'Twister,' 'Twisters' and the actual practice of storm chasing

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'Twister,' 'Twisters' and the actual practice of storm chasing

A plucky meteorology heroine; a male rival with no shortage of hubris; and some very, very big storms: that's the basic formula behind the new disaster action movie Twisters, which follows storm chasers around Oklahoma amid a tornado outbreak.

It's a standalone sequel to the 1996 film Twister, a box-office hit in its day which also spurred a lot of real-life research into severe storms.

We've since learned a lot about how tornadoes behave, and the technology of storm chasing has improved dramatically.

But behind these summer blockbusters is a mystery that scientists are still trying to solve: why do tornadoes form at all?

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.
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A plucky meteorology heroine; a male rival with no shortage of hubris; and some very, very big storms: that's the basic formula behind the new disaster action movie Twisters, which follows storm chasers around Oklahoma amid a tornado outbreak.

It's a standalone sequel to the 1996 film Twister, a box-office hit in its day which also spurred a lot of real-life research into severe storms.

We've since learned a lot about how tornadoes behave, and the technology of storm chasing has improved dramatically.

But behind these summer blockbusters is a mystery that scientists are still trying to solve: why do tornadoes form at all?

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

(Image credit: Melinda Sue Gordon)

Source: 'Twister,' 'Twisters' and the actual practice of storm chasing