Synopsis

On May 20, 2013, an EF5 tornado, a mile wide and intensely violent, ravaged Moore, Oklahoma, claiming 24 lives and leaving entire neighborhoods in ruins. It was the third such devastating storm to strike the city in fourteen years. Yet, forecasting the precise moment and location of these deadly storms remains a formidable challenge. Why did the worst tornado season ever recorded – 2011, which resulted in 158 deaths in Joplin, Missouri – give way to the quietest period of activity immediately pr