Tim Samaras dies: Tragic last words of father-and-son storm chasers killed after tornado threw their car somersaulting half a mile Tim Samaras, 55, his son Paul, 24, and crew member Carl Young, 45, died in El Reno on Friday They were heard on Oklahoma Highway Patrol radio screaming before they were killed The elder Samaras was found strapped into their car while the other victims' bodies were discovered half a mile to the east and half a mile to the west Friend and meteorologist Mike Nelson said: 'Tim was not a cowboy, he was as cautious as possible about his approach to studying these dangerous storms' At least 18 people were killed in Friday's storms including a four-year-old girl who was swept away by flood waters in Oklahoma City on Friday Five-month-old baby in critical condition after being pulled out alive from Oklahoma River Authorities say many people ignored advice to sit tight and attempted to leave the area - probably as a reaction to the twister than killed 24 people less than two week ago By Louise Boyle and Helen Pow A father-and-son team of storm chasers and their long-time partner were heard screaming 'we're going to die, we're going to die' on highway patrol radio moments before they were killed by one of the savage twisters they'd devoted their lives to following. Tim Samaras, 55, along with his son, Paul Samaras, 24, and Carl Young, 45, died on Friday in El Reno after a tornado that packed winds of up to 165 mph picked up their car and threw it, somersaulting, a half a mile. The elder Samaras' body was still belted into their Chevrolet Cobalt, which was found on an unimproved county road parallel to Interstate 40. The other victims' bodies were found half a mile to the east and half a mile to the west, Canadian County under-sheriff Chris West said. Following their passion: Storm chasers Tim Samaras (right), his son Paul Samaras (left) and Carl Young (second left) were killed on Friday by a tornado. They are pictured along with fellow storm chaser Tony Laubach Avid explorer: Emotional tributes have been made to scientist and storm chaser Tim Samaras, who died doing what he loved, friends said Destroyed: The Chevrolet Cobalt, pictured, driven by Tim Samaras was thrown half a mile in the terrifying storm Tragic: Tim Samaras was found dead inside the car, pictured, while the other storm chasers' bodies were discovered half a mile in either direction But before their stalking of the dangerous vortex turned deadly, their cries could be heard by Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Betsy Randolph. 'They were screaming, "We're going to die, we're going to die,"' she recalled to USA Today. There was just no place to go. There was no place to hide. According to Mr West, their vehicle looked ' like it had gone through a trash compactor' when it was found. The car was probably about 60 to 70 per cent of its normal size because it had been pushed and mauled and compacted as it was tumbling down the road. Like wadded up,' he told the Washington Post. Mr West guessed the experienced storm chasers were attempting to parallel the storm on the county road and it either changed course or another vortex appeared. 'We're never going to know, because they're not here to tell us,' Mr West told The Post. The news comes as the death toll from Friday's tornadoes and storms in Oklahoma has risen to 18 people, including six children and 12 adults, the Oklahoma chief medical examiner said on Monday. Officials added five victims on Monday to the confirmed list of dead from the tornadoes and from storms that caused severe flooding: three adults and two unidentified children, the medical examiner's office said. Discovery Channel said it will honor the three veteran storm chasers, who regularly appeared on its show Stormchasers, with a special airing this week. Deadly profession: Storm chasers Tim Samaras (center) and crew member Carl Young (right) were killed on Friday in a tornado that ripped through El Reno, Oklahoma Dangers: Paul Samaras, 24, (left) and Carl Young, 45, (right) were killed as they conducted research during the tornadoes in Oklahoma this weekend On the edge: The storm chasers were killed as they followed the tornado in Oklahoma on Friday as the death toll rose to 18 today Deadly twister: Three storm chasers were among at least 18 people killed following the tornado which touched down near El Reno on Friday The program, 'Mile Wide Tornado: Stormchasers Tribute,' will feature scenes of Tim Samaras, his son Paul and Mr Young. It airs at 10 p.m. EDT Wednesday. The men spent years capturing and sharing storm videos with TV viewers and weather researchers. 