Thrilling Video From Oklahoma as Tornado Season Starts

(March 9) -- The month of March is known to come in "like a lion," but Oklahomans faced a far more furious threat Monday night when a giant tornado ripped through the western part of the state, destroying five homes and a county barn.

Amazingly, emergency management officials are reporting no deaths or injuries as a result of the storm, which was first spotted Monday at 5:15 p.m. local time and touched down near Elk City, 100 miles west of Oklahoma City, before traveling north some 17 miles to the town of Hammon, according to reports.

However, the harrowing moment was captured by several daring storm chasers in the area. Their footage of the dark, roaring vortex of circulating debris was picked up by news outlets around the world and posted on video-sharing Web sites such as YouTube.

One storm chaser, Andy Gabrielson, told CNN's Anderson Cooper that filming the tornado up close was "an amazing event to experience," but one that "quickly turned frightening when it [the tornado] began impacting the homes."

National Weather Service meteorologist John Pike said the tornado was larger than usual for the Sooner State, according to local channel News 9. Oklahoma averages four tornadoes for the month of March, Pike told the station, so more are likely on the way.

Still, after suffering a long history of devastating cyclones, Oklahomans are generally well-prepared for these touchdowns. Just two hours before the tornado hit, for instance, weather blogger Bryan Painter posted information about the meaning of different tornado siren intervals.

After a slow start, the 2010 "tornado season" in America seems to be picking up speed.