At 6:04 p.m.: Interviews with Jeff Snyder and Howie Bluestein.
Nearby, his RaXPol mobile radar generator thrums: El Reno tornado footage from RaXPoL, courtesy of Jeff Snyder, https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=EFwJAlg0qWc.
Bluestein . . . only two options: Interviews with Howie Bluestein and Jeff Snyder.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: THE DRAGON’S TAIL
At 6:12 p.m. they’ve finally arrived at their east route: Interviews with Gabe Garfield.
“Okay, we’ve gotta be careful in case this thing wraps up”: Interviews with Gabe Garfield; 2014 National Storm Chasers Convention presentation by Gabe Garfield; and Robert Draper, “Last Days of a Storm Chaser,” National Geographic, November 2013, http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2013/11/biggest-storm/draper-text.
“We’ve got debris in the air”: 2014 National Storm Chasers Convention presentation by Gabe Garfield.
Tim sets the camera down: Interviews with Gabe Garfield.
Directly to their south: El Reno Tornado Environment Display.
At 6:16 p.m., Josh Wurman: Joshua Wurman et al., “The Role of Multiple-Vortex Tornado Structure in Causing Storm Researcher Fatalities,” Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, January 2014.
Wurman and his colleague Karen Kosiba: Interviews with Josh Wurman.
Much of what follows will be discovered: Wurman et al., “Role of Multiple-Vortex.”
Those questions will come later: Interviews with Josh Wurman.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: THE CROSSING
The white Cobalt . . . shoulders through an inflow current: Interviews with Gabe Garfield.
“Now we go up north . . . then east”: Ibid.
“the tornado is about five hundred yards away”: 2014 National Storm Chasers Convention presentation by Gabe Garfield; and Draper, “Last Days of a Storm Chaser.”
The last update refreshed nearly five minutes earlier: Interviews with Gabe Garfield.
US 81 disappears: El Reno Tornado Environment Display.
“So, this is the highway”: 2014 National Storm Chasers Convention presentation by Gabe Garfield.
Due south of the intersection: Mike Bettes, Weather Channel live report, May 31, 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4WfuhUrWHs.
Bettes rides in the front passenger seat: Interviews with Austin Anderson.
The blinding rain is the first sign: Chase video from inside the SUV provided by Austin Anderson.
The bus driver: Nolan Clay, “El Reno Tornado Survivor Tells of Others’ Deaths,” Oklahoman, June 7, 2013, http://newsok.com/article/3842601.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: THE LAST RIDE
Carl races across: Rear-dash-camera footage provided by Dan Robinson.
the radar is misleading: Interviews with Gabe Garfield.
“Now I see it”: Ibid.
“In fact, uh, keep going”: 2014 National Storm Chasers Convention presentation by Gabe Garfield.
headwinds upward of 110 miles per hour: Interviews with Gabe Garfield.
But we do know what happens inside the storm: Wurman et al., “Role of Multiple-Vortex.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: HOW FAR FROM DAYLIGHT
Dan Robinson knows nothing of the headlights: Interviews with Dan Robinson.
Moments after the subvortex enters Reuter Road: Interviews with Howie Bluestein and Jeff Snyder.
The tornado has transformed dramatically: El Reno tornado footage from RaXPoL, courtesy of Jeff Snyder, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrfAfJNBT3A.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: GROUND TRUTH
Shortly before 7:00 that evening: Interviews with Doug Gerten.
“signal 30”: Canadian County Sheriff’s Office Radio Call Log, May 31–June 1, 2013.
He snaps a picture . . . will soon spread: Interviews with Gabe Garfield.
Too restless to sleep: Interviews with Marc Austin and Sharon Austin.
The day after: Interviews with Kathy Samaras.
Tuesday morning, Garfield and Fox return to Reuter Road: Interviews with Gabe Garfield and Erik Fox.
the details are grounded in fact but open to interpretation: Interviews with Kathy Samaras.
A second theory: Samaras, Driven by Passion.
He stops near the creek: Interviews with Doug Gerten.