'Mile Wide Tornado' originally aired Sunday and focuses on the May 20 tornado that devastated a wide swatch of Oklahoma. Discovery says it has been updated with 'Stormchasers' footage of the researchers. In a tribute, Mr Samaras' brother Jim wrote on Facebook: 'Thank you to everyone for the condolences. It truly is sad that we lost my great brother Tim and his great son, Paul. Our hearts also go out to the Carl Young family as well as they are feeling the same feelings we are today. They all unfortunately passed away but doing what they loved. Long-time friend of Tim Samaras, meteorologist Mike Nelson, told the Denver Channel: 'I have known Tim for over 20 years, he was the most brilliant and most careful severe weather researcher of them all. Tim was not a cowboy, he was as cautious as possible about his approach to studying these dangerous storms. Terry Garcia, executive vice president of the National Geographic Society, said: 'We were shocked and deeply saddened by the news that longtime National Geographic grantee Tim Samaras was killed in a tornado in Oklahoma on Friday, along with Tim's son Paul and their colleague Carl Young. Tim was a courageous and brilliant scientist who fearlessly pursued tornadoes and lightning in the field in an effort to better understand these phenomena. The National Geographic Society made 18 grants to Tim for research over the years for field work like he was doing in Oklahoma at the time of his death, and he was one of our 2005 Emerging Explorers. Lighting up the sky: The storm chasers work was featured on National Geographic and the Discovery Channel as they tracked violent weather systems 'Tim's research included creation of a special probe he would place in the path of a twister to measure data from inside the tornado; his pioneering work on lightning was featured in the August 2012 issue of National Geographic magazine. Though we sometimes take it for granted, Tim's death is a stark reminder of the risks encountered regularly by the men and women who work for us. This is an enormous loss for his family, his wide circle of friends and colleagues and National Geographic. However, the men's deaths have shone a spotlight on the dangers of storm chasing. Use a telephoto lens for gosh sakes. That's what they're made for,' long-time storm chaser, David Hoadley, of Falls Church, told The Washington Post. Hoadley has been in the business for 57 years and pursued the El Reno twister. The fact that it could happen to someone like Tim, it could happen to me, it could happen to anybody. People who chase storms need to back off a little bit. Plan for a lifetime, like I did. Take your time. Nine were confirmed dead in the Oklahoma City area on Friday evening, though the death toll has since risen, and flash floods in Arkansas caused additional fatalities, including a sheriff trying to rescue people from rising waters. Damage from Friday night's severe weather was concentrated a few miles north of Moore, the Oklahoma City suburb pounded by an EF5 tornado on May 20 that killed 24 people. Eye of the storm: Tornado researcher Tim Samaras monitors the radar (left). His pioneering work has made it easier to warn people about tornadoes Another two sets of storm-chasing meteorologists had lucky escapes on Friday night after their vehicles got too close to the multiple tornadoes that hit the Oklahoma City area. The seasoned storm chaser had dedicated his life to extreme weather, following storms for a quarter of a century. His pioneering work included the development of probes which when left in the path of a tornado, can measure pressure drops. He set a world record in 2003 which still stands today when he recorded an 100 millibar pressure drop from an F-4 tornado. His website Twistex has been integral to understanding how tornadoes work and improving warning times for those living in Tornado Alley. Mike Bettes, a member of the Weather Channel Tornado Hunt Team, was driving in his SUV when it was picked up and thrown 200 yards by the monster rain-wrapped tornado near El Reno. The Storm Prediction Center in Norman predicted a slight chance of severe weather in the Northeast on Sunday, mainly from the Washington, D.C., area to northern Maine. Hail and high winds were the chief threat, though a tornado could not be ruled out, forecasters said. Friday night's storm formed out on the prairie west of Oklahoma City, giving residents plenty of advance notice. When told to seek shelter, many ventured out and snarled traffic across the metro area - perhaps remembering the damage from May 20. It was chaos. People