Have you taken a photographs of a tornado, or taken a video of one using your mobile phone or a video recorder? SPIEGEL ONLINE's German language site -- the country's largest online news service -- is currently collecting images of tornados and posting the best video and snapshots during the next several weeks. They've asked us to get this message out to our international readers -- especially those of you out there in North America, Australia and other parts of the world.

Our German readers have already been sending in amazing photographs of tornados and whirlwinds they have seen at home and during their travels around the world. Although most tornados are actually relatively mild and cause little damage, tornados in the United States and Australia can cause immense destruction and fatalities, reminding us that they can be the most extreme examples of bad weather. Even in Europe they can cause considerable damage: last week, two crane operators died when a rare tornado hit Hamburg , Germany.