The Storm Journal
Explanations of the instruments, terminology, and meteorology behind severe storm intercepts. Written to sit alongside the survey records in the storm archive.
Types of Tornadoes: 20 Shapes and What Each One Means
Rope, cone, wedge, landspout and 16 more tornado types, each drawn and explained, plus why the shape of a tornado tells you little about its strength.
Why Are Some Tornadoes White and Others Black?
A tornado's color comes from the light, the water in it and the ground it crosses. Why where you stand decides whether it looks white or black.
TIV 1: Where Sean Casey's Tornado Truck Is Now
The TIV 1 weighed 14,000 pounds and cost about $81,000 in 2003. Casey left it in a Kansas yard as a scavenger hunt prize. Here is who found it.
Every Tornado Interceptor Ever Built and Where They Are Now
Every armored tornado intercept vehicle and mobile radar truck since 1995, from DOW 1 to the 2026 season, and what happened to each one.
The Best Gifts for Meteorologists in 2026
Gift ideas for meteorologists, NWS forecasters, meteorology professors, graduating students and retirees, from tornado path maps to framed warning text.
The Best Gifts for Storm Chasers in 2026
Gift ideas for storm chasers, from car gear like signal boosters and weather radios to mugs, hats and prints. Includes Christmas order dates.
Gifts for Tornado Lovers and Weather Obsessives
Gift ideas for tornado lovers and weather obsessives: tornado path maps, radar mugs, warning sweatshirts and prints, with birthday and Secret Santa picks.
Gifts for Kids Who Love Tornadoes and Storms
Gift ideas for kids who love tornadoes and storms, from youth tees printed with the tornado safety rule to wall charts and storm prints.
Stocking Fillers for Weather Geeks Under $20
Small Christmas gifts for weather obsessives under twenty dollars that are not rubbish. Fourteen ideas that actually get used.
How Is a Tornado Measured?
Tornado ratings come from the damage left behind, not a wind gauge. How the Fujita and Enhanced Fujita scales actually work.
Storm Chase Vehicle Specs Compared
Weight, engine, armor, anchoring and current status for the TIV 1, TIV 2, the Dominator series and the DOW radar trucks, with the figures side by side.
Reed Timmer's Dominator Fleet
The full Dominator lineage, from the 2007 Tahoe that started it to the Dominator 5 still being built. Includes why there has never been a Dominator 4.
What Is a Tornado Debris Signature?
A debris ball on reflectivity and a collapse in correlation coefficient together confirm a tornado is on the ground.
Tornado vs Twister: Is There Any Difference?
Twister and tornado mean the same thing. Here is where the word came from and why the 1996 film fixed it in the language.
What Is the Doppler on Wheels?
The Doppler on Wheels is a mobile radar truck built to drive within a few miles of a tornado. Here is what it measured.
Has Canada Ever Had an F5 Tornado?
Yes, once. The 2007 Elie, Manitoba tornado is the only F5 ever confirmed in Canada, and nobody died in it.
Why Wasn't El Reno 2013 Rated an EF5?
Why wasn't the 2013 El Reno tornado rated an EF5 despite 295+ mph radar winds? Open fields limited its rating to EF3.
What Is the Dominator 3?
What is the Dominator 3? Learn about Reed Timmer's armored tornado intercept vehicle, its Dorothy rocket probes, and its rigorous mechanical history.
What Is the TIV 2?
What is the TIV 2? Learn how much the Tornado Intercept Vehicle weighs, what it sold for on Craigslist, and how it deploys to film inside a tornado.
What Does a Tornado Sound Like?
What does a tornado actually sound like? The science of tornado acoustics, from infrasound to why the freight train comparison persists.
What Does Slabbed Mean in Tornado Damage?
What does slabbed mean in tornado damage surveys? Learn how structural engineers and meteorologists evaluate swept-away homes and EF-Scale wind ratings.
What is NEXRAD? The Network That Sees the Storm
NEXRAD is the network of 160 WSR-88D Doppler radars behind every tornado warning. Here is how it actually works.
The Best Month to Chase Tornadoes
May concentrates more significant tornadoes than any other month, but the season shifts geographically from March through June.
Funnel Cloud or SCUD? How to Tell the Difference
SCUD clouds get reported as tornadoes on every active severe weather day. What separates ragged scud from a genuine funnel cloud.
How Do Tornadoes Dissipate?
Tornadoes do not run out of energy and stop. Learn how the rear flank downdraft, the rope stage, and storm-scale processes bring a tornado to an end.