were going southbound in the northbound lanes. Everybody was running for their lives,' said Terri Black, 51, a teacher's assistant in Moore. After seeing last month's tornado also turn homes into piles of splintered rubble, Ms Black said she decided to try and outrun the tornado when she learned her southwest Oklahoma City home was in harm's way. She quickly regretted it. Lucky escape: A meteorologist from The Weather Channel was injured after his car (seen here) was thrown 200 yards by the storm Waterway: A man uses a jetski to travel between his home and Osage City, after Missouri was affected by severe flooding Storm damage: Navy veterans inspect the washed out road where they pulled a woman and her daughter to safety after their car flooded A family in El Reno, Oklahoma inspect what is left of their home after Friday night's tornadoes battered the local area Rain: Parts of Oklahoma City experience extreme flooding after multiple tornadoes passed through Central Oklahoma For more videos, please go to the Long Center Austin When she realized she was a sitting duck in bumper-to-bumper traffic, Ms Black turned around and found herself directly in the path of the most violent part of the storm. 'My car was actually lifted off the road and then set back down,' Ms Black said. The trees were leaning literally to the ground. The rain was coming down horizontally in front of my car. Trooper Randolph said roadways quickly became congested with the convergence of rush-hour traffic and fleeing residents. 'They had no place to go, and that's always a bad thing. They were essentially targets just waiting for a tornado to touch down,' Ms Randolph said. 'I'm not sure why people do that sort of stuff, but it is very dangerous.' Danger: A series of violent storms and tornadoes have killed nine people as they swept through Oklahoma City and its suburbs on Friday Damage: People survey the damage at the Canadian Valley Technology Center's El Reno Campus after it was hit by a powerful tornado on Friday Crash: An airplane from the Aviation Technology department lies upside down on the lawn at Canadian Valley Technology Center in El Reno Friday night's victims included a mother and a baby sucked out of their car as the EF3 hit near El Reno. A four-year-old boy died after being swept into the Oklahoma River on the south side of Oklahoma City, said Oklahoma City police Lt. Jay Barnett. The boy and other family members had sought shelter in a drainage ditch. More than 100 people were injured by swirling debris, most with puncture wounds and lacerations, authorities said. A total of five tornadoes struck the Oklahoma City metro area, the National Weather Service said. Oklahoma wasn't the only state hit by violent weather Friday night. In Missouri, areas west of St. Louis received significant damage from an EF3 tornado Friday night that packed estimated winds of 150 mph. In St. Charles County, at least 71 homes were heavily damaged and 100 had slight to moderate damage, county spokeswoman Colene McEntee said. Tens of thousands were without power, and only eight minor injuries were reported. Governor Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency. Northeast of St. Louis and across the Mississippi River, the city of Roxana was hit by an EF3 tornado, but National Weather Service meteorologist Jayson Gosselin said it wasn't clear whether the damage in both states came from the same EF3 twister or separate ones. Shooting tournament: People search a field for guns near a destroyed RV at a state shooting tournament that was destroyed in El Reno Weapons displaced: Shotguns recovered from a field lay against a overturned trailor at a state shooting tournament that was destroyed in El Reno Devastation: When the storm passed between El Reno and Yukon, it barreled right down Interstate 40 for more than two miles, ripping billboards down to twisted metal frames Flash flooding accounted for some of the deaths, such as that of a 65-year-old man who died on Saturday when his car drove off a damaged bridge in eastern Oklahoma County. Oklahoma County sheriff's office has identified the victim as James Talbert, according to NewsOk. In Missouri three people died in three counties after rivers rose to dangerous levels, and in Arkansas a sheriff was killed by flooding in Scott County on Friday. Sheriff Cody Carpenter and a wildlife officer had been checking on houses that were in danger of being flooded. His body was found but the wildlife officer is still listed as missing. Five tornadoes battered the Oklahoma City area on Friday, while another tornado hit the Tulsa area early Saturday. Missouri and Illinois around St. Louis were also hit by 12 tornadoes, at least 100 people are injured and 'numerous homes' have been damaged. More than 200,000 were left without power in the impacted areas. 