Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
A localized tornado outbreak transpired across the Texas panhandle on May 28, 1980 in the Tulia and Wellington, Texas region. Storm chase research teams from Texas Tech University, The University of Oklahoma, The University of Mississippi and National Severe Storms Laboratory were out chronicling the event for study using film photogrammetry. These particular films were taken by Erik N. Rasmussen then a graduate student at Texas Tech University. All are color and silent 16mm movies.
The original films were provided by the photographer, scanned and restored with the assistance of the Chicago Film Archives in 2023 and permanently archived at Texas Tech University within the Southwest Collections Library in Lubbock, Texas.
A localized tornado outbreak transpired across the Texas panhandle on May 28, 1980 in the Tulia and Wellington, Texas region. Storm chase research teams from Texas Tech University, The University of Oklahoma, The University of Mississippi and National Severe Storms Laboratory were out chronicling the event for study using film photogrammetry. These particular films were taken by Erik N. Rasmussen then a graduate student at Texas Tech University. All are color and silent 16mm movies.
The original films were provided by the photographer, scanned and restored with the assistance of the Chicago Film Archives in 2023 and permanently archived at Texas Tech University within the Southwest Collections Library in Lubbock, Texas.
![Raging Planet: Tornado [1997] The Discovery Channel](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/wbgAj0F212Q/mqdefault.jpg "Raging Planet: Tornado [1997] The Discovery Channel
Raging Planet: Tornado is a 45 minute special that was produced by UK based Pioneer Productions and aired on The Discovery Channel in late 1997 and early 1998. It features many infamous tornado events and then ongoing research efforts from the early through mid 1990s and was one of the more popular tornado documentaries produced in the later part of the decade.
For references, the Pioneer Productions crew that was traveling and chasing with Jim Leonard and others, along with the mini research helicopter, are featured in this May 31, 1996 Kansas tornado chase day as documented by the late Jim Leonard: https://youtu.be/hjPSPAPPmjg
© 1997 Pioneer Productions, All Rights Reserved.")
