Storm Chasers Share Twister Tales

In Mississippi, some of the first to arrive at the scene of Saturday's deadly tornado were the storm chasers -- those who speed toward what everyone else is running from.

Kris Hair, 33, and Connor McCrorey, 18, are two chasers that got the ride of their lives over the weekend when they drove into Saturday's devastating storm.

They shared their stories on "The Early Show."

"Early Show" co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez reported that Hair and his team of storm chasers were driving down a highway when they realized the tornado was right on top of them.

Photos: Mississippi Tornado

Hair wasn't alone -- other teams found themselves in the middle of the swirling storm, having to pull off tricky maneuvers to find safety.

As deadly winds and debris flew everywhere, McCrorey and David Reimer -- two high school seniors -- drove straight into the tornado. The storm's powerful force blew their car off the road and into a ditch.

No one was hurt.

But why do they take such risks?

Hair said on "The Early Show" that he does it to warn people about the storms.

"We reported the tornado about 15 miles west of Yazoo, (Miss.)" he said. "Had we not done that, they would not have issued a tornado emergency for Yazoo, and more people would have probably died."

But doesn't he know it's dangerous?

Hair said, "It comes with the territory. Storm chasing is a dangerous job. You're going to encounter sometime, where you put yourself in a little more danger than you probably should. That happens rarely."

As for 18-year-old McCrorey, he says he chases storms to help warn people what can't necessarily be seen on radar and "just for the love of weather."

McCrorey said on "The Early Show" that his parents are "perfectly fine" with him chasing storms. He told Rodriguez that he began chasing storms when he was 16 with his father.

"They learned to trust me and know that I know what I'm doing and they're perfectly all right with what I'm doing now."

However, he says that Saturday's chase was "definitely the scariest experience" he's ever had.

However, both chasers said, despite their frightening brush with death, they plan to continue chasing storms.

To see some of the storm chasers' tornado footage and hear more of their story, click on the video below.