Pieces of the Cobalt: Personal observation.
“Does this look familiar?”: Interviews with Matt Winter.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN: THE SIGNS
Ed Grubb kneels on the front lawn: Interviews with Kathy Samaras, Ed Grubb, and Ben McMillan.
One of the first photographs: Paul Samaras, photograph of Tim and lightning strike, May 9, 2013.
He’s wearing faded jeans: Paul Samaras, unfinished documentary footage of Tim Samaras.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT: TIM’S LEGACY
Their weapons of choice: Tim Samaras, “A Historical Perspective of In Situ Observations within Tornado Cores” (American Meteorological Society conference paper, 2004).
Tim’s TWISTEX partner: Interviews with Bruce Lee.
The scientific community, however, has already answered: Interviews with Josh Wurman and Tim Marshall.
“Tim showed that it could be done”: Interviews with Gabe Garfield.
One analysis indicates that this is already happening: Elizabeth Mannshardt and Eric Gilleland, “Extremes of Severe Storm Environments under a Changing Climate,” American Journal of Climate Change, September 2013; and interview with Elizabeth Mannshardt.
One of the most promising new research initiatives: Interviews with Leigh Orf, Bruce Lee, and Cathy Finley.
EPILOGUE
Loretta opens her journal: Journal entry of Loretta Yost, June 24, 2003.
JUST PAST SUPPERTIME: Memorial plaque, Manchester, South Dakota.
He brakes at an empty field: Interviews with Loretta Yost and son Lockwood.
INDEX
A note about the index: The pages referenced in this index refer to the page numbers in the print edition. Clicking on a page number will take you to the ebook location that corresponds to the beginning of that page in the print edition. For a comprehensive list of locations of any word or phrase, use your reading system’s search function.
Against the Law (film), 123, 176
air travel industry, 46–47, 48
American Meteorological Society, 134, 154
Anderson, Austin, 223, 224
anemometers, 121, 139, 158, 242, 250
anvil clouds, 13, 16, 39, 97, 203, 207
Applied Research Associates (ARA), 59, 60–61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 75, 76, 113, 120, 128, 158, 180, 184
Aurora, Colo., 30, 34, 132, 147
Austin, Marc, 190, 200–201, 202, 203, 204, 235–36
Austin, Sharon, 151, 190–91, 235–36
Beckman & Whitley Model, 184, 185
Bedard, Al, 54–55, 63–64, 110, 111
Bennett, Colo., 174, 189, 195, 196, 244–45, 247–48
Bettes, Mike, 222, 224
Bluestein, Howie, 54–57, 63, 110, 111, 114, 155, 210–12, 231–32, 249
boundary layer/core, 7, 8, 41–42, 43, 52–54, 57, 62, 87, 90, 113–14, 115, 121, 123, 143, 155, 181, 249, 250
of El Reno tornado, 218, 227, 228, 229
HITPR’s measuring of, 106, 109, 110, 112
VORTEX2’s goal of measuring wind flow in, 115, 116
Bowdle tornado (2010), 162–72, 173, 176, 180, 181, 206
Bray, Okla., 2013 tornado in, 191–92
Brown, Larry, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 59, 63, 67, 180
Browning, Keith, 49–51
Byers, Horace, 47–49, 50
Canadian County, Okla., 199, 203, 232, 233
Carter, Brad, 75, 78
Carter, Geoff, 181–82
Center for Severe Weather Research, 87, 114
ChaserCon, 150, 155, 181
Clark, Pa., 2002 tornado in, 78–79
climate change, 252–53
Colorado, 11, 15, 29, 31, 67, 68, 72, 80, 109, 127, 128, 150
Commerce Department, U.S., 38, 64, 65
Conference on Severe Local Storms, 109–10
Congress, U.S., 47, 48, 180
convective available potential energy (CAPE), 162, 203, 206, 252
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), 182, 185
Denver Research Institute (DRI), 21–24, 25, 30, 59, 62, 65, 76
Discovery Channel, 156, 157, 165, 166,
