Our Haunting Last Interview With Storm Chaser Samaras
Tim Samaras and his son died in Friday’s El Reno, Oklahoma tornado.
What are you trying to figure out about tornadoes?
We still don’t know why some thunderstorms create tornadoes while others don’t. We’re trying to collect as many observations as possible, both from outside and from the inside [of tornadoes].
This tells us several things. If we understand the [storm’s] thermodynamic profile—what’s the temperature, what’s the humidity like, how cool is the air outside of the tornado—these are clues that help us to measure a thunderstorm that may produce a tornado.
If we better understood some of the final mechanisms for tornado genesis, our forecasting will be greatly improved.
We’re also trying to address tornado dynamics—how powerful the winds are near the surface—which will help us address some of the engineering issues with home building.
Maybe there are some simple things we can do to a house that would help it withstand a [lower-intensity] tornado.
thank you