Spotting information

*This article will contain slight spoilers for the movie Twisters, but the scenes talked about are seen in the trailers. *

Throughout the movie, the main characters need to take shelter from tornadoes, especially with the risky chasing habits of intercepting tornadoes. In the few scenes they are caught outside and in the path of the tornado, they have some interesting sheltering places. The movie opens with the crew going under an overpass, something meteorologists do not recommend, and the characters even mention that it might not be a good idea. We do not recommend sheltering in place under an overpass because the tornado passing through could cause a wind tunnel, but the characters go up in between the I-beam structure, which would be best to avoid debris. Debris is the biggest thing you have to worry about when dealing with tornadoes, especially ones that have hit structures, which is why an in-ground pool, which is used later in the movie as a shelter, is not a terrible place. The biggest thing we try to preach is getting as low as possible, with as many layers between you and the tornado. In the scene they cannot find a good tornado shelter and turn to a motel pool. Through the scene, people they have gathered to shelter with do not follow these various instructions and sadly get sucked into the tornado. The pool would be a good place to avoid debris for the most part, I would personally recommend trying to stick to the edges of the pool. Of course, it is always best to have a designated storm shelter for events like these, again an interior room with no windows or a basement is preferred.

Chasing can be dangerous, especially if you do not have a meteorological background, but the SKYWARN spotter system is a great way to dip your toes into the world of severe weather. This program is through the NWS, and anyone can join. It consists of taking a class that covers topics like thunderstorm development, fundamentals of storm structure, identifying potential severe weather features and how to report these signs to the NWS. The free classes are offered by the Northern Indiana NWS, and they seem to be offered in-person only in April, but they could be taken online as well. This program is essential for the NWS to issue accurate warnings as soon as possible, and the more spotters we have the higher chance we have of issuing warnings to give people enough lead time to take shelter. More information can be found at this link for information about the spotter program.