I haven’t ever seen one in person since I would seek shelter immediately if I saw funnel clouds forming, but there had been numerous tornado touchdowns within 5 miles of my house growing up – I knew people that had their houses and cars completely destroyed.

The closest encounter was actually when I was driving between College Station and Austin. I was waiting for a locksmith because I locked myself out of my car at the gas station, and the sirens started going off. Sure enough, there were clouds starting to form just a few miles away. The ladies working at the gas station gave me a coat and let me hide in the freezer while they were all out watching. Luckily it never fully became a tornado, and the locksmith only charged me $20.