Meteorologists have a center to study everything. There is the Climate Prediction Center to study climate, the National Center for Environmental Prediction to forecast weather, the National Hurricane Center to study hurricanes, and the National Severe Storms Laboratory to study tornadoes and severe local storms.

The National Severe Storm Laboratory was established in 1964 and built in Norman, Oklahoma. Little was known about tornadoes when the lab was built so it was a wide open field of research. At first scientist were anxious to get any film of a tornado to study.

The story goes that they even ordered a copy of the Wizard of Oz to study the tornado that almost got Dorothy. What better example of a tornado. Everybody has seen it. The only problem was that Hollywood dealt in fiction not reality. When they examined the film they didn’t find a tornado, but how Hollywood depicted a tornado. Merely a combination of hose, gauze, and dirt made to look like a tornado.

I do not know if this story is completely true, but when I worked in Oklahoma City that was the story my friends at the lab laughed about. Things may not have gone smoothly in the beginning, but the lab quickly became the center of the tornado universe. It didn’t hurt that the lab was located in the tornado capital of the world. Oklahoma City got hit by a tornado on average once every three years. At one time there were more weather radars in the Oklahoma City area than any one place on earth; even some radio stations had radar.

Great progress was being made in identifying tornadoes on radar. However, there was still a lot of information missing that could only be obtained in the field. Thus, a program was initiated to try to chase tornadoes and photograph them. A few private individuals had been chasing storms since the 1950’s, but this was a full blown field program.

In 1973 the chasers met with great success capturing a large tornado on film near Union City, Oklahoma. Winds were estimated to be as high as 175 mph. It was one of the best photograph and filmed tornadoes in its day.

A few years later I joined the staff of KTVY in Oklahoma City. It wasn’t long before I had the itch to chase a tornado. I like to tell people that I was chasing tornadoes before it become fashionable. I have stories to tell about chasing like all chasers.

The National Severe Storms Laboratory has been in business now for 44 years and has greatly added to our knowledge. Severe thunderstorms, flash floods, hail, and lightning have all been studied in addition to tornadoes. I was in Oklahoma City during the time when Doppler radar was being evaluated as a tool for detecting severe weather which is now the standard radar tool. Much has been learned and the advances continue.

There are still chase programs, but these are far more sophisticated programs than simply going out and photographing tornadoes. The goal has always been direct measurements inside a tornado and now technology is making that possible. The next generation of weather radars is being developed. New insights into the structure of severe weather is leading to better analysis and forecasting techniques. The study of severe local storms becomes more complex as our knowledge grows. However, one day soon we may be able to forecast individual thunderstorms.

All of this stems from a desire to know tornadoes. Rest assured that our ability to anticipate and warn of the dangers is the result of the dedication and hard work of a number of scientists working at or affiliated with the lab.