The Man Who Caught the Storm
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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 Situ Tornado Pressure Recorder
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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