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Twisted Chasers capture Alberta's spectacular storms in photos

Ronnie Rabena spends his summers chasing the "foothills magic" — the dark, angry stormclouds that collect along the border of the Rockies and spread east across Alberta, gaining power as they go.

"I don't know what it is, storms just seem to roll off the foothills," said Rabena.

For three years, Rabena has raced around the province in his hail-pitted sedan, capturing thunderstorms and tornadoes in the lens of his camera.

Hear the full interview on Edmonton AM

He's not the only one. Rabena is the founder of Twisted Chasers, a group of nine amateur "severe weather enthusiasts" that cover the province.

For Rabena, his obsession with stormchasing started almost as soon as he picked up a camera.

"I used to love taking photos of lightning when I was first starting out. It just stemmed into chasing larger storms," he told CBC's Edmonton AM.

At first, he stuck to lightning shows and hail storms, and was hesitant to take photos of more dangerous storms.

After heavily researching weather patterns and studying the work of other stormchasers, he eventually felt prepared to chase his first tornado about three years ago.

Rabena admitted that he does love the thrill of chasing down a storm while others are heading for cover.

But he said it's about more than just adrenaline — whenever he or the other Twisted Chasers are following a storm, they make it a point to call in updates to Environment Canada so people are aware of the conditions.

"We do love the storms and we do love getting out there," he said. "But we would never ever want to see damage to a city or somebody get hurt.

"A tornado in the middle of a field is what we're looking for."

It is a dangerous hobby, obviously. But Rabena insists that he and his fellow stormchasers are not reckless. They try to stay at at least five kilometres from any storm, both because it yields the best photos and to give the Twisted Chasers time to escape if the winds shift.

"It's a constant trying to keep ahead of the storm so we don't get into that danger zone," he said.

"We know the power of tornadoes for sure and the damage they can cause."

See more of the group's storm photos on their website or on the Twisted Chasers Facebook page.