Larry and Magik, I agree that experiencing the extreme forces of nature (and getting away with it) is one of the most amazing things that can happen to us!
I don't advise chasing tornados Larry
but when you just happen to live through it - the respect and admiration for the might and power of nature (and for me, God) just grows each time.
The town I lived in for a while in the Pilbara region of Western Australia - Newman was one of the most extreme places on earth. Temperatures would regularly get well over 40 degrees celcius and often up over the 50. The kind of heat that simply knocks you flat if you step out into it.
It was also in cyclone territory and I remember watching several cyclone howling by while we sat in the house and just waited...
One of my best memories too, is one night spent on a south New South Wales beach for about 4 hours watching this enourmous ball of cloud and lightning going crazy on the horizon just above the water. It was so freezing but my mate and I could not tear ourselves away, could not talk, just sat there watching this awesome display. Very humbling.