I gotta go, we got cows

When I was 5 years old the movie Twister (1996) came out, I thought it was
an amazing movie and have watched it several times since. However, now that I am
older, I have noticed that some of the scenes can be a little far fetched, and
unrealistic, making me wonder just how accurately the movie portrays the reality of
an actual tornado. I have never witnessed a tornado first hand, but it doesnt take a
storm chaser to realize that the movie may have gotten a few things wrong. I still
enjoy the movie, a lot, especially now that Bill Paxton has passed away. Nonetheless,
here are a few of the worst depictions of twister phenomenon the movie has to offer.
First off, I was baffled when I realized that one of the very first scenes in the
movie, failed to accurately categorize the tornado that lifts the main characters
father away during a tornado in 1969. They stated that the tornado was classified as
an F5; however, according to NASA, and their Proposed Characterization of
Tornadoes and Hurricanes by Area and Intensity(Fujita, T. T. 1971) the
classification of tornadoes was not created or published until after a three-year
studies from 1968-1970. Therefore, although classification was in progress by
Fujita, it would not have been possible for the tornado to be classified in 1969.
Secondly, another scene that caught my attention in the movie is the scene
where Jo and bill are driving their truck and end up into the ditch and hide under
the bridge. According to 5 Tornado Safety Myths Debunked this is actually a very
bad idea tornados winds can blow debris under the bridge and possibly blow you
out from under the bridge. There is also a possibility that the bridge itself may
collapse on top of you trapping or killing you. The article also suggests that you best
plan of action is to try to head to a sturdy building, if there is no building to hide in
you should try and get as far away from any debris that may injure you (Thompson,
2013).
Lastly, the one thing that had me a bit puzzled was how they were
able to chase so many different tornados within the same day/48hours. Since I was
not super educated about tornados, especially since I have never lived in a state that
suffers from this phenomenon, I needed to research just how accurately this was
represented. According to The National Severe Storms Laboratory-Tornado basics,
tornados can happen anytime of the year, but usually during spring and summer,
with most tornadoes forming in the Midwest. Tornados also happen at any time of
day or night, but most tornados occur in the late afternoon between 4-9 PM. While
thinking about this, it makes perfect sense; weather conditions would be optimal for
tornado formation, and development of the mesocyclone. Recent theories reveal
that once a mesocyclone is underway, tornado development is dependent upon
temperature difference across the edge of the downdraft, air wrapping around the
mesocyclone. Unfortunately, the amount of tornadoes the storm chasers in the
movie Twister pursued was hard to believe, and after research, was obviously
increased to the point for dramatization purposes.
Although the movie Twister did fail to portray tornadoes 100% accurately, I
still feel the movie is worth watching. Obviously, any movie will have its good and
bad representations about the facts, especially since a lot of money is usually
involved with production, and this sometimes can alter the way events are
interpreted. Credit is given to the production, as the movie spiked interest in how
tornadoes are perceived, learned, and studied. I can honestly say that when I was
younger, this movie made weather interesting enough to consider being a tornado
chaser for a brief period.
Work Cited

1. Fujita, T. Theodore. Satellite and Mesometeorology Research Project. Proposed

Characterization of Tornadoes and Hurricanes by Area and Intensity, 1 Feb.
1971, p. 2., ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19720008829.pdf.
2. Thompson, Andrea. 5 Tornado Safety Myths Debunked. LiveScience, Purch, 28
Mar. 2013, www.livescience.com/28269-tornado-safety-myths.html.
3. Tornado Basics. NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory,
www.nssl.noaa.gov/education/svrwx101/tornadoes/.