Next on NOVA: "Hunt for the Supertwister"

http://www.pbs.org/nova/tornado

Broadcast: April 11, 2006 (repeat)

(NOVA airs Tuesdays on PBS at 8 p.m. Check your local listings as
dates and times may vary.)

The spring and early summer of 2003 was one of the most severe
tornado seasons on record, and NOVA's cameras have captured
breathtaking footage of scientist stormchasers in action. Our story
focuses on the first-time efforts of a team at the University of
Oklahoma to test a groundbreaking technique for predicting severe
storms. With the help of powerful supercomputers and radar arrays,
the team believes it can achieve an unprecedented degree of
forecasting. But another scientific team takes a very different
approach, laying their lives on the line to chase violent twisters
across the fields of Oklahoma. NOVA takes a thrilling ride with
these tornado hunters and investigates the ingenious new approaches
that may one day help the forecasters stay one step ahead of a
devastating twister.

Here's what you'll find on the companion Web site:

Inquiry & Article

Tornado Country
How is it that with nearly 200 nations in the world, just
one -- the United States -- gets up to three quarters of
all tornadoes?

Forecasting Then and Now
The remarkable story of 17-year-old Dale Larson and 29 Nebraskan
schoolchildren shows how far tornado warning has come since 1928.

Interview & Interactive

Shelter From the Storm
Tornado-damage expert Tim Marshall explains why conventional
building practices and sprawl may make for ever graver
twister disasters.

Rate Tornado Damage
Use the Fujita Scale of tornado intensity to assess the level of
destruction left in the wake of actual tornadoes.

Also, a downloadable audio story on tornadoes, Links & Books, a
video preview of the program, the program transcript, and a
teacher's guide.

http://www.pbs.org/nova/tornado