Tornado Intercept Vehicle.

This afternoon, as I was running back and forth between North Dakota and Minnesota, I spotted what appeared to be a tank parked near the EGF Cabella’s Sporting Goods. But not like an Army tank… more of the Mad Max variety.
Upon closer inspection, I found that the vehicle did not belong to post-apocalyptic warriors, but to the much more bad ass folks from The Discovery Channel’s Storm Chasers!
It turns out the crew was in the Minnesota/North Dakota area tracking conditions for possible tornadoes. While there was no severe weather, the guys took the opportunity to collect donations for those affected by the tornado that devastated Joplin, Missouri on May 22. From what I could gather, it sounded like ND and MN residents donated over $700 in the short time that the Stormchasers were in town.
The vehicle is actually called the TIV, or Tornado Intercept Vehicle. It was built by Storm Chaser Sean Casey (seen in photos below). According to the Storm Chasers website, this 16,000-pound armored tank is outfitted with wind-resistant flaps and anchor spikes to keep him safe while filming inside a twister.
Here are some of the pictures I managed to snap today.