logo
episode-header-image
May 2023
24m 54s

The tornado problem

Vox
About this episode
2023 has been a record-setting year for tornadoes, and these storms came with barely any warning. So to better understand tornadoes, scientists might need to confront more of these storms head-on. This episode originally ran on July 12, 2021. For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the top ... Show More
Up next
Yesterday
The hidden world that birds see
Birds navigate using Earth’s magnetic field, but scientists still don’t know how they actually sense it. Called the holy grail of sensory biology, magnetoreception offers a window into the thousands of unique sensory worlds animals experience. Guest: Ed Yong, author of An Immense ... Show More
27m 39s
Jul 29
The Godzilla El Niño
This global weather phenomenon could help make 2027 the hottest year on record. Our friends at The Gray Area explore what the upcoming El Niño season could reveal about the future of our climate. Guests: Sean Illing, host of The Gray Area; David Wallace-Wells, New York Times clim ... Show More
44m 14s
Jul 27
An argument for the sun
It can be hard to know how to interact with the sun. Some people have swung to opposite ends of the spectrum — either over-tanning or avoiding the sun entirely. But what would a middle ground look like? Guest: Rowan Jacobsen, author of In Defense of Sunlight For show transcripts, ... Show More
30m 59s
Recommended Episodes
Dec 2021
Why we still can't predict tornadoes
Most people get about eight minutes' advance warning of a tornado. This episode of Vox’s Unexplainable podcast explores how scientists need to confront more of these storms, head on. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution ... Show More
22m 35s
Nov 2020
Chasing the World’s Largest Tornado
How do you measure something that destroys everything it touches? That’s an essential question for tornado researchers. After he narrowly escaped the largest twister on record—a two-and-a-half-mile-wide behemoth with 300-mile-an-hour winds—National Geographic Explorer Anton Seimo ... Show More
29m 54s
May 2021
Storm Chasers | Tornado Alley | S47-E1
No extreme weather phenomenon fascinates us more than tornadoes. For most of human history, very little was known about how these graceful yet violent columns of swirling air formed or behaved. Then, in the 1950s, a teenager from North Dakota began chasing them, and a scientist f ... Show More
39m 36s
May 2021
Storm Chasers | Tornado Alley | S40-E1
No extreme weather phenomenon fascinates us more than tornadoes. For most of human history, very little was known about how these graceful yet violent columns of swirling air formed or behaved. Then, in the 1950s, a teenager from North Dakota began chasing them, and a scientist f ... Show More
39m 36s
Sep 2021
Is the planet warming up faster?
Some extreme weather events are puzzling scientists. 
6m 46s
Apr 2023
Chasing tornados in the American mid-West
Chasing tornados in the American mid-West – scientists are trying to learn the maximum from the tornado outbreaks currently in America. Professor Karen Kosiba calls us from a radar truck studying the storms, and Professor John Allen explains the energy powering them. From the wea ... Show More
30m 21s
Mar 2025
148 Tornadoes in 18 Hours
April 3, 1974. Across America, many people wake up this morning thinking it will be a normal day. But in the next 24 hours, almost 150 tornadoes will hit the United States. It will be the largest tornado outbreak in the nation's history. Why did so many deadly tornadoes hit on th ... Show More
22m 41s
Sep 2019
The 2011 Tornado Super Outbreak Pt. 1
A tornado touched down in the spring of 2011 near Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Over the next five days, hundreds more tornados would ravage the area, in one of the deadliest storm periods in recent memory. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices 
45m 56s
Jul 2024
Windows Devices Go Down, COVID Rates Go Up, and Tornadoes Touchdown on the Ground and on the Big Screen
President Biden is far from the only positive as COVID is experiencing a summer surge. Windows malfunction grounds planes and causes outages for banks, hospitals and emergency services. The Perseid meteor shower gives you plenty of shooting stars to see. Plus, we use the Twisters ... Show More
10m 23s