Gap 5Storm chasersNorth America is famous for its wide open spaces, and this landscape can cause some very exciting weather. In fact, the USA has more tornadoes than any other country – there are about 1,200 every year in a part of the country called 'Tornado Alley'. 1___ It's also in this area that there are hundreds of people studying the weather. They are just normal people, but their favourite activity is following storms and getting as close as possible to a tornado! We call these people 'storm chasers', and it’s quite easy to become a storm chaser these days. All you need is a mobile phone, a good car and GPS. Gabe Matthews is a storm chaser, and he follows the weather as often as possible. ‘Seeing a powerful tornado is an amazing experience,’ says Gabe, 'but it isn't easy to be in the right place at the right time. 2___ When we know that a big tornado is coming, we have to drive a long way. Then we have to wait for ages before we see the weather changing. But when that starts to happen, it’s so exciting.’Many people become storm chasers because they like the danger. But Gabe is always very careful. 3___ 'Once I saw cars flying through the air,' says Gabe, 'and a big American truck! That was really exciting, but we watched it from far enough away. You don’t want those cars to hit you!’Another reason people chase storms is to film them. A news channel recently used one of Gabe’s films. ‘That film was exciting because it was a strong storm and it caused a lot of damage. It was great to get it on TV.’ 4___ ‘My friends and I heard screams when we were filming. We followed the sound and found some people inside a building. They couldn’t get out, so they were very relieved when we rescued them. It was great to help people like that.’Perhaps you have to be a little crazy to be a storm chaser. Certainly, some people say that storm chasers just want to do something thrilling. 5___ So actually, they often save lives.