Tornado chasers, a breed apart

They are courageous, relentless and part of the reason we know as much as we do about tornadoes. Dateline followed a tornado researcher. (Dateline NBC)

You've heard of blizzards in the mountain state of Colorado, but what about a monster tornado?

An Iowa family recounts the ordeal of losing their house to a tornado.

In June, with virtually no warning, a tornado struck at a Boy Scout camp in western Iowa, killing four.

While much of the nation's attention was on the Super Tuesday primaries, a deadly twister ripped throught the midwest for 120 miles.

They arrive with devastating force, and in seconds homes, businesses, and even lives are gone. Tornadoes are nature with a bang: awesome, powerful and terrifying.

"This just tore our community to pieces," says one resident of Parkersburg, Iowa.

Meteorologist Bill Karins gives us tips on what to do when a tornado strikes.

ATF Director Jim Sullivan explains how his agents perform undercover murder-for-hire sting operations.

Sam and Kendra didn't let a little thing like a category EF-3 tornado stop them from getting married.