Jun 18, 2009 10:41 pm US/Central
Minn. Storm Chasers Show Liz Collin How It's Done
ST. PETER, Minn. (WCCO) ―
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They call themselves the Twister Sisters. Melanie Metz and Peggy Willenberg have been chasing storms in Minnesota for nine years together.
CBS
On Wednesday night, a meteorologist armed with a camera
captured incredible video of a tornado touch down near Austin.
So as more severe weather moved into the state, WCCO's Liz Collin went along for the hunt with a pair of professional storm chasers in south-central Minnesota.
They call themselves the Twister Sisters. Melanie Metz and Peggy Willenberg have been chasing storms in Minnesota for nine years together.
"We think of each other as sisters. Neither one of us has an actual sister," said Metz.
"People think we look a little bit like sisters. Of course I'm the younger one," joked Willenberg.
They started their Thursday night close to Fairmont and waited for storms to progress.
The two have seen more than 50 tornadoes together and watched one in Austin move through Wednesday.
"Unfortunately, it was sort of camped over a farmstead and there was a lot of debris flying around so we knew that something was getting destroyed," said Willenberg.
In nine years, technology has changed the chase. Facebook and Twitter are keeping Minnesotans tuned to the sisters' every move.
The two covered more than 200 miles together Thursday and didn't see anything pop. They know that could change any minute.
"We have a good time together," Willenberg said.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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