This thrilling documentary series follows a team of
intrepid scientists and filmmakers as they attempt

to pursue twisters in America’s Tornado Alley. This
week, a bad decision may result in the storm
chasers missing the tornado of the decade.
Every spring, filmmakers and scientists descend
on the Midwest of America to document one of
the most destructive weather patterns on the
planet. Filmmaker Sean Casey has travelled the
world recording nature’s extremes and is
determined to cap his latest film with the holy grail
of storm images – footage from inside the eye of a
tornado. In his quest to obtain this footage, Sean
has teamed up with meteorologist Dr Josh
Wurman and a team of tornado hunters with
state-of-the-art radar equipment.
With just three weeks left of the twister season in
Tornado Alley, tensions are running high as the
chasers suffer a series of setbacks in their quest to
track the perfect storm. Having covered 12,000
miles across eight states, weary brains and frayed
nerves continue to widen the rift between the
scientists and the filmmakers. Sean cannot fathom
these failures. “We’re with the premiere scientific
team in the nation with the latest technology – all
the gizmos,” he says, clearly blaming Josh’s
management skills for the problems.
To make matters worse, the mission comes to a
grinding halt when three days pass without the
crucial weather activity needed to feed a twister.
“The last three days have been a goose chase. A
goose chase – not a wild goose chase,” Sean
reflects, despairing of the sleepy weather patterns.
When the meteorologists identify a fresh storm
system on the radar, the teams perk up again. But
yet another disagreement reveals that it is not a
case simply of scientists versus creatives. Unrest
within Josh’s team comes to the fore when he
goes against the advice of head meteorologist
Justin, and steers north instead of south. Later
that day, when a huge storm hits 50 miles to the
south, it is too late for the crews to backtrack.
Trying to soften the blow, Josh philosophises:
“Storm chasing is about how you handle failure,”
he suggests.
Failures aside, there is always another storm just
around the corner. After another argument about
which direction holds the right conditions for the
perfect brew, the group journeys east. But with
weakening storms and gathering dark, Sean
decides to retire his team for the night and lead
them to a local bar. While winding down and
reflecting on the day’s activites, the filmmakers tune
into the television news only to learn that they have
missed a colossal tornado in Greensburg – a
location Sean had considered visiting that morning.
The chasers have missed the chance of a
lifetime, but when they visit the township and see
the devastation the storm has caused, the extent
of their personal loss is put into perspective.
“Tragedy comes with no speckling of a silver
lining,” Josh reflects.
After a short time dwelling on what might have
been, the storm chasers move out to the Kansas-
Oklahoma border, where a 500-mile stretch of
storms is forming. With so many potential
twisters to choose from, they zero in on a
‘spaceship’ storm – a thunderstorm with serious
tornado potential. Will Sean finally achieve the
ultimate prize in tornado filming?