'I'm wondering if the tornadoes from a couple of weeks ago didn't frighten people so badly that this time they were taking no chances and trying to evade it by car,' said Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett. 'That's a very unwise thing to do because it's the absolute worst place you can be during a tornado.' After the devastation of the Moore tornado, many residents who had experiences the storms before decided to ignore advice to stay home and tried to seek shelter elsewhere. Flash floods: Two pickup trucks are pictured stuck in high water along NW 23rd Street in El Reno Amy Williamson, who lives just off I-40 in the western Oklahoma City suburb of Yukon, said when she heard the tornado was heading towards her home, she put her children, baby sitter and cats in her car and drove away. 'I'm a seasoned tornado watcher ... but I just could not see staying and waiting for it to hit,' she said. The family sheltered from the storm in a hospital parking garage. A 51-year-old teacher's assistant who also tried to run from the storm said she quickly regretted her decision, after becoming stuck in traffic in the path of the tornado. It was chaos ... Everybody was running for their lives,' Terri Black, who lives in Moore, said. Big blue trash cans were being tossed around like a piece of paper in the wind. I'll never do it again.' Salvaging: A chef at Gilmore's Kitchen at the OKC-West Stockyards, is framed by the kitchen pass-through window on the only kitchen wall still remaining as he checks tornado damage in El Reno Childcare center: The devastation caused by Friday's storms included a wind turbine blade crashing into a daycare center, fortunately no children were inside Remains: A man looks for items in what is left of a house in El Reno, Oklahoma on Saturday Damage: A family inspect the office of what is left of the livestock auction business near El Reno, Oklahoma The Oklahoma State Department of Health reported on Saturday that Oklahoma City-area hospitals treated 104 people. More than 210,000 customers lost electricity in the areas affected by the storm. The worry soon turned to flash flooding and floodwaters topped four feet in Oklahoma City on Saturday morning. Power outages: Tornado-damaged power lines hang separated from its pole after tornadoes that swept through central Oklahoma on Friday Shattered dreams: A couple in St. Charles embrace as they look over their destroyed home after a violent burst of thunderstorms and tornadoes swept across the Midwest Together: A mother holds her three children after fans at the Barons game were evacuated to the parking garage under the Cox Convention Center due to severe storms in Oklahoma City on Friday Of the mother and baby who were tragically killed, Betsy Randolph said: 'We know that the storm picked them up and swept them away.' Sher told ABC News: 'When the troopers found them, they were both deceased.' Belongings: A woman finds personal photos for a neighbor from the remains of her home destroyed by violent thunderstorms across the Midwest Ruins: People walk near cars and trees damaged by a tornado at the Canadian Valley Technology Center in El Reno, Oklahoma on Saturday morning A man's body was found about 1 p.m. on Saturday in a creek just east of Dobbs Road in Harrah, said Mark Myers, a spokesman with the Oklahoma County Sheriff's office. At Will Rogers World Airport, 2,000 people spent the night sheltering in underground tunnels, reported News 9. Sun rise: Tornado debris hangs from a destroyed billboard sign along Interstate-40 Westbound after violent thunderstorms spawned tornadoes that menaced Oklahoma City and its already hard-hit suburb of Moore on Friday Air chaos: At Will Rogers World Airport, 2,000 people spent the night sheltering in underground tunnels Overturned: Authorities say people ignored advice to sit tight and attempted to leave the area - perhaps as a reaction to the previous tornado almost two weeks ago Lightning: A storm chaser in Cushing stopped to take photos of the dramatic moment two lightning strikes hit the ground Debris: This aerial photo shows damage in the Rolling Meadow Estates neighborhood on Friday in Broken Arrow, Okla. after a tornado had passed the area Dangerous: Forecasters warned of a 'particularly dangerous situation,' with ominous language about strong tornadoes and hail the size of grapefruits 4 inches in diameter.