safety of crew as concern of, 144, 146, 192
Seimon’s friendship with, 75, 81, 87–88
self-taught skills of, 15, 16, 18–19, 21, 28, 29
severe weather as passion of, 8, 19–20, 25–26, 27, 30, 31, 32, 33–34, 111
Sherry Winter’s relationship with, 125–27
Storm Chasers and, 156, 157, 173–74, 175, 176, 177–78, 180, 235
storm chasing as growing obsession of, 32, 33–34, 74, 75–76, 81, 110, 111, 124, 251
storm chasing gadgetry and tools of, 29–30, 67, 96, 159, 174, 191, 234, 244, 245
Straford tornado and, 82–87, 92, 97, 110, 114, 116, 146
Tatom’s snail prototype and, 38–41, 58, 65
as tornado spotter, 29, 39
TWISTEX mission of, see TWISTEX mission
in 2001 NatGeo expedition, 66–72
uneasy dissonance between Carl’s style and, 177, 191–92, 214
untouchable boundary layer/core measured by, 8, 106, 109, 110, 112, 114, 250
VORTEX2 project offer and rejection by, 114–18, 130–31, 132, 136, 181
Woonsocket tornado (2003) and, 94–96
workshops of, 24, 128, 174, 243, 244, 245
Wurman’s strained relationship with, 115–16, 117, 132, 155, 251
Seimon, Anton, 66, 67–68, 69, 70, 71, 73–75, 80–81, 110, 124–25
Stratford tornado (2003) and, 82–87, 146
Tim’s friendship with, 75, 81, 87–88
SKYWARN, 28, 29, 39, 54
Smith, Charlie, 102–3, 256
Smith, Rick, 199–200, 201–2, 203–4
Snyder, Jeff, 210–12, 231–32
South Dakota, 28, 70, 71, 92, 93–94, 112, 162, 255
storm cells, 39, 47, 48, 49, 69, 207, 250
see also supercells
Storm Chasers (TV show), 156, 157, 173–74, 175–78, 179–80, 181, 190, 209, 235
storm chasing, storm chasers, 4, 15, 27, 35, 55, 69, 74, 75, 83, 87, 92, 97, 102, 121, 123, 124, 125, 126, 135, 138, 150, 151, 152, 157, 162, 174, 184, 185, 186, 189, 190, 193, 196, 197, 219, 234, 237, 239, 251
anxious waiting in, 205, 206
coordination issues in, 69, 70, 71, 124, 136, 178
Dixie Alley as site for, 177–78
elusive nature of tornadoes as obstacle in, 55, 69, 77, 78, 92, 93, 133, 134, 137
horrific disaster scenes witnessed by, 58, 194
maintaining safe distance in, 14, 39, 83, 85, 99, 219–20
primitive tools and technological shortcomings in, 29, 70, 124, 131–32, 136–37, 178, 214, 221
risks of, 34, 73, 88, 131–32, 145, 146, 152, 238, 251, 252
as scheduling lives around storm season, 30–31
SKYWARN courses on, 28
social media glory and video rights sales sought by, 32, 145
subculture of, 76–77, 145, 146
surprising lack of fatalities in, 14, 145, 246
timing as key in, 12, 154
Tim’s death and, 235–36, 240
Tim’s growing reputation among, 31, 32, 38, 151, 250
in TOTO project, 27, 38, 41–42, 55, 56, 63
in TWISTEX mission, see TWISTEX mission
in 2001 NatGeo expedition, 66–72
in 2002 HITPR mission, 74–78
unglamerous lifestyle of, 32–33, 76, 91–92, 191
see also Samaras, Tim; tornado science and research
Storm Lake, Iowa, 114, 142, 149, 157
Storm Prediction Center, 6, 93, 124, 206
Stratford tornado (2003), 82–87, 88, 92, 97, 110, 114, 116, 146
structural engineering, 63, 113, 121
subvortices, 131–32, 169
of El Reno tornado, 215, 216–17, 223, 224, 227–28, 229, 230, 231, 237, 238, 239
suction vortices, 87, 148, 223, 231–32
supercells, 46, 49–51, 52, 78, 82, 93, 111, 124, 140, 144, 161, 193, 198, 205, 206, 212, 243, 252, 253
Tatom, Frank, 36–38, 39, 40, 41
snail prototype of, 38–41, 42, 58, 64, 65, 67
