The Twisters

Dr. Evans, please listen to me. Topeka is in trouble.

James, I know you think your tornado indicator

numerical algorithm is going to revolutionize science,

but 30 years of experience tells me to trust my readings.

And I'm not seeing anything to suggest a tornado.

As you can see, temp is nominal,

pressure is stable, and winds are negligible.

There's no rear flake, downdraft, nothing.

That's because our current tech only has a total detection rate

of 60% on average and a 70% false alarm rate.

TINA's pot is 96% with 5% FAR

and is currently predicting an F2 tornado

within the next 7 minutes centered in Topeka, Kansas,

with a 98.3% accuracy.

Dr. Evans, I've put countless hours of research into this.

I've used research you yourself did with Professor Bennett.

You know TINA is the future. You must issue a warning.

AI may be the future, but it is not the present,

and I'm not issuing any warnings based on some untested software.

Well, I have to at least warn the people I care about.

- -

Hey, James, I really can't talk right now,

but I will call you back in a few.

I know. TINA's online today.

Exactly. Professor Bennett,

you need to seek shelter immediately.

TINA's predicted an F2 tornado about to hit Topeka.

Wait. What?

James, I don't see any inflow bands

or feel a change in the barometric pressure.

- Are you sure? - Yes.

You need to get inside as soon as possible.

Okay.

Okay, I'm heading to the shelter now.

Better safe than sorry, right?

I'll call you from inside.

Dr. Evans, even Professor Bennett

is taking this seriously.

And I'm taking facts seriously, not some untested software.

Well, as head programmer here, I...

As your boss here, I'm telling you

that issuing a false warning can be very dangerous.

TINA is way too cutting-edge to be useful right now.

Once you work the kinks out...

That's what they said about using microwaves

to beam solar energy from space, and that...

Took years to be operational, so be patient.

- - Hey, you guys see this?

- Drop in pressure. - Something strange is going on.

Strong winds with moisture buildup at latitude 39.050980.

Longitude minus 95.670433.

Topeka?

I need more data from you before I can proceed.

We need to get this information exactly right

before we can alert the authorities.

TINA confirms the mesocyclone is underway,

causing temperature differential at the edge of the downdraft.

An F2 tornado will be destructive and build very fast.

We have less than five minutes.

Have the Topeka office issue an imminent tornado warning.

- - Hello. Rosemary speaking.

Alert the National Guard to start evacuations.

Yes, ma'am.

- - Oh, my God.

Oh, no!

Oh! Ah!

The rapid gathering of low-level air moisture,

creating the inflow bands and spiraling formation

is astonishing.

The dew point usually says it's around 3.2.

This is showing a dew point of negative 8.3.

- It's happening too fast. - Oh, we've got a tornado

that's about to happen in Pleasant Hill.

- Well, we better tell it... - Another in Warrensburg.

That can't be correct.

The rate of atmospheric disruption can't be accurate.

According to TINA, dozens of cyclone storm clusters

are forming across the entire Midwest over the next 12 hours.

What in God's name is going on?

The damage to rural and city areas has been catastrophic.

Rescue crews are hard at work,

but preliminary reports from Topeka paint a grim picture.

What's the status? I need info now.

The tornado caught everyone off guard.

Over 60 dead and counting.

Property damage in the millions.

I'm sorry.

I just got off the phone with the National Guard

who are already putting shelter in place and EVACs.

Good.

I also double-checked TINA's findings.

Because you're right.

The amount of cyclonic regeneration

needed to cover the entire Midwest is impossible.

But?

I had TINA run thousands of mathematical models.

Arctic sea ice is rapidly melting,

causing the jet stream to be pulled further north.

That should reduce the amount of tornadoes.

Correct, but the ENSO is also

an atmospheric variable to consider.

Why?

The El Niño Southern Oscillation is in the Pacific Ocean.

While it manifests in the Pacific,

it's a chain-reaction process that shuffles

global weather patterns, pushing warm moist air north.

Colliding with the cold Arctic air mass generating a low SIE.

Creating a once-in-a-generation event

of massive instability

across the entire Midwest for the next 12 hours.

We're talking massive tornadoes

lasting for hours on one end of the scale

and smaller tornadoes popping up without warning

at the other end.

What data set are you using?

I thought TINA only predicted

the appearance and size of a tornado.

It did, but now TINA uses data

from another sensor weather network

currently being rolled out.

Your sister's next-gen network.

Yes.

Her network has sensors positioned

all throughout the Midwest, and they're all bi-directional.

And TINA has access to this full, complete network?

The network is incomplete.

There are still sensors that need to be upgraded

to bi-directional variants.

Once that happens, TINA will be able

to predict tornadoes from the Gulf of Mexico

all the way to the Canadian border with 100% accuracy.

Then that's the plan.

You need to get ahold of Erica

and get this system up and running as soon as possible.

We use to work together.

Her hardware, my software.

Since the incident we haven't spoken.

Then how are you using her hardware?

She hasn't changed her credentials.

So if she finds out, she can kick you off,

and TINA will be useless.

Not useless, just not as useful.

Look, I understand what you two went through

was very devastating,

but she has the hardware and you have the software.

You need to call your sister

and work out your dysfunctional relationship.

This is bigger than the two of you.

There's millions of lives at stake.

Understood.

Hey, you've reached Erica.

Just leave me a message at the tone.

- - Erica, it's James again.

Call me. It's an emergency.

Text Erica.

Erica, call me ASAP. It's an emergency.

James here.

I see your location on SR 350,

20.2 miles west of Lone Jack.

TINA shows an F1 has developed in your location.

I have the same reading.

Do you have a visual?

Negative.

Wait. I have a visual.

It just popped up out of nowhere like the one in Topeka.

- What's that? - Debris is falling from the sky.

Are you okay? James.

James, respond. Are you okay?

I'm fine.

The funnel's gone. I have clear skies.

This climate instability is stranger than predicted.

Can you continue?

Yeah.

After seeing the tornado pop up out of nowhere,

we've got to get this network up so we know exact locations.

What's your ETA to Lone Jack?

- - 20 minutes.

Okay. Let me know when you've reached Erica.

After the devastating news coming out of Topeka today,

I'm here with Dr. Erica Garland of NOAA

to tell us what is being done to prevent

such a loss of life and property in the future.

Doctor?

Excuse me. I'm sorry.

Just some odd readings.

But yes, what happened in Topeka today is heartbreaking.

Any loss of life is unacceptable.

The key is warning times so people can get to shelter.

And that's why I have been finishing up

the installation of a network of next-generation sensors

to help predict severe weather events much faster,

especially tornadoes.

And, Doctor, how exactly does your network of sensors

help us to predict such extreme weather events?

Well, this sensor network is a bi-directional network,

far more accurate than any current technology,

allowing for better prediction

and more relevant real-time data collection

such as informing if you're dealing with an F1 or an F5.

Of course, Midwesterners, we know that F1 and F5