'Get to shelter right now!' Weather reporter forced to flee studio live on air as tornado hits

A Kansas weather reporter was forced to abandon his broadcast live on air as a tornado swirled towards his studio.

J.D. Rudd, a meteorologist for KSN3, had to flee his studio in the middle of a weather report as the massive tornado bore down on downtown Wichita, Kansas.

Dramatic footage shows the committed broadcaster continuing to guide viewers through satellite radar images of the tornado.

[Pictures and video: Oklahoma tornado: Up to 91 dead]

But a few minutes into his report, a producer interrupts Rudd by telling him to get to shelter, leaving viewers looking at a silent radar screen for several minutes.

A man is heard off camera shouting, 'It appears that it is time for all of us to get to shelter', before raising the alarm and shouting: 'Get to shelter right now! Everybody ... let’s go!'

Station staff for KSN3, an affiliate of NBC, flee to the basement of the firm's studios as the cyclone tore through downtown Wichita.

[Oklahoma tornado: Live updates]

The tornado knocked out power to thousands of homes and businesses but bypassed the most populated areas of the state's biggest city.

Despite the alarm, the storm is said to have lifted soon after arriving by the studio, leaving the facility mostly undamaged.

A tornado which tore through the suburb of Moore in Oklahoma City, however, has so far killed 91 people, including 20 children.