They are spectacular scenes that would cause most people to seek shelter and hide in absolute fear , but one thrill-seeking primary school teacher is travelling the world to chase violent storms . Inspired by the 1996 disaster film Twister , Valentina Abinanti risks her life to snap extraordinary photos of supercell thunderstorms and tornadoes . The 31-year-old , from Galliate , Italy , voluntarily puts herself in front of storms that spawn twisters , enormous streaks of lightning and winds of more than 100mph . Scroll down for video . Primary school teacher and part-time storm hunter Valentina Abinanti snapped this incredible photo near Dryden , Texas . Valentina Abinanti , from Galliate Italy , has encountered more than 70 tornadoes and 400 storms over the last decade . The 31-year-old was inspired by the 1996 disaster film Twister , but did n't begin chasing storms until she witnessed a tornado in 2003 . Valentina Abinanti , one of few Italian storm chasers , risks her life to snap extraordinary photos of supercell thunderstorms and tornadoes . Valentina has been photographing violent weather for more than a decade , and she has encountered more than 70 tornadoes and 400 storms . In May 2013 , she survived a deadly tornado in El Reno , Oklahoma . The widest tornado in recorded history killed four fellow storm chasers and is remembered by the close-knit community as the darkest moment in storm chasing history . With a width of 2.6 miles , the record-breaking F-5 tornado destroyed everything in its path with extreme winds of nearly 300mph . In addition to the US , Valentina Abinanti chases storms in Italy ; she spotted this massive waterspout in the coastal town of Vesima , near Genoa . The thrill-seeker voluntarily puts herself in front of storms that spawn twisters , enormous streaks of lightning and winds of more than 100mph . The teacher 's photos are featured on her social media accounts , and they include many snaps from the feared Tornado Alley in the US . Valentina Abinanti has included some of her best photos in a new e-book , and she has set up a website to promote her work . By the time the tornado dissipated it left eight people dead and more than 150 injured . Valentina ’ s photos are featured on her social media accounts , and they include many snaps from the feared Tornado Alley that cuts through several south-central US states . Tornadoes in that region typically happen in late spring and occasionally the early fall , said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration . Valentina Abinanti put her dream of becoming a storm chaser on hold while she studied to become a primary school teacher . This photograph snapped by Valentina Abinanti shows the early stages of a devastating tornado that struck El Reno , Oklahoma in 2013 . The 31-year-old decided to pursue her goal of becoming a storm chaser in 2003 , when she witnessed a tornado in her hometown in Italy . Valentina has also produced her own e-book and has set up a website , tornadoseeker.com , to promote her work . She wrote on her blog : ‘ Since childhood storms have always fascinated me . The sky darkens , the wind gets up , the threatening clouds thunder closer . ‘ It was always a joy when I watched this show. ’ Valentina Abinanti , from Galliate , Italy , said she has been fascinated by storms since she was a child . The primary school teacher snapped this breathtaking photos of multiple streaks of lightning near Miles City in south-eastern Montana . Valentina Abinanti was travelling with fellow storm chasers when she captured this image near Broadus , Montana , last May . After watching the film Twister , which follows a group of storm chasers , she vowed to become one herself . She put her dream on hold for her studies , but began to teach herself about clouds and weather patterns after she witnessed a tornado near her hometown , west of Milan , in 2003 . In 2007 , she joined a team of storm chasers who travelled to the US to photograph tornadoes , and has returned several times since then .
Valentina Abinanti , from Galliate , Italy , was inspired to hunt tornadoes after watching the 1996 film Twister . She has been hunting for tornado damage since then and is now a professional meteorologist in her own right.