Tornado tracking made easier by UM

If this Web site had been around for Bill Pullman and Helen Hunt in the movie Twister, well, their lives would have been much easier. This Web site, developed by the University of Michigan, tracks all the tornadoes in the U.S. that have touched down.

Excerpt:

"As tornado chasers, it's interesting for us to know where the storms have been and have a record of them," Samson said. "This Web site is another way for those interested in weather to get a sense for what's going on."
 
The site updates automatically every 10 minutes. It's always possible that there could be nothing on the screen, Samson said. That would mean no tornadoes hit on that particular day.
 
During this year's storm-chasing trip, Samson and his students gathered data from eight supercell storms -- more than they've ever recorded. He describes the events as "not for the faint of heart. We weather chasers are different than normal people. We want to be there. It should not be taken lightly or considered a spectator sport."

Read the entire article here.

Visit the the tornado Web site here.