I'm going to try to give you some impressions without spoilers.  Liked the movie; the three others in our party liked it more than I. I suspect that was because I was influenced by the too-many scientific errors. There's not much chemistry between Kate and Tyler, the two leads.  Kate and Tyler are probably the two worst storm chasers in history. I can't explain why without spoiling parts of the movie but I suspect you'll figure out what I mean.  Twisters  was probably the least impressive IMAX movie I've seen. Normally, I love IMAX but it didn't seem to be more vivid or exciting than I suspect it would on a regular screen. That said, the special effects are terrific.  A movie theatre (for the same reasons as a non-reinforced gym) is a terrible place to shelter during a tornado. The roof can too easily collapse.  Hope Reed Timmer and Pecos Hank received payment for the use of their characters.  I give the movie  three out 🌪️🌪️🌪️ of four funnel c...

Tuesday has been a tragic day for tornadoes. We know there were fatalities in Greenfield, Iowa, but officials have not released a number. Based on radar/height estimations as well as wind speeds from a nearby mobile Doppler, that tornado was almost certainly an EF-4 tornado and might -- emphasis on "might" -- have broken the 11 year streak without an EF-5.  The video above is from Dr. Reed Timmer's drone. It is simply amazing. You see multiple "suction vortices" moving around the main tornado (lighter areas of rotation) as well as tiny vortices. You can also see water from the wet ground denoting the tornado's inflow. And, at lower right, you see a wind turbine crumple before the visible part of the tornado arrives.  There was a  mobile Doppler radar in the area (below). Based on preliminary  data, they measured winds of 215 mph about 600 ft. above the ground. That is above the 200 mph EF-5 threshold but  remember the EF-5 scale is a damage  scale and the...

This story is about a scientist doing an amazing things -- while others scoffed.  As the above clip from Twister  shows, it has been a goal of meteorologists for decades to get a probe(s) into a tornado to measure its winds, pressure, and other data in hopes they can be used to create better computer models that will allow better forecasts.  The problem has always been that when a tornado gets to weather instruments, it destroys them. The National Severe Storms Laboratory developed TOTO ( TO table T ornado O bservatory; meteorologists love acronyms, no matter how inane). It was towed into the tornado's path and would take measurements near the ground -- if only the tornado would move over it. This was the inspiration for "Dorothy" in the movie Twister. If I recall correctly, they got it into a tornado's path a single time....... with predictable results .  In 2019, Dr. Reed Timmer, best known for his television show Storm Chasers -- amazingly -- launched a small, in...

Reed Timmer intercepted another tornado this afternoon. In case you've wondered what it looks like inside of a tornado, you can click on the above.  Note: "Ears popping" refers to the rapid drop in barometric pressure.  And, this is what the "Dominator" intercept vehicle looked like in relation to the tornado. 

For the first time,  Storm Chasers back episodes are available, free, at the Discovery Channel's web site . Reed Timmer, the star of Storm Chasers, will be speaking at Chasercon '19  at the Wichita Hyatt Regency February 8-10. It is open to the public. Complete information, including hotel, etc., is here . I am the keynote speaker. Fox News, The Weather Channel, AccuWeather and many more news organizations will be covering the event. It is the largest gathering of storm chasers, meteorologists specializing in tornadoes and storm tourism companies. It attracts people from across the nation. Hope you can come and join us. In the meantime, you can watch Storm Chasers  to whet your appetite.