Episode Details

What does it actually take to safely chase a tornado, and how does that extreme proximity save lives on the ground?

In this episode of Atmosphere, we’re going inside the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) in Norman, Oklahoma - the epicenter of severe weather research. Dr. Pam Heinselman, Deputy Director of Science at NSSL, joins us to break down the cutting-edge tech behind today's storm chasing and why humanizing the forecast is the next frontier in science.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The New Mobile Radar Fleet: The next generation of mobile radars and the surprising places they're deploying.
• Project LIFT: What scientists are learning from getting up close and personal with tornadoes.
• The Hail Cam: High-speed cameras capturing hailstones mid-fall to study ice dynamics.
• Closing the Warning Gap: How NSSL is buying you more time when severe weather strikes.
• The Human Element: Why social scientists are now riding shotgun with meteorologists to improve crisis communication.

This is severe weather research at its most scrappy, creative, and human.

🔗 Connect with NSSL: Learn more about their current research at nssl.noaa.gov.