‘Twisters’ movie: Two tornado scientists take us inside the real world of storm chasing

Scientists in a truck outfitted with instruments race toward a storm.
National Severe Storms Lab/NOAA

Yvette Richardson, Penn State and Paul Markowski, Penn State

Storm-chasing for science can be exciting and stressful – we know, because we do it. It has also been essential for developing today’s understanding of how tornadoes form and how they behave.

In 1996, the movie “Twister” with Helen Hunt brought storm-chasing scientists...