Weather team's car thrown 180 metres by tornado in El Reno, Oklahoma

The next time meteorologist Mike Bettes talks about the power of tornadoes on The Weather Channel, he can speak from personal experience.

Bettes is nursing minor injuries, including stitches in his hand, after the SUV that he and two photographers were in was thrown 180 metres by a twister in Oklahoma. The Weather Channel said all the occupants were wearing safety belts and walked away from the vehicle.

"That was the scariest moment of my life," Bettes said. "I had never been through anything like it before, and my life passed before my eyes."

He and the photographers were trying to outrun a tornado they spotted in El Reno, Oklahoma. Bettes said it felt like the vehicle tumbled over several times and was floating in the air before crashing to the ground.

It's the first time one of the US cable television network's personalities has been injured while covering violent weather, spokeswoman Shirley Powell said.

The channel quickly posted video of the experience because the team kept cameras rolling throughout. The tape largely showed a black screen with audio of crashes until it came to rest with the picture sideways.