Scanning the Skies: A History of Tornado Forecasting

257 Pages·2001·10.616 MB·English

by  Marlene Bradford

SCANNINTHGE SKIES
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SCANNING SKIES
THE
A History of Tornado Forecasting
MARLENE BRADFORD
University of OklahomaP ress : Norman
This book is published with the generous assistance of The McCasland
Foundation, Duncan, Oklahoma.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Bradford, Marlene.
Scanning the skies : a history of tornado forecasting / Marlene Bradford.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8061-3302-3 (alk. paper)
1. Tornadoes-United States. 2. Weather forecasting-United States.
3. Tornado warning systems-United States. I. Title.
The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of
the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on
Library Resources, Inc.
m
Copyright 63 2001 by the University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Publishing
Division of the University. All rights reserved. Manufactured in the U.S.A.
12345678910
To my mother,
who instilled in me a passion for weather
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List of Illustrations ix
List of Tables xi
...
Preface Xlll
List of Abbreviations 2
Introduction
Chapters
1. Tornado Theories
2. Tornado Forecasting to 1940
3. Wartime Warnings and Military Forecasting
4. A Civilian Severe Weather Forecasting Center
5. Warning the Public
6. Technological Improvements
7. An Evaluation of the Integrated
Tornado Warning System
Notes
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
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Following page 102
Tornado near Dimmi t t, Texas
Henderson, Tennessee, after 1952 tornado
Lieutenant Colonel Ernest J. Fawbush and Captain Robert E.
Miller
Dr. Francis W. Reichelderfer
Head chartist Andy Anderson
H. Swenson, Donald House, and Joseph Galway
A radar console, 1958
Radar Analysis and Development Unit radar data plot
Allen Pearson
Teletype machines transmitting weather data
SELS paper maps and charts
TOT0 (Totable Tornado Observatory)
The Union City, Oklahoma, tornado of May 24,1973
The National Severe Storms Laboratory's first Doppler weather
radar, Norman, Oklahoma
Supercell near Miami, Texas
A wall cloud
Mobile radar trucks
Dr. Joseph Schaefer
Steve Weiss
Jeff McBeath-Peters at an AWIPS three-headed workstation