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                  Hunt for the Supertwister
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                  Program Overview
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             NOVA profiles the deadliest of
            tornadoes—supertwisters—and investigates prediction
            methods. The program: 
            
              
                recounts the May 3, 2003, supertwister that decimated Bridge
                Creek and Moore, Oklahoma, destroying 8,000 homes, killing 40
                people, and causing $1 billion of damage.
              
              
                relates some of the factors believed necessary for a tornado to
                form.
              
              
                describes one scientist's proposal to increase the number of
                Doppler radars in high-incident tornado regions.
              
              
                reviews the 1999 Oklahoma City and the 2002 La Plata, Maryland,
                tornado events.
              
              
                follows researchers Josh Wurman and Howie Bluestein as they
                study active tornadoes with radar-equipped trucks.
              
              
                accompanies a stormchasing tour company that sights and chases
                an F4 supertwister with winds of more than 200 miles per hour.
              
              
                looks at computer simulations that help researchers model
                tornado behavior.
              
              
                highlights the discovery of a new layer of complexity—the
                formation of mini-tornadoes at ground level—that may be
                the key to better tornado prediction.
               
            Taping Rights: Can be used up to one year after the program
            is taped off the air.
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