So if you want to read about Twister, go to the Twister page.
Ned Kahn has done it again! Ned, of San Francisco Exploratorium fame, has designed and built another tornado simulator...this one is 70 feet high. It was commissioned by a company who then had a building constructed to house the simulator. It will be on display at the World's Fair in Germany for the duration of the fair. By the way, Ned also has an exhibit at the new Hayden Planetarium in New York City. Make sure you visit it the next time you visit the Big Apple.
After several small tornadoes passed through Gadsden County, Florida, April Crawford viewed their devastation. She was moved to compose and send us this poem.
Dreaming about tornadoes is very common, but after his dream, Steve Reiss penned this poem in honor of tornado victims.
Artist and storm chaser John Brosio, whose earlier works can be seen here, has put a page up on the web, too.
The work of Jim Reed, nature and severe storm chaser/photographer, now has a home on the web. To visit his site, just click on the image to the left.
A hard rock musician who in fascinated by severe weather is Ted Kirkpatrick, who plays drums in the band "Tourniquet". Then there is the band called the Texas Tornadoes...golly, I wonder what kind of music they make?
The Twister attraction at Universal Studios Florida opened for business on May 4, 1998. Originally scheduled for an April premiere, the tornadoes in the area in February delayed the opening. Someone who was present for a "technical review" suggests that the best place for the full impact of the program should get right in front(where you may also get wet), but small children who are frightened by storms are best placed towards the back.
Fiber artist Mary Zicafoose has incorporated images of, you guessed it, tornadoes in the tapestries and rugs she showed at the April 23-26, 1998 craft show at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. The Smithsonian shows always feature carefully chosen, world-class artists. If you didn't make the show, but are interested in Mary's work, you can contact her at 3323 S. 104th Avenue, Omaha, NE 68124(402)343-1589.
The special effects company that created the man-made tornado for the Volvo commercial on European television has a web page. The company's name is Reel EFX, and their page has some really neat stuff! They recently created a 15 foot high tornado for Knott's Berry Farm, the Californian amusement park. They have greatly expanded their page on the Volvo commercial--and it's interesting reading. The real-life storm chaser who was chosen to do the commercial has recently gone online with his own page, Weatherpix.com.
By the way, there is video on "the making of the Volvo commercial" in Twisters! Nature's Fury that was taped by Gene.
On July 31, 1987, a tornado smashed into the City of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and its eastern suburb of Sherwood Park. Twenty-seven people lost their lives and over
350 people received debilitating injuries. In the aftermath of the storm, Herbert Presley, a Disaster Services Officer for the Canadian government, wrote a poem, which we are posting here. A page detailing the tornado is also online.
The Discovery.com site has a special section all on tornadoes. There are photos and articles each few days, questions from readers that are answered by Jose Garcia, an Amarillo NWS meteorologist, and MORE, MORE, MORE! Make it your next stop!
Bad weather makes some people gloomy, but for others it is inspiration for poetry! Peggy Thomposon wrote this paen to clouds.
Ever hear that phrase "Don't believe everything you read in the papers"? We have been told by Merilee Thomas that a grocery store check-out tabloid, the Star, is running a story about a woman who was carried 10 miles by a tornado in Romania. There is a photo of the woman, covered with bandages. There is also a photo of her posing in front of a (the?) tornado. Trouble is, the tornado photo they used was from Nebraska, with Merilee's daughter posing in the foreground, and a little cut-out picture of the Romanian woman's face stuck onto the original photo in place of the daughter's face. All without the photographers' permission, of course.
Thanks! It is nice to be noticed. Check it out!
Many people have a fascination with tornadoes that is part fear, part awe, and part admiration. James F. Carr expresses in poetry the mixed feelings so many people have when they hear the word "tornado!"
Our esteemed colleagues Dr. Charles Doswell, III of NSSL and Project Vortex and Dr. Harold Brooks of NSSL have written up a tornado that Tom Grazulis missed in his book Significant Tornadoes--1680-1991. How on earth could Tom have missed this one? The paper is titled CASE ANALYSIS OF A HISTORIC KILLER TORNADO EVENT IN KANSAS ON 10 JUNE 1938. This is must reading for anyone serious about undertstanding important historic tornado occurrences! ;-)
The May/June issue of the magazine OKLAHOMA TODAY has an extensive, 9 page article on tornado chasing written by Richard Bedard(see below)and a smaller article on Twister. You will recognize the names of the well respected chasers you have read about on our pages. In a few days, I will post an excerpt from the piece.
You can obtain a copy by sending $5.50 and writing to
Oklahoma Today
PO Box 53384
401 Will Rogers Bldg.
Oklahoma City, OK 73152
By the way, this is a very nice magazine for anyone planning on visiting or moving to the state! Or just for looking at, in the tradition of Arizona Highways, or Vermont Life.
If you live in the San Franciso area, or are traveling out that way, make sure you visit the Exploratorium at the Palace of Fine Arts in the Marina district of the city. Ned Kahn, an artist/scientist/craftsman, has created a model tornado that you can walk into and out of. Ned has made these for museums all over the world. There are quite a number of weather-related exhibits, as well as hundreds of other fascinating hands-on science exhibits. Plan on a mind-tingling experience, and allow a full afternoon. TheThe Exploratorium also has a great web site.
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