silent, with an overpowering gas-like odor that made breathing difficult. Looking upward, he observed a circular opening about 50 to 100 feet wide and half a mile high. The swirling walls of the tornado were illuminated by continuous lightning strikes that crisscrossed the sky. He also witnessed smaller tornadoes forming and breaking away, accompanied by a distinct hissing sound. The tornado eventually moved past his property, sparing his home but devastating his neighbor's house.

Roy Hall's experience further supports Keller's account. Hall, a soybean farmer from McKinnet, Texas, encountered a tornado in 1951. As a storm approached, he sent his family indoors while he stayed outside. He noticed green sheets of rain before the tornado formed and sought shelter as hail began to fall. Inside, he heard a deafening roar followed by silence. The walls trembled, and his roof was torn off and flung into the woods. Looking up, he saw the tornado's interior, characterized by smooth cloud walls and smaller twisters swirling within. Constant lightning cast a bluish glow, allowing him to see clearly. The tornado passed, leaving sunny skies, but the storm claimed 100 lives in Texas. Hall and his family, however, survived.

For additional weather-related insights, explore the links ahead.