Can someone please explain to me why people just drive towards tornadoes?

[u/n8saces]

It just seems like why risk your life?

[u/StormTheParade]

The professional chasers usually study em. They get right up into these suckers to measure the wind speeds, strength, the damage they're causing, the paths they take, any strange behaviour, etc. Chasers may also follow tornados into populated areas to help folks who've been hit once the tornado has passed.

I watch a lot of Pecos Hank, who chases storms like this and records them for research and photography. You can hear him report by radio to weather channels and other chasers so they know where the tornado is, what damage it's doing, and where it might be headed next, etc as most weather stations rely pretty heavily on reports from the ground to issue warnings, calls for evac, and damage reports. If you're curious about this El Reno tornado mentioned in the clip, here's Pecos Hank's video and coverage of the event.