mobile radar as triggering fertile periods in, 56–57, 90, 114
RFD as point of interest in, 122, 125, 153, 171, 180, 237
Tatom’s snail prototype and, 38–41, 42, 58, 64, 65, 67
technological shortcomings in, 53, 54, 57, 90, 115, 131–32, 136–37
temperature, pressure, and humidity measurements long-sought in, 54, 57, 60, 61, 62, 87, 106, 110
Tim’s growing reputation in field of, 38, 109–10, 111, 114, 155
Tim’s legacy in, 249–52
Tim’s measuring of boundary layer/core and, 8, 106, 109, 110, 112, 114, 250
tornado simulators in, 89–90, 111–13, 253
TOTO project in, 27, 38, 41–42, 44, 54–57, 58, 59, 60, 61–62, 63, 90, 92, 110, 155, 249
TWISTEX mission and, see TWISTEX mission
2001 NatGeo expedition in, 66–72
unanswered questions in, 7, 43, 44, 53, 57, 111, 121, 181
understanding thunderstorms as first step in, 46, 47, 48–51
VORTEX2 project in, see VORTEX2 project
VORTEX project in, 57, 58, 66, 87, 90, 115
wind-speed data sought in, 53, 57, 62, 65, 87, 106, 114, 115, 116, 130, 155, 157, 158, 181
see also storm chasing, storm chasers
tornado simulators, 89–90, 111–13, 253
tornado-warning systems, 1, 36, 41, 44, 52, 71, 168, 199, 200, 256
El Reno tornado and, 201–2, 204, 206
lead times of, 6, 7, 79
mobile radar vs. weather-service radar in, 131–32
Tatom’s snail prototype and, 38, 41
as unreliable, 6, 45, 78–79
Totable Tornado Observatory (TOTO), 27, 38, 41–42, 44, 54–57, 58, 60, 61–62, 63, 90, 92, 110, 155, 249
size and weight of, 42, 54, 55, 59, 63, 160
TOWER, 158–60, 161, 163, 195, 197
barometric limitations of, 176
Bowdle tornado deployment of, 166–67, 168, 169, 176, 181
transient luminous events (TLEs), 183, 198
turtles, see Hardened in Situ Tornado Pressure Recorder
Twister (film), 41, 134
TWISTEX mission, 133, 145–46, 151, 153–58, 161, 162, 180–81, 182, 189–95, 250
agility as advantage of, 134–35, 163, 173
Bowdle tornado and, 162–72, 173, 176, 180
Bray tornado (2013) and, 191–92
chase vehicles of, 136, 137, 140, 148, 151, 159, 163–64, 165, 166, 169, 172, 175, 244, 245–46
collaborators and crew recruited for, 119–21, 122, 123, 124–25, 143, 147, 156–57
coordination and communication issues in, 178
dangerous risks and close-calls of, 138–39, 144, 146, 148, 152, 179, 192
data collected by, 146, 153–54, 157, 170–71, 180
discord among members of, 176–77, 191–92
El Reno tornado and, 205–10, 213–15, 216, 218–22, 225–28, 230, 237–39
footage captured by, 138, 147–49, 151, 157, 168, 179, 189–90, 194, 236
funding issues and budgetary constraints of, 130, 132, 134, 144, 154, 155, 156, 163, 173, 175, 176, 180, 184, 185, 196, 197, 242
inaugural 2007 season of, 133–34
instruments and gadgetry of, 141, 151, 154–55, 159, 164, 176, 191, 192, 197, 244
Paul Samaras’s joining of, 147, 150, 151, 152, 246, 251
probe program difficulties of, 154–56, 158, 173
Quinter tornado and, 136–42, 144–45, 146, 153, 159, 180, 237
Storm Chasers and, 156, 157, 173–74, 175–78, 179–80, 190
team camaraderie in, 132–33, 144–45, 151–52, 163, 190, 191
Tim’s concern for safety of crew in, 144, 146, 192
Tim’s deft leadership of, 144, 155–56
Tipton tornado and, 147–49, 152, 153–54
TOWER probe of, see TOWER
2011 Dixie Alley tornado outbreak and, 178–79
2012 hiatus of, 180, 184–85
uncertain future of, 242, 253
VORTEX2’s rivalry with, 118, 134, 135, 157–58, 163, 173
wind-speed data sought by, 155, 157, 158, 181
video pods, 117, 156, 157, 158, 181
VORTEX project, 57, 58, 66, 87, 90, 115
VORTEX2 project, 119, 133–35, 153, 156, 171, 180, 183
equipment and resources of, 130–31, 134, 157, 163, 173
measurement of low-level wind flow as goal of, 115, 116, 130
Tim offered role in, 114–18, 130–31, 132, 136, 181
TWISTEX’s rivalry with, 118, 134, 135, 157–58, 163, 173
wall clouds, 28, 82, 164, 165, 166, 170, 204, 205
weather balloons, 57, 63, 130, 157, 202–3
Weather Bureau, US, 44, 45, 47
Weather Channel, 29, 80, 145, 222–24, 227
weather forecasting, 7, 12, 45, 67, 71, 75, 93, 121, 162, 190, 193
El Reno tornado and, 199, 200–201, 202–4, 206
inaccuracies in, 6
technological shortcomings in, 29, 131–32
Tim’s skills in, 8, 14, 15, 29, 134, 198
tornado as term banned from, 44–45
updates for chasers as slow and sporadic in, 70, 124, 132, 178, 214, 221, 225
see also tornado-warning systems
White Sands Missile Range, 22–23
Winn, Bill, 57, 87
Winter, Matt, 125–29, 240–41
Winter, Nick, 129, 240
Winter, Sherry, 125–27, 129
Winter, Soun, 126, 128
Wizard of Oz, The (film), 19–20, 27
Woonsocket tornado (2003), 94–96, 256
Wurman, Joshua, 87, 89–90, 114–15, 118, 120, 130, 132, 133, 134, 135, 155, 158, 163, 173, 181, 185, 193, 214, 239, 251
DOW developed by, 56, 90, 114, 116
El Reno tornado and, 215–17, 227
MVMC encounter of, 131–32
ROTATE 2012 mission of, 181
on Storm Chasers, 156
Tim’s strained relationship with, 115–16, 117, 132, 155, 251
video pods of, 117, 156, 157, 181
VORTEX2 project of, see VORTEX2 project
Xenia, Ohio, 2000 tornado in, 6
Yost, Harold, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 110, 120, 255–56, 257
Yost, Loretta, 255–57
Young, Carl, 123–25, 137, 140, 141–42, 148, 151, 153, 159–60, 162, 178, 185, 189, 190–91, 193, 194, 195, 196, 197, 198, 200, 205, 236, 241, 244, 245, 253
Bowdle tornado and, 165, 166, 167, 169, 170, 171–72
death of, 227–28, 231, 232, 234, 235, 247
El Reno tornado and, 207, 208, 209–10, 213–15, 216, 218–22, 225–28, 230, 237–39
Storm Chasers and, 175, 176, 177, 190
uneasy dissonance between Tim’s style and, 177, 191–92, 214
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