temperature sensors, 54, 57, 60, 61, 62, 106, 110, 153, 158, 170–71, 242
Texas, 2, 15, 28, 31, 68, 69, 80, 81, 82, 87, 158, 161, 192, 194
Thunderstorm Project, 46–49, 57
thunderstorms, 20, 28, 30, 36, 44, 46–47, 52, 57, 82, 96, 123, 124, 126, 174, 203, 241, 252
Browning’s research on, 49–51
Byers’s research on, 47–49, 50
forecasting of, see weather forecasting
lightning research and, 182–84, 185, 193, 195–96, 197–98, 206, 243, 244
mapping of, 47–48
supercell, 46, 49–51, 52, 78, 82, 93, 111, 124, 140, 144, 161, 193, 198, 205, 206, 212, 243, 252, 253
TLEs and, 183, 198
tornadoes as formed from, 46, 49–50, 51, 55, 69, 70–71, 166, 193, 212
wall clouds of, 28, 82, 164, 165, 166, 170, 204, 205
see also mesocyclones
Timmer, Reed, 156, 181, 209
Tin Man, 101, 103
Tipton tornado (2008), 147–49, 152, 153–54
Tornado Alley, 13, 28, 44, 50, 65, 67, 124
tornadoes:
boundary layer/core of, see boundary layer/core
CAPE values and, 162, 203, 206, 252
chasing of, see storm chasing, storm chasers
climate change and, 252–53
deaths caused by, 2, 4, 5, 6, 36–37, 71, 77, 78, 179, 193, 200, 224
destruction caused by, 2–4, 5, 36–37, 41, 44, 45, 71, 78, 79, 86, 98, 102, 137, 138, 170, 179, 193, 194–95
electrical charge of, 15, 20
energy expended by, 13, 37, 77, 81
financial damage of, 4, 45, 77
footage captured of, 13, 31, 32, 34, 39, 82–83, 85, 87, 94, 95, 138, 142–43, 145, 147–49, 151, 157, 168, 179, 189–90, 197, 226, 227, 230, 236, 246
hail core of, 16, 39, 83–85, 144, 211, 230
hook echo of, 51, 124, 157, 204, 211
multi-vortex, see multiple-vortex mesocyclone (MVMC)
mythology of, 6, 7–8, 44
prime atmospheric conditions for, 11, 12, 28, 50–51, 93–94, 162, 198, 199, 200, 203–4
rain veils of, 14, 16
RFDs and, 122, 125, 136, 137, 139, 153, 164, 167, 169, 170–71, 180, 237
“rope-out” phase of, 95, 96, 166, 191, 192, 212, 237
safety precautions in, 2, 7
seismic activity and, 37–38
sound of, 2, 85, 95, 100, 101, 114, 138
strongest types of, see EF4 tornadoes; EF5 tornadoes
subvortices of, see subvortices
suction vortices of, 87, 148, 223, 231–32
as term, banned from weather forecasts, 44–45
thunderstorms in spawning of, 46, 49–50, 51, 55, 69, 70–71, 166, 193, 212
Tim’s boyhood fascination with, 19–20, 25–26, 27
Tim’s growing obsession with, 30, 31, 32, 33–34, 74, 75–76, 81, 110, 111, 124
trained spotters of, 29
2002 deadly post-season outbreak of, 78–79
2011 as deadly season for, 4–6
2011 southern outbreak of, 178–79
2012 as off-season for, 184–85
unpredictability of, 6, 7, 36, 44, 45, 46, 55, 79, 92, 94, 95, 134, 193, 208, 249
wind convergence in formation of, 199, 200, 201, 203, 204
see also specific tornadoes
tornadogenesis, 165, 171
Tornado Project, 45–46
tornado science and research, 16, 35, 43–46, 49–57, 87, 113, 114, 119, 121, 124, 125, 131, 134–35, 171
boundary layer/core in, 7, 8, 41–42, 43, 52–53, 54, 57, 62, 65, 87, 90, 106, 114, 115, 120, 123, 143, 155, 181, 249
DOW in, see Doppler on Wheels
El Reno tornado data collection in, 210–12, 215–17, 231–32
elusory nature of twisters as obstacle in, 45–46, 53, 55, 69, 92, 122, 133, 134, 137, 249
Gallus’s tornado simulator in, 89–90, 111–13
global warming in, 252–53
hard won insight and sluggish progress in, 43, 45, 46, 51, 52, 249, 250
HITPR in, see Hardened In
